name: proposal-writing
description: Produce the proposal + Statement of Work (SoW) that frames the paid Decision Phase (P1) offer — with an explicit in/out scope boundary, priced as a fixed frame. This is the ENTRY skill of the consulting front-of-funnel: it qualifies the need, frames the Decision Phase offer, prices it (delegating the numbers to estimation), and writes the proposal + SoW. It OWNS proposal/SoW production and the scope-boundary discipline; it DELEGATES pricing/effort to estimation, executive framing to executive-communication, and the P1 deliverable definition to decision-package. Triggers — "write a proposal", "draft the SoW / Statement of Work", "scope boundary for this engagement", "fixed-cost proposal", "frame the Decision Phase offer". Not for producing the Decision Package itself (that is decision-package), not for free P0 orientation (that is semantic-consulting-coach).
license: Apache 2.0
metadata:
category: consulting
Proposal Writing
Provisional pending the first-engagement gate. This wiring is the floor, not the finished standard;
refine it after the first real paid engagement is sold and delivered.
Overview
The proposal + SoW is the commercial artefact that converts a qualified prospect into a signed
P1 Decision Phase engagement. It frames the offer, draws an explicit scope boundary (in/out),
and prices the engagement as a fixed frame — a bounded commitment the prospect can sign without
open-ended risk on either side.
This is the entry skill of the consulting front-of-funnel: the common path runs through here. It
does the qualify → frame → price → write loop, calling estimation by reference for the numbers (so
the flow is one path, but estimation stays independently triggerable for any estimate that does not
need a full proposal wrapper).
It composes by reference and restates nothing:
- the offer being framed — the P1 Decision Phase — is defined by
decision-package (what P1 delivers) and the engagement model in
semantic-consulting-coach (the
free→paid boundary and the fixed-frame intent);
- the pricing and effort numbers come from
estimation;
- the structure and persuasion come from
executive-communication — a proposal is
an executive artefact (SCQA + a 3-point pyramid; trade-offs and scope boundaries explicit).
Flow (R2)
Inputs: P0 orientation notes / prospect context (the qualification signals the coach surfaced).
Output: a proposal + SoW with an explicit in/out scope boundary, priced as a fixed frame.
- Qualify the need. Confirm the prospect has crossed the free→paid boundary — they are asking
"what do we do first, and why?", not "is this relevant?". If they have not, this is still P0
orientation; do not write a paid proposal yet (see the boundary discipline in
engagement-model.md). Capture the
problem, the deciding persona, the measurable outcome, and the constraints.
- Frame the Decision Phase offer. State what P1 delivers — the Decision Package (recommendation,
in/out scope, pilot→scale roadmap, buy/build/defer, ready-to-contract execution brief; see
decision-package). Frame it answer-first as the offer that makes
committing safe, not as open-ended discovery.
- Price it as a fixed frame — via
estimation. Hand estimation the
work breakdown the offer implies; take back the effort range, the contingency, and the
assumptions/exclusions. The SoW scope boundary and the estimate's exclusions are the same list
— keep them in lock-step (see the scope-boundary checklist).
- Write the proposal + SoW. Use the templates in
references/proposal-template.md and
references/sow-template.md. Write the proposal in the executive
voice (executive-communication);
write the SoW as the contractual companion that pins scope, deliverables, price, and exclusions.
The scope boundary (in/out) — load-bearing
The explicit in/out scope boundary is the discipline this skill owns. The "out" list is not
filler: it protects the boundary with the build tier (P2 Execution is always a separate engagement)
and pre-empts scope creep on a fixed-frame price. Two rules:
- The SoW "out of scope" list = the estimate's exclusions. They are one list in two documents.
If
estimation excluded it from the number, the SoW must exclude it from the commitment.
- Name the clean handover. State that P2 Execution is separately scoped and priced — the proposal
earns the right to say "from here, we can execute, or you can take this and execute with someone
else."
The full discipline — what must appear in/out, the boundary checks, the handover clause — is in
references/scope-boundary-checklist.md.
Pricing as a fixed frame
A fixed frame is a bounded commitment, not an open day-rate. The price comes from estimation
(PERT-weighted effort + contingency); this skill wraps it with the stop/extend mechanics so the
frame stays honest: if agreed outcomes cannot be reached for reasons outside our control, the SoW
already names the option to reduce scope, take a short extension, or stop cleanly with partial
delivery — never silent overwork (the boundary safeguard from engagement-model.md).
Boundary & Related Skills
This skill OWNS: producing the proposal + SoW, and the scope-boundary (in/out)
discipline — including the fixed-frame framing and the stop/extend mechanics that keep the frame
honest.
This skill DELEGATES:
- Pricing / effort / contingency numbers →
estimation (the entry flow
invokes it; it also stands alone).
- Executive framing and voice (SCQA, Minto pyramid, answer-first) →
executive-communication.
- The P1 deliverable definition (what the Decision Phase actually produces) →
decision-package.
- Coaching whether/how to run P1 and holding the free→paid boundary →
semantic-consulting-coach.
Related: estimation, decision-package, executive-communication, semantic-consulting-coach.
Tone & style
British English. The proposal is an executive artefact: answer-first, concise, every claim
load-bearing; scope boundaries and trade-offs explicit, never hedged. The SoW is its contractual
companion: precise, enumerated, no marketing prose. Write the proposal in the engagement's executive
voice (see executive-communication), not consultancy-bland.
