Capture Methodologies Optimize the Capture Management Process

What is a Capture Methodology and How Does It Impact the Capture Management Process?

The capture methodology, a documented and enforced system of capture management, is the backbone of an effective capture organization. Capture methodologies formalize capture management processes, enabling organizations to get on the same page about everything from capture best practices to handoff criteria to clear criteria for go/no-go decisions. Capture methodologies allow organizations to pursue opportunities in lockstep with a clear understanding of what moves opportunities forward and their relative roles and responsibilities on deals.

But what exactly is a capture methodology?

This blog post defines capture methodologies and explains exactly why they’re so important.

The Capture Methodology

A capture methodology is a defined and documented systematic approach to capture management. In other words, a capture methodology is the documented standard operating procedure for how an organization conducts its capture management process.

It’s extremely important that a capture methodology is well-defined. Many organizations have general approaches to capture management, but unless the process is defined, distributed, and internalized, those approaches consist of a set of loose best practices, not a systematic methodology.

Capture methodologies help get the entire organization on the same page about best practices for moving deals forward, standards for qualifying opportunities, clear expectations for gate reviews, and mechanisms to measure progress on a deal.

When implemented properly, a capture methodology will help create more effective capture management by galvanizing the entire organization to work together with clear standard operating procedures.

Intelligent capture methodologies make capture predictable, repeatable, and scalable. Even better, because a capture methodology is a living, breathing standard operating procedure, it can be adjusted based on evidence of its success. With every iteration, the capture methodology grows stronger, enabling future capture to become more accurate, utilizing resources efficiently, and enabling companies to scale at a quicker pace.

Using a Capture Methodology to Optimize Your Capture Management Process

The best capture organizations utilize capture methodologies to document their capture processes and best practices, quantify progress on opportunities, clearly define roles and responsibilities, and set expectations for gate reviews.

While the process of defining your capture methodology might seem daunting, the benefits from doing so far outweigh the costs. Companies with useful and used capture methodologies are more likely to increase their p-win on deals, capture more revenue, promote teamwork and reduce team tensions, more accurately forecast revenue, and reduce the ramp time of new resources.

Because most organizations are already operating at capacity, it can be valuable to gain an outside perspective that can help review capture processes, compile them into a capture methodology, and train existing staff both on how to adhere to the capture methodology and how to maintain the culture that will uphold the methodology moving forward. Once the capture methodology is defined, companies generally find it worthwhile to invest in software that quantifies the capture methodology for each opportunity, so capture managers can track their progress on deals, identify gaps, and strategize about how to move deals forward.

With an effective capture methodology in place, organizations are better able to work together toward capture. Capture managers are presented with clear playbooks for how to move their deals forward. Business Development and Proposals Departments are given clear roles and responsibilities, making handoff criteria understandable and predictable. Management can use their capture methodology to understand progress on a deal and make accurate forecasts, enabling the company to make intelligent investments. And companies can use capture methodologies to scale their operations, ramping up new resources at a much faster rate, ensuring that best practices are used across the organization, and improving their win rate.

A useful and used capture methodology is essential to any capture and proposal organization. Yet too often, companies find their capture methodologies have grown stale, rotting away in a binder while staff goes rogue and pursues deals individually. Worse, some companies don’t have a capture methodology at all, which creates friction as capture processes are needlessly recreated for every single opportunity.

Don’t let your capture methodology go stale while teams go rogue. 

A useful and used capture methodology is essential to any capture organization. Yet too often capture methodologies (if there even is one present) are ignored or not acted upon. This eBook will help you create, implement, and maintain the best methodology for your team and organization.

Download our new eBook, How to Implement an Intelligent Capture Management Methodology to dig in to the following topics:

1. Why are Capture Methodologies So Important?
2. What Processes Should be Outlined in a Capture Methodology?
3. The Four Key Elements of Successful Capture Methodologies
4. How Dynamic Qualification Brings Capture Methodologies to Life

Download the eBook