What Should be Outlined in a Capture Methodology?

These Processes Are the Core of Effective Capture Methodologies

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

A useful and used capture methodology is essential to any capture 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 one at all, which creates friction as capture processes are needlessly recreated for every single opportunity.

The first step to creating a capture methodology is understanding what defined processes it consists of. This blog post defines the standard elements present in a capture methodology.

The Standard Elements in a Capture Methodology

The documented capture methodology should lay out clear standard operating procedures for every common process in the capture lifecycle. Below, we list some of the core processes that should be included:

• Roles and Responsibilities of Business Development, Capture Managers, and Proposal Development Resources
• Defined designations of authority for leadership approvals
• Expected Schedules for  Achieving Key Milestones
• The Go/No-Decision Process, Including the Following:
• Who is Authorized to Give Go/No-Go Decisions
• Schedule for Go/No-Go Decisions
• What Information Leadership Will Need
• Presentation Expectations & Format for Go/No-Go Decision Meetings (e.g. a 1-page memo, a five-slide PowerPoint deck, etc.)
• Required Internal Documents to Ensure Compliance with Government Regulations
• Standards for Deal to Be Passed From Business Development to Capture
• Artifacts that Should Be Included in Handoff from Business Development to Capture
• Artifacts that Should Be Included in Handoff from Capture to Proposals
• Defined Capture Activities that are Useful to Developing the Capture Management Plan
• Clear Standards for What is Expected in a Capture Plan
• Metrics and Criteria to Quantify Capture Progress (more on this later)

By standardizing the capture process and setting clear expectations across the company, capture methodologies enable capture organizations to operate more efficiently, increasing the frequency that capture best practices are actually implemented, reducing time spent chasing go/no-go decisions, improving handoff and teamwork, and incentivizing the activities that move deals forward.

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 Included?
3. The Four Key Elements of Successful Capture Methodologies
4. How Dynamic Qualification Brings Capture Methodologies to Life

Download the eBook