The Go/No-Go Blueprint
a plan for making informed decisions quickly
Go/No-Go
If you're unfamiliar, a Go/No-Go is a process a company uses to decide if a potential project is worth pursuing. It takes into account if your company has the skills, resources, experience, and capacity to submit a proposal, win, and complete the project for a profit.
Hands down, the most important thing to know about a Go/No-Go is that every RFQ/P should start at the Go/No-Go step.
One of the biggest mistakes we make is going into a Go/No-Go decision with the mindset of "Defend why it's a go." This leads to a more defensive conversation instead of a collaborative one.
What if we started with the mindset, "Convince me it's a go." This statement evokes communication as a team that leads to a decision.
So, let's get into the categories companies fall into regarding Go/No-Gos. We'll also look at how to make the most of each category.
No, Go/No-Go (try saying that 3x fast.)
If you don't have a Go/No-Go, it's time to create one.
Start with who, what, when, and where.
Who - Figure out exactly who needs to be involved. I recommend:
The person who knows most about the client and project (can be anyone)
Someone from the firm leadership
A marketer/proposal professional who has decision-making authority
The technical team member who will manage the project
Any Specialty technical role, as needed
What - What does a Go/No-Go consist of? I recommend having two things. 1. A form everyone completes AND 2. a conversation. The form and conversation should always go together - don't do one without the other. You need documentation for the conversation, and you need structure for the conversation. The form and conversation should cover the following:
Understanding of financial risk and reward
Knowledge of the client - Why is the client undertaking this project? How does it benefit their business?
Knowledge of the project - What are the specifics and the challenges?
Firm's experience and capacity - Does our PM have the right experience? Can we staff the project?
The resources (time, money, staff) needed for the proposal effort - Does the marketing team have the capacity for the proposal? Does the technical project manager have availability for proposal tasks in their workload?
When - One of the most crucial parts of having a successful Go/No-Go is being timely. Ideally, you'll have a Go/No-Go decision within 24 hours of an RFQ/P's release.
Where - You need a place for the team to discuss and come to a decision. This place needs to be defined and consistent for every Go/No-Go decision. One company I work with has a Go/No-Go decision around the island in the office kitchen. They have a quick, standing meeting while refreshing coffee and water, talk about the project pursuit, and make a decision a Go/No-Go decision on a project pursuit. 15 minutes. Done.
Define where your team will meet for a Go/No-Go decision. 15-minute virtual meetings work too. Define if it's on Teams/Zoom/Wherever and detail who sends the invite.
You'll also want to consider other "where" questions like where are we keeping the Go/No-Go template so it can be accessed quickly? Where are we going to record the completed Go/No-Go decisions?
It's a Go… BUT
If you have a Go/No-Go, but it isn't working, there are typically three reasons. The bottom line is that they are not effective. Here's how to fix that.
#1 – Your process is too slow. Let's say an RFQ/P drops on a Monday afternoon. If your team only has Go/No-Go meetings on Friday mornings, an entire week will have gone by without a decision. You've lost valuable days working on a Go proposal or, worse, wasted valuable time working on a No-Go proposal. For more on this, check out the "when" paragraph above.
#2 – It's not being used (often because it's too complicated). If your forms are too long or jargon-filled or the discussion meeting is too long, you'll deter folks from actually using the process. The best way to get everyone to follow the process is by having a simple, easy-to-understand, easy-to-use form and a short meeting to discuss.
#3 – The right people aren't involved. Making sure you have a mix of decision-makers and representatives from the different aspects of the company will ensure that no one is overlooked and that each team's capacity and resources are considered. For more on the roles involved in an effective GO/No-Go, see the "who" section above.
Yes, Go/No-Go
If you have a Go/No-Go that works, that's excellent! You already know the power of a solid system. So, let's talk about how we can use the Go/No-Go even more effectively.
Use the Go/No-Go data to track what's happening. How many Go/No-Gos are you preparing a month? Of those, how many are Gos and No Gos? How many Gos turned into a project win? How many Gos should have been No Gos? How many days passed between the RFQ/P being released and a Go/No-Go decision made?
Knowing these tidbits is so helpful for making decisions about allocating resources to the most impactful pursuits. Tracking Go/No-Go decisions gives you an understanding of whether the company is proactive or reactive.
Go/No-Go For Proposal Professionals
If you're a proposal professional, I recommend keeping your own Go/No-Go decisions. If you don't have a simple form, use the one I created for you.
Fill out a Go/No-Go form using your knowledge of the client, company, RFQ/P requirements, and capacity to make your own Go/No-Go decision.
After six months of making your own Go/No-Go decisions, collect your decisions and compare them with the results of the proposals. This helps you gather data on how many RFQ/Ps should have been a No-Go. How much time and resources were lost on those pursuits?
Also, look at how many proposals were lost or were extra stressful because team members were juggling other priorities. How can time and resources be better allocated?
Gathering this data helps an AEC marketer build a compelling reason why their company should institute or change the Go/No-Go process.
Next Step
Go/No-Gos is the crucial first step that most companies miss. Not having one is like building a foundation without making sure the right utility systems are in place underneath. Having one a Go/No-G0 that is not working is like hanging a floating shelf without a level. And having one that works means you have data points about the sales process to dig into.
If you need more marketing support, let's chat about how the Hello Diana Brown team can help.
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