Project Proposal: What It Is and How to Write One Guide

All projects have creation stories, but they don't start with someone declaring, "Let there be resources!" To move a project forward, teams must submit a proposal to decision-makers within their organization or to external stakeholders.

A project proposal is like a written elevator pitch; its purpose is to present your project in a condensed but efficient manner. In this guide, we'll teach you how to write a project proposal so you can win approval and succeed at work.

What is a project proposal?

A project proposal is a written document that outlines everything stakeholders need to know about a project, including the timeline, budget, objectives, and goals. It summarizes your project details and sells your idea so stakeholders feel inclined to support the initiative.

The goal of your project proposal is to:

• Secure external funding: Convince investors or clients to finance your initiative, or pursue grant funding for eligible projects.

• Allocate company resources: Get approval for the budget, team members, and tools you need.

• Gain stakeholder buy-in: Build alignment and support from decision-makers.

• Build momentum and excitement: Generate enthusiasm that carries the project forward.

Types of project proposals

There are six types of proposals you may encounter as a project manager, and understanding the different formats can be useful as you write yours. Each type has a different goal.

• Solicited: You'll send solicited proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RFP). An RFP announces a project in detail and asks for bids from qualified teams. Because you're competing against other companies for this type of proposal, you must do thorough research and write persuasively.

• Unsolicited: You'll send proposals without an RFP, meaning no one asked for them. In this case, you won't be up against other companies or teams, but you'll still need to be persuasive because you don't know whether the stakeholder you're pitching to needs you.

• Informal: You may have a client send you an informal request for a project proposal; in that case, you can respond with your project pitch. Because this isn't an official RFP, the rules are less concrete.

• Renewal: You'll send renewal invitations to existing clients to encourage them to extend their services with your organization. In this type of project proposal, the goal is to emphasize your team's past results for the client and persuade them that you can deliver future results.

• Continuation: You'll send continuations as a reminder to a stakeholder, letting them know the project is beginning. In this project proposal, you'll simply provide information about the project instead of persuading the stakeholder.

• Supplemental: Similar to a continuation proposal, you'll send a supplemental proposal to a stakeholder already involved in your project. In this type of proposal, you're letting the stakeholder know the project is beginning while also requesting additional resources.

The tone and content of your project proposal will differ depending on the type of proposal you're submitting. When you know your project goals, you can write your proposal accordingly.

How to write a project proposal

These step-by-step instructions apply to most project proposals, regardless of type. You'll need to customize your proposal for the intended audience, but this project proposal outline can serve as a reference to ensure you're including the key components in your document.

1. Write an executive summary

The executive summary serves as the introduction to your project proposal. This section should summarize what's coming and persuade the stakeholder to continue reading. Depending on the complexity of your project, it may be one paragraph or a few paragraphs.

Your executive summary should include:

• The problem your project plans to solve.

• The solution your project provides for that problem.

• The effect your project will have.

You should only address these items briefly in your executive summary because you'll discuss these topics in more detail later in your proposal.

2. Explain the project background

In this section, you'll go into the background of the project. Use references and statistics to convince your reader that the problem you're addressing is worthwhile. Some questions to address include:

• What is the problem your project addresses?

• What is already known about this problem?

• Who has addressed this problem before/what research is there?

• Why is past research insufficient at addressing this problem?

You can also use this section to explain how the problem you hope to solve directly relates to your organization.

3. Present a solution

After presenting your problem, the next step is to present your solution. This section is your opportunity to outline your project approach in greater detail. Items to include:

• Your vision statement for the project.

• Your project schedule, including important milestones.

• Project team roles and responsibilities.

• A risk register showing how you'll mitigate risk.

• The project deliverables.

• Reporting tools you'll use throughout the project.

You may not have all these items in your proposal format, but you can decide what to include based on the project scope. Consider using a work breakdown structure to organize this information; this section will likely be the longest and most detailed section of your proposal.

4. Define project deliverables and goals

Defining your project deliverables is a crucial step in writing your project proposal. Stakeholders want to know what you'll deliver at the end, whether that's a product, a program, or a technology upgrade. This is the section where they say, "Aha, this is what they'll use my resources for."

When defining your deliverables, you should include:

• The end product or final objective of your project

• A project timeline for when deliverables will be ready

• SMART goals and critical success factors that align with the deliverables you're producing

While it's important to show the problem and solution for your project, it's often easier for stakeholders to visualize it when you define the deliverables.

5. List what resources you need

Now that you've outlined your problem, approach, solution, and deliverables, you can go into detail about what resources you need to accomplish your initiative.

In this section, you'll include:

• Project budget: The project budget involves everything from the supplies you'll need to create a product to ad pricing and team salaries. You should include any budget items you need to deliver the project here.

• Breakdown of costs: This section should include research on why you need specific resources for your project; this way, stakeholders can understand how their buy-in is being used. This breakdown can also help you mitigate unexpected costs.

• Resource allocation plan: Include an overview outlining where you plan to use the specific resources you need.

Hopefully, by this point in the proposal, you've convinced the stakeholders to get on board with your proposed project. Saving the required resources for the end of the document is a smart strategic move.

6. State your conclusion

Finally, wrap up your project proposal with a persuasive and confident conclusion. Like the executive summary, the conclusion should briefly summarize the problem your project addresses and your solution. You can emphasize the effect of your project in the conclusion, but keep this section relevant.

Project proposal example

Sometimes the best way to understand how to write a project proposal is to see an example. While your proposal will change based on your specific project, you can use this simple example as a guide for structuring your own document.

• Title: Website Redesign Project

• Executive summary: Our current website has seen a 20% drop in user engagement over the last year. We propose a complete website redesign to improve the user experience, increase engagement, and better reflect our brand. This project will deliver a modern, mobile-responsive website within three months.

• Problem: The existing website is outdated, slow to load, and not optimized for mobile devices, leading to a poor user experience and declining traffic.

• Solution: We will build a new website on a modern platform, focusing on intuitive navigation, faster load times, and a clean design. The project will be managed in three phases: discovery, design and development, and launch.

• Deliverables: A fully functional and responsive website, a content management system (CMS) for easy updates, and a style guide for brand consistency.

• Resources needed: Budget of $25,000 for a freelance web developer and a new CMS subscription. Internal resources include one project manager and one content writer.

• Conclusion: By redesigning our website, we expect to increase user engagement by 30% and generate more qualified leads. We request approval to begin this high-impact project.

Project proposals vs. project charters vs. business cases

Project charters, business cases, and project briefs serve different purposes than project proposals. Here's how they compare:

Project proposal vs. project plan

It's common to confuse a project proposal with a project plan, but they serve different functions. A project proposal is a persuasive document created to get a project approved, while a project plan is an operational document created after approval to guide execution. Think of it this way: the proposal sells the idea, and the plan shows how to make it happen.

Tips for writing an effective project proposal

Following the steps above will ensure your project proposal has all the right elements. But if you want to impress your readers and win their approval, your writing must shine. Keep these tips in mind:

Know your audience

As you write your proposal, keep your audience in mind at all times. The goal is to win over your stakeholders, not just to present project details. For example, if you're pitching a children's publishing tool to parents, appeal to their emotional side.

Be persuasive

Persuasion matters because you want your audience to take action after reading your proposal. If your reader isn't intrigued, they won't feel inclined to help. Always explain the features, benefits, and effects; otherwise, your audience will wonder, "Why should I care?"

Keep it simple

While you should go into detail on your problem, approach, and solution, you shouldn't make your project proposal overly complex. This means you can discuss the project plan for your proposed editing tool without specifying the code the engineers will use to implement each feature.

Do your research

A successful project proposal includes thorough research. Back up your problem and solution with reputable sources, case studies, statistics, or charts. When writing your proposal, put yourself in the reader's shoes and ask:

• Why is this a problem?

• How is this a solution to the problem?

• Has anyone addressed this problem before?

• What are the project costs?

If you can answer these questions, then you've likely done enough research to support your proposed initiative.

Use project management tools to strengthen your project proposal

Good project proposals require team collaboration. With the right management tools, your team can communicate, share information, and collaborate on a single document.

When you store all your project information in one place, it's easy to access that data when you need it. Project proposals stem from well-organized, well-planned projects, which is why project management software is a key resource. Ready to get started? Get started with Asana.

Frequently asked questions about project proposals