Template 2-3 Request For Proposal (RFP)
Overview
Objectives: The purpose of the Request For Proposal (RFP) is to provide the customer/executive sponsor with an:
ü Estimated total software project cost and scheduled Generally Available (GA) release delivery date.
ü Summary of software feature set deliverables
ü Estimated total project cost and software delivery date (schedule)
ü Make sales pitch to get project adopted and/or close sale
Inputs:
ü Customer Requirements Survey
ü Project Candidate Cost-Benefit (ROI) Analysis
ü Requirements Document (RD)
Two types of RFP’s
ü Internal software projects
ü External software projects
Cover Letter
Author: Product Marketing Manager
Address letter to customer/project sponsor
Four paragraph format:
ü Introduction
ü Summary of software feature set deliverables
ü Estimated total project cost and software delivery date (schedule)
ü Make sales pitch
Title Page
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Author:{ }
Date:{..}
Table of Contents
List and number sections of RFP, for example:
1. Software Benefits
1.1 Estimated Design/Development Costs in {$ 140,000}
1.2 Estimated total project duration (schedule) in {90 days}
2. Project Objectives
3. Major Feature Deliverables
4. Environments/Platforms
5. Documentation/Training
6. Support/Maintenance
7. Contract Terms and Conditions
1. Cost-Benefit (ROI) Analysis
First summarize the basic problem that customer is facing, which your software will resolve. Provide specifics if the focus of this project is oriented towards a specific customer’s business scenario. Here’s where you can use the information gathered for the Customer Requirements Surveys, as a starting point for this section and the sections to follow. Please refer to section 2 and Table 2-1 in Chapter 2 for a detailed explanation of the Customer Requirements Survey process.
Example: Numerous customers using client-server and legacy based customer call tracking software are faced with a number of scalability, tracking, and reporting limitations as well as increasing implementation and maintenance costs.
1.1 Benefits of the Customer Self-Service Web software:
ü Your software will resolve the customers’ problems introduced by client-server and legacy products, by offering a Web-based solution alternative that is easily scalable, provides enhanced tracking and reporting capabilities.
ü Minimizes implementation and ongoing maintenance costs.
ü Ease of Operability: Explain how your software will address the users’ needs of “user friendliness,” Be nice now!
1.2 Financial Costs of developing/purchasing the Customer Self-Service Web software:
ü $140,000
2. Project Objectives
Instructions: Write a statement in clear and simple terms what the primary goals and objectives are for this project. For example:
Example: The three primary objectives of implementing the Customer Self-Service Web software project at Problematic are as follows:
ü Replace customers’ existing client-server and legacy customer call tracking systems with Web-based technologies;
ü Enhance scalability to increasing customer base; and,
ü Reduce implementation and ongoing maintenance costs.
3. Major Feature Deliverables
Instructions: List the high-level software requirements requested by customers, needed to solve their problem. It’s an excellent idea to assign priorities to each requirement such as High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L). For example:
Example: The following requirements or feature set summary listed in Table 7-1, is required for the Customer Self Service Web project, including basic customer service center tracking and reporting.
Table 7-1 Requirements SummaryCustomer Self Service Web
ü Create Web-based customer case tracking entry form
ü Provide key customer profile information
ü Generate email notifications when new cases are opened
ü Provide auto-escalation and approval workflow functions
ü Generate internal case management reports
ü Provide external case tracking summary reports for customers
Case Tracking and Retrieval Transaction Deliverables
ü Case tracking entry. Both Marketing and your customer base have identified the most important feature of this project, is to enable your customers’ users to create new case records by entering the data via a Web-based form accessible through their Internet browser. Part of your development team’s effort will be to map the Web form fields of the Customer Self-Service Web application to the corresponding fields on the tables of each customer’s existing back-office customer service system. The development of this feature, must be completed during Phase I. Users will enter data including their name, telephone number, email address, company name, detailed description of the problem, and the priority of high, medium, or low.
ü Update and correction. The second highest feature on the wish list is the user’s ability to update changes and corrections to data on existing case records. This should be a “no-brainer,” after your development team writes the system specifications for the record creation form and back-end data model.
ü Customer profiles. The customer profiles will include all the pertinent contact information, such as: customer name, customer identification number, employee contact names, telephone numbers, email addresses, shipping addresses, and so on. Profile data will be made accessible for each customer in your customers’ back-office databases. To have customer profiles accessible through the Web interface, there will need to be a mapping of the fields to the back-office tables.
ü Search and retrieval. The ability of the user to search and retrieve case records by customer name, date, and other criteria was also a feature high on the charts. Again, your development team will have to map the Web search function against the back-office system, without trying to reinvent the wheel.
Table 7-2: The Customer Self-Service Web Project Component Deliverables
Transaction / Result / Produc Status / UI AccessCustomer enters issue in case tracking form via Web access. / Customer case header and initial case form display and entry are created. / New / Navigation Menu via Web access
Save case tracking data. / Case tracking data can be saved multiple times – status is Open / New / Input Form
Submit case update form to customer service. / Status is submitted via email auto-notification to customer service staff is initiated. / New / Update Form
Update/correct data for existing cases. / Case is processed and customer service is notified via auto-notification email. / New / Inbox/Form button
Store/retrieve customer profile information / Map Web User Interface to back-office database fields. / New / Navigation Menu via Web access
Auto-escalate case to development. / Case escalated and assigned to Development manager. / New / Inbox/Form button
Workflow
External case searching and retrieval / Search by date range/status. Customer can only search own cases. / New / Main Customer Menu (Extranet)
Case Tracking Reports for Customers
ü Tracking and reporting. One of the hallmarks of a world class customer support organization, is the ability to respond and resolve customers’ issues quickly and effectively. Effective tracking and reporting mechanisms are the tools management uses to keep a pulse on the case backlog. There are a number of ways to provide tracking and reporting via a Web self-service product as illustrated in Tables 7-3 and 7-4. You project team will have to evaluate the alternatives and pick the optimal solution.
Table 7-3: The Customer Self Service Web project’s external reporting deliverables.
Report / Result / Product Status / UI AccessExternal case tracking reporting for each customer / Report display Customer can review only their cases. / New / Main Customer Web search engine
Table 7-4: Case Tracking and Internal Reporting Deliverables.
Transaction / Result / Product Status / UI AccessCase Aging Reports / Cases are established and maintained. / New / Navigation Menu
Metrics Reports / Various statistical report listings. / New / Navigation Menu
Staff Schedule / Telephone schedules are established. / New / Navigation Menu
The primary required features the Customer Self-Service Web software at Problematic are as summarized as follows with the following High (H), Medium (M), and Low (L) priorities:
ü Web-based Customer self-service technologies (H)
ü Case logging and tracking (H)
ü Case escalations (M)
ü Case management reporting (M)
ü Computer-Telephone-Interactive (CTI) interface (L)
4. Software Project Plan (Seven Phased Approach)
Phase 1: Gathering requirements
Phase 2: Analyzing
Phase 3: Designing
Phase 4: Developing
Phase 5: Testing
Phase 6: Managing releases and change
Phase 7: Implementing
5. Documentation/Training
Instructions: List the key publications required for this project, which will be the subject of the Technical Publications Plan. Also, identify which courseware and course content are required from the Training department to get users up to speed on your software.
Example: The documentation for the Customer Self-Service Web software project will include:
ü Installation instructions
ü Release Notes
ü User Guide
ü Implementation and Adaptation Guide
ü Customer Acceptance Test Procedure
6. Support/Maintenance
Instructions: Provide a proposed 24x7 support and maintenance for customers after the Generally Available (GA) software release.
7. Contract Terms and Conditions
Instructions:
ü Design/Development Costs
ü Pricing/Licensing Terms: Provide the boilerplate “legalize” required for the pricing and licensing terms and conditions surrounding the proper and improper use of the software.
ü Vendor’s and Customer’s roles and contractual obligations
ü Beta Test Plan, Entrance/Exit Criteria
ü Professional Services Customer Site Implementation Package
ü Customer Acceptance Test Procedure and Criteria
ü Warranties