Tips from a Cat Herder: A More Efficient Way to Organise Collaborative Writing for Consortium Funding Proposals
Consortium project proposal: iterative design The best and most efficient way to achieve a strategically strong consortium project funding proposal is to leverage the thinking of your partners by working with conceptually complete iterations.
One of the biggest challenges we face as human beings is initiating the creative process. We fear not knowing where to start. We imagine ourselves becoming lost, investing a lot of effort and having nothing to show for it.
This starting resistance is made manyfold worse when we are engaged in anything collaborative. We fear that what we produce has to be near perfect before anyone sees it.
This is the problem we face when endeavouring to collaboratively create a funding proposal for a consortium project. Sometimes we have to count on up to 15 or more people getting over their start-up anxiety.
Too often, the only tactic we use is to wait and count on the pressure created by a looming deadline.
The result is late nights and frenzy. We know that such a style of working is not optimal, but how can we work otherwise?
Do we tell our partners “Just do it!”? While that might be a good slogan for selling tennis shoes, it’s a frustrating piece of advice. It does not give us any insight on how.
“Just do it” is the right advice. The problem is that advice is often directed to the wrong people.
Build it and we can create.
When we sit down to write something, we need a framework, we need a scaffold.
A scaffold in a construction project provides many things:
Foundation: A scaffold provides a stable base.
Access: Scaffolds allow workers to reach different parts of a building.
Safety: Construction scaffolds create a safe working environment.
Flexibility: Scaffolds can be adjusted as construction progresses.
Temporary nature: Workers remove scaffolding once construction is complete.
Efficiency: Scaffolds speed up construction by providing organised access.
Is there a scaffold equivalent for a collaborative writing process? There is. It is a conceptually complete first draft. By that I mean a first draft that is not just an outline. It provides the concept. It is a first iteration. As such, much like a scaffold, it provides:
A foundation that sets the direction for your contributors.
Access by guiding contributors to where they have to contribute.
A first version of a concept that helps make others feel safe to offer their ideas.
A temporary structure. A conceptually complete first draft remains a first draft that can change.
Templates and outlines are flimsy scaffolding.
While templates or examples of other proposals can provide a basic structure, they often fall short.
Skeletal frameworks don't provide enough context for people to understand what they need to consider or how their contributions fit into the larger picture.
To illustrate this point, consider a prototype of a physical product that is just an outline. While it gives you a general idea of the product's shape, you won't truly understand its functionality or purpose until you can interact with a more complete version.
The same principle applies to collaborative writing.
What to do instead.
The key to a more efficient, effective collaborative writing process is the right kind of iteration.
To be truly iterative, you have to have something to test. A real iteration is one that is at least conceptually complete.
A non-iterative process is one where the different components are developed separately and put together in the end.
Conceptual completeness: the shiny object that unlocks the power of collaborative writing.
If we are being conceptually complete, does it mean we have drafted the whole proposal?
When we write proposals, we often feel that we are repeating ourselves. Each section seems like a variation of the previous sections.
This redundancy means that we can focus on being conceptually complete in the very first section of proposal. The rest can be just an outline.
Appreciating the redundant nature of proposals is the key to implementing an iterative cycle approach. In the first draft, the first section should explain the complete concept and should be carefully written.
A well-written proposal begins by telling the reader what the problem is, why it is particularly bad now, what you will do, and why the consortium is the best group of people to get it done. This should be the most detailed part of the first draft. This is how a first draft can be conceptually complete without being the whole document.
The key is to commit to a concept. It may be entirely wrong and the final result several iterations later may look entirely different. By committing to a concept, the process of iteration begins.
This first iteration could be the draft and ideas of a single person. A more efficient process is to begin by generating ideas of what to include through the collaborative interaction of a team of people with diverse perspectives.
Facilitated discussions structured around mental model frameworks are the best way to generate the dialogue that will lead to creative concepts that will make the proposal standout.
Even a facilitated discussion can make use of the principles of iteration. One facilitation technique that is powerful is to summarise what was said or to rapidly make a suggestion that builds upon what was said.
If that summary or suggestion is a conceptually complete idea, it is in essence what needs to be put into the first draft.
After the discussion, the next step is to draft a conceptually complete first iteration. It should include these sections:
Full narrative text describing the problem, why it needs to be solved now, how it is going to be solved and why this consortium needs to do it.
List of objectives
vision of the future
Pathway to impact and a text explaining the major impacts and how these impacts will be realised in the long term.
List of Work Packages and key deliverables
Outline of the partners and the value they bring
By providing this level of detail from the outset, you give your collaborators a solid foundation to work from and react to.
This iterative mindset should be carried forward for the subsequent sections. For example, the next iteration will include the conceptually complete introduction section and a conceptually complete set of work packages.
Drive as much as possible towards completion with each draft. Each iteration will serve as a stronger scaffold.
The Benefits of Working with Conceptually Complete Versions
There are a number of benefits to working with conceptually complete versions:
Clarity of vision: Collaborators understand the overall direction and scope of the project.
Easier identification of gaps: Areas that need more development or refinement become apparent.
Efficient feedback: Partners can provide specific and constructive feedback on concrete ideas.
Momentum building: Seeing a more fully formed proposal can motivate team members and build excitement for the project.
Sometimes I get engaged in a proposal writing process when there has already been some effort. This usually means that multiple people have been given the task of writing out work packages without a conceptually complete concept. This means there is a group of work packages that are not cohesive and difficult to follow.
Unpicking and deconvoluting such work packages is an inefficient process.
Conclusion: The Path to a Winning Proposal
By embracing the iterative design process in proposal writing, you position yourself and your consortium for success. This approach makes the writing process more manageable and results in a more strategically sound and compelling proposal.
Remember, the goal is not perfection in the first draft, but continuous improvement through each iteration. With each cycle, your proposal becomes stronger, clearer, and more aligned with the funding agency's objectives.
As an authority on collaborative proposal building, I attest to the power of this method. By working together through an iterative process, you'll develop a proposal with a greater chance of success and build a stronger, more cohesive consortium ready to tackle transformative research and innovation challenges.
Embrace the iterative approach, and watch as your collaborative efforts transform into a funding proposal that stands out for its clarity, strategic positioning, and potential for impact in your field.
Interested in being part of the next breakthrough?
Get on the shortlist.
Send us a short note and let us know about your organisation or group, your research and innovation interests, and what techniques and assets you can bring to a consortium project.
We will reach out to you when there is an opportunity to be part of or to lead a consortium.
There is often a need for all types of stakeholders in consortium projects: academic researchers, disease foundations, professional societies, small to medium enterprises, institutes, patient organisations, experts in ethics, experts in regulatory affairs, and large companies.
Relevant articles
It’s a conundrum. You need to conduct fundraising in order to pay for projects, but you need projects to demonstrate progress in order to raise funds. More precisely, you have to select good initiatives that will provide value for sponsors and donors, so you can encourage those sponsors and donors to fund good initiatives that will provide value….