Writing Proposals That Set Clear Expectations

In the past, I wrote proposals (or strategy docs) mostly to wow prospective clients with fancy terms, big promises, and a slick design—a nice big long deck, right? But you know what was missing? Other than self-esteem, serotonin, and dopamine? (These are the jokes, people) The practical detail that helps me actually execute once they say “yes.” I realized that if the doc doesn’t function as my own roadmap, it’s just empty fluff. Now, I treat it as both a pitch and a set of step-by-step instructions for the work ahead. I explain what I’ll do, but I also spell out the “why.” For example, if I propose a 3-month content ramp-up, I detail how it intersects with the client’s sales pipeline, brand awareness goals, or community-building strategy. Once approved, I don’t have to reinvent the wheel. The plan is there in black and white, guiding me (and them) forward. It’s like drafting your own instruction manual: “Install Part A (launch pilot campaigns) before attempting Part B (scale to broader audiences).” Clients appreciate it too. They don’t just want big promises—they want to know exactly how those promises become reality. This clarifies scope and expectations from day one. When everything’s spelled out, you avoid the dreaded “But I thought you were also handling X, Y, and Z for free” chat later on. Ultimately, this doc should serve everyone. It convinces clients you can deliver—and it reminds you how to deliver once underway. If it doesn’t accomplish both, rethink your approach. Winging it after they say “yes” only adds stress for you and risks disappointment for them. A good plan is your mutual blueprint for success—whether it’s a formal proposal or an internal strategy doc. Tips to Serve You: Create Your Own Roadmap 👉 Break down each phase in a way that aligns with your workflow. If it’s not useful to you, it won’t be useful to anyone. Set Realistic Time Frames 👉 Build in buffer time for feedback and sign-offs, so you’re not scrambling at the eleventh hour. Document the “Why” 👉 Note the reasoning behind each recommended step. Future you will thank you when it’s time to execute. Outline Dependencies 👉 Specify the assets, data, or approvals you need from others before progressing. Tips to Serve Them: Highlight Tangible Outcomes 👉 Show how your plan leads to measurable results—engagement boosts, qualified leads, community growth. Use Plain Language 👉 Ditch the jargon. If it’s complicated, clarify it. Clients want to grasp your plan quickly and confidently. Tie Back to Their Goals 👉 Connect each step to what matters most to them, whether it’s revenue, visibility, or retention. Clarify Scope and Costs 👉 No mysteries. Lay out what’s included, how long it’ll take, and why it’s worth the investment. Whether you’re writing a full-blown proposal or a quick-and-dirty strategy doc for your own team, make sure it does double duty: clarifies the vision for your clients and keeps you on track. That’s how everyone wins.

How I Set Expectations So Things Don’t Slip as a Program Manager at Amazon Most deadlines don’t get missed because people are lazy. They get missed because expectations were unclear. At Amazon, alignment isn’t optional…it’s how we move fast without creating confusion. Here’s how I set expectations early…and keep things from slipping: 1/ I write down what “done” actually looks like ↳ Not just “finish the doc” ↳ But “complete draft with metrics, reviewed by 2 teams, and shared by Friday” Example: I once asked an SDE to finalize “the dashboard,” but they thought I meant visuals…I needed filters too. Now I write detailed definitions of done. 2/ I repeat timelines in writing ↳ Verbally aligned = easily forgotten ↳ Written timelines = shared truth Example: After any kickoff, I send a recap that includes the key milestones, owners, and due dates. If it’s not written, it’s not real. 3/ I ask people to confirm in their own words ↳ “Can you recap what you’re owning?” ↳ It surfaces misalignment early Example: I had someone say “Sure, I’ll get it done” but when I asked them to repeat the task, they described something completely different. Easy fix…because we caught it fast. 4/ I set check-in points…not just a final deadline ↳ Midpoints help course-correct ↳ It’s easier to fix week 1 than week 4 Example: For a 4-week launch, I add 2 mid-checks: one for progress, one for review. That’s saved me from last-minute fire drills. 5/ I clarify escalation paths up front ↳ “If you hit a blocker, who do you ping?” ↳ Removes friction when things go sideways Example: We once hit a resource crunch mid-project…because no one knew who could approve temp help. Now I list “go-to” escalation contacts in every kickoff doc. You don’t need to micromanage. You just need to make expectations unmistakable. How do you set clarity from day one?

I haven't seen anyone talk about this. But the No.1 reason I have seen legal issues happen... It is because of a simple fact. Miscommunication. That's it. That's all there it is. -> Miscommunication leads to misunderstandings. -> Misunderstandings lead to disputes. -> Disputes lead to legal issues. I read a lot of case laws on the commercial/contract side. And they could all have been easily avoided had the parties communicated properly. Now you might be wondering, why does this happen? Couple of reasons: • Assumptions are made. One party assumes the other knows what they mean. But the other party might have a different interpretation. • Expectations aren't clear. One party expects certain features or services. But if it's not documented, it's just an expectation, not an agreement. • Deliverables aren't defined. What exactly is being delivered? Are the deliverables defined in detail? • Deadlines aren't realistic. Are the timelines realistic? What happens if deadlines aren't met? Now lucky for you, if you want to avoid this. There are a couple of steps I recommend. I normally share this with my clients. 1) Clearly define the scope of the project. Outline what is included and what is not. Example: "The website will include a homepage, about page, contact page, and blog section. E-commerce functionality is not included." 2) Specify each deliverable. Provide details for each one. Example: "The homepage will feature a hero image, a brief introduction, and links to the about and contact pages." 3) Set realistic deadlines. Include buffer time for revisions. Example: "The homepage design will be delivered by August 1st. The about and contact pages will follow by August 10th. The blog section will be completed by August 15th." 4) Be clear on how and when you'll communicate. Regular updates and check-ins. Example: "Weekly status calls every Monday at 10 AM. Daily progress updates via Slack." 5) Be clear about payment schedules. Include milestones and due dates. Example: "50% upfront, 25% upon delivery of the homepage, 25% upon final approval." 6) Define how changes will be handled. Include a process for approving and documenting changes. Example: "Any changes to the project scope must be submitted in writing and approved by both parties. Additional charges may apply." Once you start doing this, you remove a lot of "assumptions" from the contract. Point is - don't leave anything to chance. Because miscommunication can kill a project. I have seen it happen. Tldr: -> Assumptions can cost you. -> Clarity can save you. -> Document everything. That's all -- ✍️ Have you ever lost a project because of miscommunication? 📌 Web Agencies, if you need a good contract that properly communicates your offerings, then DM me the word "CONTRACT" and let's talk #Startups #Founders #Contract #Law #Business #website

Everyone has conversations where they ask for what they want from someone. But, very few now how to use that conversation to make sure that they also GET what they want. Below are the steps that most people miss and what to do instead. Benefits of using this process: 👍 𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 “𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭” 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦. 👍 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰. 👍 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. Here is how: 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 Write down what you think the other person should be doing. Get specific. What does “done well” look like? Ask yourself: what do I expect them to know, feel, think, or do? 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭. 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙩, 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚, 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮, 𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣 Instead of thinking, “Mom should comfort me,” try: “Mom, I’m coming to you for support. Can you be available to listen today?” For work: “I need this document to include X, Y, Z and be easy to read by Friday so I can move forward. Can you send me a draft by Thursday?” 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 After you make the request check in: Ask, “Does that make sense?” or “Can you commit to that?” This ensures your expectations are shared and agreed on, reducing misunderstandings. When you make your expectations explicit and get agreement, conversations get easier—and outcomes improve. Going into the holiday season, what expectations are you carrying that often lead to frustrations?

Unclear expectations are a project killer When I first started managing projects, I thought everyone would be on the same page. Alignment on roles, responsibilities, timelines, & deliverables Spoiler alert - they weren't. Fast forward 6 months: → A task was delayed because no one owned it → A stakeholder expected something we never agreed to → The team was frustrated by murky priorities It all came back to unclear expectations. Now, every time I kick off a project, I focus on 3 key things: ☝ Define roles & responsibilities Who owns what? Don't assume people know. Spell it out. RACI charts work wonders. ✌ Clarify deliverables & deadlines What are we delivering and when? Be specific. Confirm alignment with your team/stakeholders. 🤟 Overcommunicate early Repeat key details. Document agreements/decisions. Follow-up to ensure understanding. Clarity by setting expectations prevents future problems. It also establishes trust, teamwork, and successful delivery. When everyone knows what's expected, they can execute instead of guess. PS: what's your go-to strategy for setting clear expectations? 🤙

A technical leader lays out a brilliant idea—logical, well-reasoned, and clearly explained. They’re confident they’ve sold their team on the idea. But later, they realize nothing happened. What went wrong? They explained the idea... but didn’t explain the expectations. Sometimes, the time spent explaining an idea feels like it’s enough to gain buy-in, especially when others nod along or seem to agree. But clarity in management isn’t just about ensuring people understand the idea—it’s about ensuring they know what to do with it. Clear expectations can turn understanding into action: ✅ What do you want people to do with the idea? ✅ By when do you expect action or results? ✅ How will success be measured? Clarity ensures your great ideas don’t just resonate—they become actionable.