Reading time: 8 minutes 

This is blog 10 of the 16-part blog series on Orals Coaching.  To see the previous blogs, click here. In this blog and the next two, I’m joined by our lead Deck Developer, Morgan Over, to lay out the key details you need to know about developing the static presentation, aka, “The Deck".  

Static Deck Development Overview 

In many cases, the government requests a static presentation to accompany your oral presentation. The solicitation will indicate whether the static presentation must be submitted in advance, on the day of the presentation, after the presentation, or not at all.  

Note from Morgan: If the RFP does not specify submission requirements for the deck, I recommend submitting this as a question to the government to request clarification. Depending on your situation, you may use this question as an opportunity to shape their response to a specific outcome.

In some cases, the presentation may qualify as your written “stand alone” technical proposal. In these instances, ensure your presentation aligns with the RFP instructions and evaluation criteria (often referred to as Sections L and M). Remember that your presentation is a gradable document, so compliance is essential for successful delivery.  

Recommended Reading: Click here to read the three rules to develop a compliant outline before you build your presentation. 

Not Your Average Tech Prop

Deck development is time-consuming and meticulous work.  Frequently, our clients overestimate their capacity and the expertise required to manage the development of the presentation. They hold too many roles (aka “dual-hated”) and get behind schedule, lose quality of life, and/or end up with a substandard technical response. Frequently, they hire Trident to shed some of these roles to stay on track.

Trident Tip: Don’t suffer in silence. If you need help developing a presentation, Trident has staff who surge in to help. Click here to contact us about surge support. 

Common Roles and Responsibilities

Many teams that work with Trident often comment after the effort that they didn’t realize how many people it would take to develop even a simple 1-hour presentation. The most common deck development roles are listed below:

• Proposal Manager
• Solution Architect
• Deck Lead/Configuration Manager
• Slide Architect(s)
• Graphics Lead(s)
• Slide Owner/Developers and/or SMEs
• Reviewers
• Technical/Copy Editor and Compliance

While these are the most common for deck development, there may be other roles you need. We recommend identifying them early in the process. We’ll break down these eight (really, it's nine but sometimes the last one is merged ... we'll explain more) roles in more detail below. 

Proposal Manager (PM) 

The Proposal Manager leads the proposal team, maintains the schedule, and ensures the proposal is submitted on time. This person often serves as the liaison between the proposal team and company leadership. The PM may also keep track of questions for the government.  For the static presentation, the PM will typically maintain and repost the development status, ensure it is properly resourced, and participate in reviews and feedback sessions. When the static presentation is the only proposal technical document submitted, the PM may play additional roles below.  

 Check out this YouTube video of the Common Proposal Team Roles and Responsibilities. 

Solution Architect (SA) 

The solution architect (SA) brings and/or develops the company’s technical solution(s) and holds the technical “big picture”. They have carefully reviewed all solicitation documentation and fully understand the government requirements and how we plan to solve them technically. They also develop  the ins and outs of the offer and know who on the team has the information. They are, in essence, your solution subject matter expert. 

In larger companies and on larger opportunities, the SA will have a team of SMEs who develop solutions and work with graphics to depict the solutions on slides. In smaller companies, the SA may be dual-hatted as a presenter on the team.      

The SA participates in all sync calls to ensure the solution remains on track and helps the presentation team understand and develop speaker points for their slides. They are also the ones responsible for tracking down and answering technical questions that the presentation team must be ready to answer during Q&A. 

Deck Lead/Configuration Manager 

The Deck Lead is a critical non-negotiable role when developing a proposal presentation. Jeff fondly refers to this role as the “Deck Boss” because this role must manage development and own the outcome like a “BOSS!”  Junior proposal managers frequently learn this lesson the hard way, having to pick up the role of Deck Boss in the middle of the proposal process when the deck is leaderless and a total mess. In smaller proposals, the PM is the Deck Lead because it is the only technical requirement.  

The Deck Lead takes charge of the presentation from the very beginning. They are often responsible for outline development, maintaining configuration management throughout the development process, and keeping track of compliance. The deck boss leads the presentation development team, including tracking slide assignments, coordinating reviews, and judicating reviewer comments. They often work in tandem with the Proposal Manager to hold regular sync calls. As the person who sees the deck from a bird’s-eye view, they determine when slides or topics are on or off track, so the team can course-correct if needed.  

The Deck Lead also typically serves as the Configuration Manager (CM). The CM is responsible for tracking and controlling changes to the presentation. The CM ensures that all changes and updates are incorporated into the deck without being lost or replacing existing changes. 

In addition to the above, the Deck Boss is the keeper of the deck. They assist with “wall walks” of the deck make final edits during White Glove/Pre-Submission, and are responsible for finalizing the deck for submission.

Slide Architect 

On larger presentations (over 20 slides) with a wide range of technical topics, the Deck Lead or Solutions Architect may assign parts of the deck to Slide Architects. Slide Architects are responsible for the slide design. This includes establishing the slide template to identify the must-have information and the format in which it should be presented. The Slide Architect also holds working sessions with the Solution Architect and slide leads/SMEs to develop the slide(s) format. While they aren’t responsible for the content, they are often aware of the big picture and can help ensure the slide content aligns with the overall response. They are also responsible for ensuring the slides are compliant per the solicitation instructions. In some instances, especially on smaller teams, the Deck Boss is also the Slide Architect.  

Graphics Lead

The Graphics Lead develops the formatting, style, and graphics for each slide. They often support the Slide Architect in establishing and following the template, ensuring consistency throughout the deck. They also provide critical creative input for individual slides and the deck as a whole. When practical, the Lead should be part of the solutioning sessions, listening to the discussion and working on prototype graphics for team feedback. 

An important note on slide design – content writers should focus on writing and not the slide format, especially in the initial phase of deck development. The focus should be on clearly getting the information out of their heads and onto paper, either by typing or by sketching. What starts as a whiteboard or paper drawing becomes professional graphics that meet the RFP requirements. Often, the Graphics Lead will simplify complex graphics, processes, and tables without altering their meaning. 

Bringing in your Graphics Lead early to establish an approved template before anyone starts working can mitigate formatting issues down the road. They can develop consistency for the deck, including: 

• Font 
• Color palette 
• Overall templates 
• Icons 
• Table formats 
• Styles (bullets, etc.) 
• Color schemes 
• Annotations 
• Uber Graphics (a graphic consistently applied throughout the presentation that shows something from a big-picture, holistic perspective). 

The Graphics Lead often works closely with the Deck Lead to ensure the slides follow the template, formatting, and colors for a harmonious presentation.  

Slide Owner/Developers and/or SMEs

Each slide is assigned to an individual responsible for content development. This person is often the SME who can speak to the specific requirement. It's their responsbility to develop compliant, compelling content that is also easy to grade. The slide owner may be the presenter, but they may also be different people. If the slide owner is not the presenter, schedule a handoff from the slide owner to the presenter so the presenter can take ownership of the slide and its content.  

Reviewers 

Reviewers give feedback on individual slides and the deck as a whole. The reviewer focuses on the technical content of the slides, the win themes, and the deck as a whole. Using the color team approach, build in time for reviewers to review the deck separately and in combination with the verbal presentation. The reviewers can also act as mock technical evaluators, asking questions designed to polish and prepare the presentation team for their performance.

A best practice is to have your orals coach participate in color teams if the presentation is being developed as a stand-alone document prior to intensive practices.   

Jeff has learned after hundreds of presentations that the best reviewer is the person responsible for presenting the slide. Nothing focuses attention on the slide's details more than having to present it!  Always practice the presentation with the coach prior to Red Team and prior to White Glove. Practice naturally exposes issues with the solution. The presentation team will find issues that the proposal team's “tired eyes” may miss.

Technical/Copy Editor and Compliance 

We lumped these together, but these are two distinct roles. There may be instances in which the person scheduled to conduct your copy edit also handles your compliance check. But if you intend to have these done simultaneously, you will need two separate people. A thorough tech edit and compliance check check takes time, especially for decks with more than 40 slides. Oral presentations often have a condensed submission timeline, and you likely cannot afford two or three days for one person to conduct  a tech edit and a compliance check. The tech editor reviews the deck for common issues with grammar, tone, and voice. They may also change the text, if agreed in advance, to make the language more impactful and easier for the grader to follow. The compliance checker flags issues in the deck to ensure it meets all requirements of the solicitation. 

When the Coach Steps In 

Frequently, Jeff or other Trident Orals Coaches join the team to find that there isn't a true BOSS in charge of the deck, or there isn’t a Solutions Architect or Slide Architect on the team.  In these cases, the deck is usually not compliant, difficult to grade, and/or does not have a coherent solution. In the absence of these important roles, Trident’s Orals Coaches roll up their sleeves and work with the team to develop a compliant solution, presented in a way that is easy to present and grade. 

This is an expensive and last-minute approach to deck development, but at least you haven’t lost the contract prior to submitting.  

Next Steps

Crafting a compliant, high-quality static presentation is a complex undertaking that requires a well-defined team with clear roles and responsibilities. The success of your oral presentation often hinges the submitted deck. Don't leave it to chance. Contact Trident today to leverage our expert orals coaching and deck development support. We can help you build a compelling, compliant, and dynamic presentation that sets you up for the win.

Written by  Jeff Everage and Morgan Over 

Jeff is the President and Founder of Trident Proposal Management. As a GovCon Oral Presentation Coach for more than 15 years, Jeff has coached more than 100 teams to success. His insights into oral coaching, gained from the trenches of coaching, are designed to support you and your team in your efforts. As a Navy veteran, Jeff resides in Southern California and provides support to clients worldwide as part of our globally dispersed team.  

Morgan is our marketing manager and a proposal support specialist. When she isn’t handling marketing for Trident, she is tech editing documents and building orals decks for our clients. As a military spouse based in Guam, she supports clients around the world as part of our globally dispersed team.