Style and Tone
February 22, 2023
An Introduction to Capture Planning
February 22, 2023
Storyboards and mockups are planning tools used to develop and review new content before writing text. Like any tool, they should save time and improve quality to justify their use.
Storyboards and mockups are closely related but distinctly different. Both fall under the category of a content plan and are used to help writers plan, develop, and review key concepts before drafting text.
Storyboards and mockups are closely related but distinctly different. Both fall under the category of a content plan and are used to help writers plan, develop, and review key concepts before drafting text.
Storyboards have a one-to-one relationship with major topics of the proposal, while mockup pages relate directly to proposal pages. For example, a single storyboard may apply to a 10-page proposal section. The mockup for the same section would contain a full 10 pages.
The Proposal Development Worksheet (PDW) was developed to lessen the initial reluctance of many writers to use storyboards. Writers often completed their PDWs before they knew they had used a storyboard. Most importantly, writers learned how much easier and faster they could draft quality proposal sections when using storyboards.
The motivation to storyboard, whether in movies or proposals, was always the same—to cut costs. In early movie making, silver-coated film was the most expensive element. Now film is inexpensive and the actors, sets, and support crews are expensive. Similarly, proposal professionals use storyboards to reduce preparation time and costs.
Storyboards use words and graphics to outline a concept. When someone builds a house, the storyboard equivalent is a plan book that shows a sketch of the home accompanied by a short description, as shown in figure 1.
Extending the house analogy, the mockup is equivalent to the floor plan, showing the allocation of space and the relationship of key elements to scale, also shown in figure 1.
One problem among proposal managers and writers is inconsistent definitions. The following definitions clarify different techniques used to create a content plan:
Outlines are a sequential list of topics to be discussed.
Annotated outlines are outlines with annotations or comments about the contents of the topics. For proposals, annotated outlines may include references to the source of requirements, the author assigned, section length or page allocation, approximate number of visuals desired, and various dates materials are due. When annotated to this degree, the annotated outline becomes the proposal responsibility matrix.
Storyboards are conceptual planning tools used to help writers plan each section before drafting text. They contain assignments, bid request requirements, strategies, preliminary visuals, and content.
Storyboards are frequently misunderstood, misused, and have poor reputations with many proposal writers. Shipley Associates’ storyboard form, the Proposal Development Worksheet (PDW) is a tool that can simplify the process.
Mockups are page-for-page representations of the actual pages in the finished proposal. Mockups contain the same elements as the draft, namely, headings, themes, visuals, action captions, and text. Mockups transition writers from the storyboard to drafting.
Mockups permit writers to draft any section in any order while maintaining the planned organization. Mockups help writers appropriately allocate the space devoted to each point.
Anyone who has worked with advertising agencies on brochures has probably encountered mockups. Mockups are similar in function to prototypes, scale models, floor plans, and general arrangement drawings.
Storyboards and mockups aid managers as well as writers. Proposal managers use them to review and improve the writer’s plan before wasting time and money on text that cannot be used.
Home Builders Use Storyboards and Mockups. The combination of text and graphics on the left is like a storyboard. Yet few people would proceed on the basis of the graphic and text without first seeing the floor plan. Like a mockup, the floor plan allocates space and shows the relationships of major design elements. Of course, if money and time were not limited, you could build the house first, then make changes. Early paper changes are both easier and less expensive. The planning takes time and delays the start, but later changes take even more time.
