The Best Time to Write the Executive Summary
By Dan Safford

I've written about the importance of the Executive Summary to your proposal; it's the condensed version of your offer, packaged so that people can get a quick snapshot of your main messages-the "Why us"-before plowing into the details. Now here's something to think about-when should you write the Executive Summary?

This may seem like an odd question; most people see the word "Summary" and think, "Gee, I should write this when the proposal is complete, so I can summarize it."

In fact, writing the ES at the end of the proposal process-when the proposal is complete-is the least effective approach to take. Why? Well, by the time you are nearly finished writing the proposal, the best you can do in an ES is give a synopsis of the themes that have emerged in the proposal. This means that the content of the proposal is driving the sales message of the ES. The ES becomes more an exercise in trying to tie all the various loose ends together in a small package. This does not yield the most effective ES you can produce.

The best time to write the Executive Summary is at the front end of the process, before you write the proposal. That way, you can let the themes drive the content, instead of the other way around. This means that what you say in the proposal will be wrapped around your selling points, which makes for a much more compelling proposal. Plus, you'll save time; you won't have to re-write many sections to make them more persuasive.

Advantages of writing the ES before you write the proposal 

• It lets you identify and commit to the key themes early in the process.
• It gives you a blueprint for writing a proposal that sticks to a set of messages. 
• The themes and messages determine the content, not the other way around. This means that every section of your proposal, every detail you include, every graphic you develop, will be tied directly to the themes. 
• It instills a discipline to the writing process. If you take your time to write the draft ES before you begin writing, you are setting up a disciplined approach to writing you carry throughout the proposal effort. 
• It ultimately saves time. If your proposal focuses on the themes and messages driven out in the ES you won't be massively re-writing sections at the end to make sure you have captured your themes. 

It allows you time to develop graphics that are best suited to help send your message. You sketch them out in the draft ES, and develop them as the rest of the proposal is being written.

I'm not saying you have to have a final draft of the ES before you start writing. But try to put together a draft, with full sentences and paragraphs, not just bullets (though even "just bullets" is better than nothing at all). Even if you're pressed for time, writing a draft ES (as a full section or as the cover letter) will help shape the overall proposal. And it will sharpen your sales message, which is the whole purpose of writing a proposal in the first place.