About this Volume
synopsis versions delivery services technical & standards more information
Synopsistop
What is in it?
This is the title page of The Guidepost Volume "Managing Bids and Projects", which describes good practice for the preparation and execution of any Project. The Volume includes the Processes for defining and proposing the Project, executing it, controlling Change, and managing its commercial status.
These Processes, which follow the principles of PRINCE2TM, are broken down into Sub-processes and Process Steps. They are supported by a large number of Product Profiles, which describe the Products on which the Processes work. Further support is provided by a comprehensive set of Product Templates, which are specifically designed for this Volume, and may be used via Microsoft® Office or Open Office.
Who is it for?
Managing Bids and Projects (which normally we abbreviate to "Bids & Projects" or "B&P"), is written for all those involved in Bids, Proposals, Projects and Project Management. It may be used by a solo Bid, Proposal, or Project Manager, or as the foundation of a strong corporate Project Management culture.
You can use it as it is, or it can be customised to match your organisational style. It provides a sound basis for training all those who will be involved in the proposing and execution of Projects. It reduces the time needed to propagate and maintain your corporate Bidding and Project Management Processes.
Versions of this Volumetop
Bids & Projects Express
If you want to "put a toe in the water", there is Bids & Projects Express. Functionally it is the same as the Standard version, but it has a smaller and simpler set of Templates. We make no charge for this version - yes it is free, and subject to certain (limited) conditions, you may logon to request a copy and use it to manage your own Bids and Projects!
Bids & Projects Standard
The definitive version of this Volume is Bids & Projects Standard. In addition to the full set of Process Steps and Product Profiles, it includes a comprehensive set of Product Templates. It is offered for a small, one-off, licence fee, which depends on your chosen configuration. (For example, our pre-tax price for a standalone Single-User Licence for the Standard Version is just £250).
New Releases
In the calendar year 2010 we will introduce version 2.3 of Bids & Projects Standard. This release will deliver a number of bug fixes and improvements
Version 3.0 will be developed during 2010 and 2011. In this major release the functionality of the Standard Version will be extended to include Workflow maps, providing a detailed and integrated overview of the three Core Processes that this Volume describes. In our plans for this release we are also considering interfacing Bids & Projects with AdobeTM LivecycleTM, to support automatic updating of Product Templates from corporate databases.
Customising
Customised Versions are tailored to match your corporate style. There is a one-off charge for this service, which includes the re-styling of the whole Volume including the Process Step Descriptions, the Product Profiles, and the Product Templates.
Enhancement
If you require features that are not available in the Standard version, we are ready to discuss them, and to quote you a price for providing them. The enhancements may be to adapt existing functions, to provide additional functions, to add new Product Templates, or to make Bids & Projects available in one or more languages of your choice. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
If we do the work, our charges are low. Alternatively, The Guidepost Toolkit which we have developed, makes it possible for you to do much of the work in-house, keeping your external costs even lower.
How we deliver this Volumetop
Each version is an online application which can be supplied: as a service delivered to you via the internet from our server, on a self-booting CD, or installed on your own intranet. You can ask for a free copy of Bids & Projects Express by clicking here. We will work with you directly, or through one of our Licensed Resellers.
Servicestop
We offer a variety of services which include: consultancy; customisation; development; installation and support (remote and on-site); and modular training courses. Project Management Consultancy and Training are available from our partners, the other services are normally only available directly from ourselves. If required adsensus limited will also provide more general Consultancy and Training, so call us to discuss how we can help you.
This workbook shows how Versions and Services are bundled and priced. If the licence for a Version includes a Service, there will be no additional charge, and if not, we will quote you a price.
Technical and Standardstop
Simple to use
Our technical approach has several objectives. Firstly we want each Volume to be as simple and as accessible as we can make it. Using a Volume is simply a matter of launching one of the widely-available web browsers, and each Volume is tested exhaustively with current versions of Internet Explorer®, OperaTM, Firefox®, and Safari®. In addition, we analyse each page automatically to ensure that all its links are good.
Easy and economical to support
We aim to make customising, bespoke development, and maintenance, both easy and economical. All pages are developed for compliance with XHTML1.0 strict, and all markup uses cascading stylesheets, which are validated against the W3C specification for CSS2.1.
Each page is built automatically from source fragments, and testing is largely automated. All Versions of a Volume have a common source base, which minimises the opportunity for error, and simplifies finding and correcting any that might exist.
Produce your own content
Our proprietary toolkit is designed to make it easy for you to produce your own content. For example we have developed locked Page Templates for Process Step and Product Profile pages. To produce your own content you need only to have Microsoft® Office or Open Office installed. There is nothing else you need to acquire, and the way to use the Page Templates is all you have to learn. Its as simple as that!
For more informationtop
A list of our standard products and services will be found here. For more information about them, or to discuss your special requirements, please contact us on one of the telephone numbers at the foot of this page, or email us with your contact details, and we will call you.