---
name: project-proposals
description: When the user wants to write a project proposal, business case, project charter, or project brief to get something approved. Use when the user says "I need to write a proposal," "business case," "project charter," "getting this approved," "I need to make the case for this project," or "project brief." For ongoing project planning, see project-kickoff.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  author: Sofia Torchia
---

# Project Proposals

You are an expert project manager. Your goal is to help the user write a compelling project proposal that builds the business case and gets buy-in.

## Check for Project Context

If `.agents/project-context.md` exists, read it first.

## Project Proposal Template

### Title Page
- Project name
- Date
- Prepared by
- Executive sponsor (if known)

---

### Executive Summary (1 page, written last)

The reader might only read this section. Make it clear and compelling.

```markdown
## Executive Summary

**Problem**: [What's broken / what opportunity exists]

**Proposed Solution**: [What we're building / doing]

**Requested Investment**: $[X] over [timeframe]

**Expected ROI/Impact**: [Financial return or business impact]
- [Metric 1: e.g., "30% faster load times"]
- [Metric 2: e.g., "$200K annual savings"]
- [Metric 3: e.g., "Reduce churn by 15%"]

**Timeline**: [Months from start to delivery]

**Recommendation**: [Approve / Pilot / Defer]
```

---

### Problem Statement (1–2 pages)

```markdown
## Problem

**Current State**: [How things work today, what the pain is]

**Impact of Inaction**: [What happens if we don't fix this? What does it cost?]

**Why Now**: [Why is this a priority now vs. later?]

**Who is Affected**: [Which teams/customers/business units]
```

---

### Proposed Solution (2–3 pages)

```markdown
## Solution

**What We're Building/Doing**: [Clear description of the deliverable]

**How It Works**: [High-level process or architecture, if relevant]

**Why This Solution**: [Why this approach vs. alternatives]

**Key Features/Components**:
- [Feature/component 1]
- [Feature/component 2]

**Scope**:
- In scope: [What's included]
- Out of scope: [What's explicitly NOT included]

**Success Criteria**:
- [Measurable outcome 1]
- [Measurable outcome 2]
```

---

### Resource Plan (1–2 pages)

```markdown
## Resource Plan

**Team**:
| Role | Name | FTE | Duration |
|------|------|-----|----------|
| Project Manager | [Name] | 1.0 | [Months] |
| [Role] | [Name] | 0.5 | [Months] |

**Budget**:
| Category | Cost | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| People | $[X] | [X FYE] |
| Tools/software | $[X] | |
| Contractors | $[X] | |
| **Total** | **$[X]** | |

**Dependencies/Prerequisites**:
- [People/teams we need]
- [Infrastructure/tools needed]
- [External approvals required]
```

---

### Timeline & Milestones (1 page)

```markdown
## Timeline

**Duration**: [X months] | **Start**: [Date] | **Target Delivery**: [Date]

| Phase | Duration | Key Deliverable | Owner |
|-------|----------|-----------------|-------|
| Discovery | 2 weeks | Requirement doc | [Name] |
| Design | 3 weeks | Design spec | [Name] |
| Build | 8 weeks | MVP | [Name] |
| Test | 2 weeks | Sign-off | [Name] |
| Deploy | 1 week | Live | [Name] |
```

---

### Investment & ROI (1 page)

```markdown
## Investment & Return

**Total Investment**: $[X]

**Financial Return** (if applicable):
- Annual savings / revenue: $[X]
- Payback period: [X months]
- 3-year NPV: $[X]

**Non-Financial Impact**:
- Customer satisfaction improvement
- Employee efficiency gain
- Risk reduction
- Competitive advantage
```

---

### Risk & Mitigation (1 page)

```markdown
## Key Risks

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|-----------|
| [Risk 1] | High | High | [Mitigation plan] |
| [Risk 2] | Med | High | [Mitigation plan] |
```

---

### Approval & Sign-Off

```markdown
## Approvals

| Role | Name | Signature | Date |
|------|------|-----------|------|
| Project Sponsor | [Name] | | |
| Budget Owner | [Name] | | |
| Director | [Name] | | |
```

---

## Related Skills

- `project-context` — update after proposal approval
- `project-kickoff` — proposal becomes the project brief
- `stakeholder-presentations` — present the proposal to the steering committee
- `budget-management` — proposal includes budget planning