We are pleased to announce that 30 SMA Associates and staff have achieved APMP Foundation Certification through our SMA30 initiative, part of our support for APMP!

SMA is proud to be the Headline Sponsor for the United Kingdom chapter of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP UK) Annual Awards 2020!

In his opinion piece, SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison makes the case for future leaders for American Democracy, an institution worth voting for!

SMA Principal Associate Danny Long tells how he responded to a prospective client asking him to name three people he respected, and to explain why

Need to insert a character with an accent into your Word document? Wordman (aka Dick Eassom, CF APMP Fellow, our Vice President of Corporate Support), shows you Word’s existing shortcuts and how to set up your own

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison discusses the differences between leadership and management in the context of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster

SMA Senior Associate Ron Wadlinger discusses how to maintain your cost and resource estimates through the project lifecycle: from pre-proposal to closeout

In his latest opinion piece, SMA Executive Advisor Greg Treverton discusses whether, post-pandemic, the United States can remain the leader of the liberal international order.

Are you an APMP member? It’s not to late to register for the SMA-sponsored APMP Wind-Down Webinar, free to all members, on Thursday, 10 September!

Listen to Jacque Keats, our Chief Operations Officer, interviewed by Ashley Kayes and Baskar Sundaram for the first ever Scribble Talk SMA Exclusive podcast, sponsored by SMA

If you still need convincing to register for the free APMP Wind-Down Webinar next Thursday, 10 September, watch this personal invitation video from SMA President and CEO, Ajay Patel

SMA Principal Associate Danny Long shows how an opportunity can only be a “must win” if specific criteria of staffing, resources, and budget are met

From the team who brought you the Palm Award winning session at the APMP Winning Business Virtual Experience™ (WBVE), we are pleased to invite all APMP members to join us on 10 September 2020 for the free APMP Wind-Down Webinar™

In this article, SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, looks at Deltek Cobra’s Replace Resource process to replace a single resource with another or to merge resources to a single resource

If you want people to see how your new Word template will look with text, you’ll need some easily-insertable dummy text. Wordman (aka Dick Eassom, CF APMP Fellow, our Vice President of Corporate Support), shows you how to do it

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, continues his masterclass on Deltek Cobra by showing how to use the Slip feature to change the project start date

Following an unexpected problem during a virtual training event using Microsoft Teams, Wordman (aka Dick Eassom, CF APMP Fellow, our Vice President of Corporate Support), examines when Teams keyboard shortcuts conflict with the app you’re sharing

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison shows that incomplete strategic development leading to poor operational planning can cause business projects to fail

On 20 August 2020, the SMA Headquarters team logged 10 million steps as part of our virtual tour of Central and South America, from our HQ in Irvine, California, all the way to Tierra del Fuego

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, continues his masterclass on Deltek Cobra, this time looking at how to use the Align Time-Phased Data tool, useful for getting calendars in sync

In his latest article, Wordman (aka Dick Eassom, CF APMP Fellow, our Vice President of Corporate Support), shows you how to make perfect bullets in Microsoft Word tables.

SMA Sr. Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, looks at Deltek Cobra Top Down Planning process, which can also be useful for proposal phase Cost Volume preparation

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, examines the best practices for using the Rolling Wave calendar process in Deltek Cobra.

How can the United States succeed in today’s complex era of competition between the great powers? SMA Executive Advisor and former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood provides ten steps for success

Wordman (aka Dick Eassom CF APMP Fellow, SMA’s Vice President of Corporate Support) exposes the secrets behind Microsoft Word’s Paragraph Properties Mark and shows how you can easily check and compare formatting

Our 15-minute live TOD® demo during APMP’s Winning Business Virtual Experience (WBVE) shows how you can precision match your proposal and project staffing requirements to our Associates at the Speed of Need!

We are very proud to receive the WBVE Palm Award for our “Inspiration & Diversions from SMA” presentation at the Winning Business Virtual Experience 2020 held by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP)!

Download our infographic detailing our observations on the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (OUSD(P)) in relation to world events since 1994 and the US national security posture.

Join us at 10:00am PDT on Thursday, 23 July, during APMP’s Winning Business Virtual Experience, for an hour of comedy, wellness, magic, and trivia! (And maybe a little about how SMA can help you Pursue and Win new business…)

In the last of his four-part series on Deltek Cobra cost/schedule data sharing, SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, looks at best practices for importing Microsoft Excel data

SMA Executive Advisor and a former NATO Assistant Secretary General Peter Flory presents lessons learned and best practices to help NATO and EDA multinational armaments programs

SMA Principal Associate Doug Plummer shows how using three-point estimate can be used to improve your confidence in bases of estimate (BOEs)

In part three of his four-part series on Deltek Cobra cost/schedule data sharing, SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, looks at best practices for importing Deltek Open Plan data

Wordman (aka Dick Eassom CF APMP Fellow, SMA’s Vice President of Corporate Support) shows how to use Microsoft Word’s Style Separator to create perfect run-on headings and figure captions

Take a break during APMP’s Winning Business Virtual Experience and join us at 10:00am PDT on Thursday, 23 July, for an hour of relaxation, entertainment and fun!

In the second of his four-part series on Deltek Cobra cost/schedule data sharing, SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, looks at best practices for importing Microsoft Project Professional data

Anthony Rock, Lt. Gen. US Air Force (Ret) and SMA Executive Advisor, reflects on telework during COVID‑19 pandemic: will it create an enhanced sense of community?

Dave Patterson discusses the nature of bureaucracy in the US Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition process, and offers simple incentives to improve the results of that process.

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, continues his series of articles on Deltek Cobra looking at best practices for importing Oracle Primavera P6 schedule data

SMA Senior Proposal Manager Larry Tremmel discusses the steps necessary to make the changes necessary to allow your enterprise to flourish

SMA Principal Associate Scott Keeney, PMP, describes how we re-established best practice project management processes within our client’s Project Management Office

When someone asks for your letter of recommendation, how do you track their progress and success? SMA Executive Advisor Anthony Rock asks if you invested or just involved in a small part of their process?

How do you get the best out of your current downtime? Turn it into “uptime” and improve yourself, says SMA Principal Associate Rick Riordan

SMA Executive Advisor Greg Treverton advocates for rethinking U.S. national security in terms of health and biosecurity, not just a military approach.

The COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to impose work and lifestyle changes referred to as the “new normal”. One associated change for many has been to redefine work/life balance, part of which is readjusting how we approach our family relationships. by Danny Long For many, coping with the changes can be daunting, and relying on family helps. It reminds me

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, provides a tutorial on how to use Advanced Calculated Fields for Earned Value Management in Deltek Cobra

SMA Principal Associate and cyber risk expert Sarala Rajeshuni emphasizes the need to protect digital identities during COVID-19 teleworking

Wordman (aka Dick Eassom CF APMP Fellow, SMA’s Vice President of Corporate Support) shows how to use Microsoft Word’s built-in end-of-line hyphenation tool to save space in page limited proposals

In the second part of this 2-part article on setting up the Next Pandemic Task Force, SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison details the Core Team kickoff meeting, defining the problem, brainstorming, strategy synthesis, and the action item plan

In a 2-part article, SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison looks at how you would use your program management and leadership skills to set up the Next Pandemic Task Force

SMA Senior Proposal Manager Larry Tremmel discusses the specialized communication tools and tactics needed by virtual teams

Anthony Rock, Lt. Gen. US Air Force (Ret) and SMA Executive Advisor, continues his leadership articles with how to handle increasing accountability with decreasing control

SMA Senior Associate Alan Kristynik, PMP, provides a tutorial on earned value management progress techniques using Deltek Cobra

SMA Senior Program Advisor Rick Ferraro compares the benefits of sleep and continuous process improvement to the organization

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison wraps up his “Ask, Don’t Tell; Listen, Don’t Direct” series of articles on leadership

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison shows how reframing the problem can improve the effectiveness of cross-functional teams

Anthony Rock, Lt. Gen. US Air Force (Ret) and SMA Executive Advisor, reminds us that choice of words can encourage or discourage teamwork

In the final part of his 4-part series on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurements, SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green gives you 6 steps to help balance your pipeline

In part 3 of his series on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurements, SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green shows how to capture awards without needing equitable adjustments

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison shows how benchmarking your organization with your competitors can improve your market position

SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green continues his four-part series on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurements. In this part, he examines developing a winning price.

SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green opens a four-part series on Lowest Price Technically Acceptable (LPTA) procurements. First: get out of your own way!

SMA Analyst Eddie Solares examines the defense market and explains why it doesn’t fit the standard supply and demand model

The calculation of Earned Value (EV), or performance, is central to Deltek Cobra. EV is always measured at the work package level in Cobra, and the nature of the calculation depends on the Earned Value Technique (EVT) that is used by the work package. by Alan Kristynik, PMP Additionally, Cobra provides a project option that lets you choose to calculate

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison asks whether shaming a team member into doing something can achieve the desired results

SMA Principal Associate Sarala Rajeshuni argues that if you do it right, you cannot help but create successful, high performing teams

SMA Senior Associate Ron Wadlinger describes some of the advantages of using Cost Classes in Deltek Cobra for your Earned Value reporting

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison gives examples on the role of the Control Account Manager (CAM) in the project team

Listen to Ajay Patel, our CEO and President, interviewed by Ashley Kayes and Baskar Sundaram for their Scribble Talk podcast.

In the last part of his 4-part BD Pipeline series, SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green summarizes how to combine all factors to calculate your win probability

In part 3 of his 4-part BD Pipeline series, SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green shows how customer relations affect your win probability

In part 2 of his BD Pipeline series, SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green describes the internal gates to estimating your win probability

You have limited resources and can only follow so many business opportunities: SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green explains opportunity validation

When the situation looks hopeless, SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison shows how working backwards from the desired result can help with program schedule recovery

Anthony Rock, Lt. Gen. US Air Force (Ret.) and SMA Executive Advisor, reminds us to not let the “urgent” overcome the “important”

SMA Principal Associate Roger Risinger warns that project staff should be trained in scheduling and EVMS best practices, or risk failing to deliver

Although migrating your IT infrastructure to the cloud seems obvious now, SMA Principal Associate Sarala Rajeshuni advises that you have a well-planned strategy before you start

Before you start bidding, know your market. SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green provides five tips for building a market intelligence program

Do you dread being asked to create and deliver a PowerPoint presentation? SMA Associate Fellow Rich Nichols provides a few pointers to a good presentation

Before you start bidding, know your market. SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green provides six tips for building a competitor profile

SMA Principal Associate Sarala Rajeshuni warns that organizations must develop cyber security risk mitigation strategies, especially while employees are working from home

SMA Principal Associate Lisa Troglio recommends considering Business Continuity during all aspects of the program lifecycle

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison provides a reminder of the importance of effective risk management, especially when working with complex system development programs

In their White Paper, James Farwell and Dave Patterson ask whether China is waging war against the U.S. and other nations with their response to COVID-19. If so, what should be the response?

The US DoD Office of Acquisition, Analytics and Policy (AAP) EVM division has released the IPMDAR (Integrated Program Management Data and Analysis Report). SMA Principal Associate John Duval gives us the details.

Losing your motivation after a month of lockdown? SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green provides four steps to help you get it back!

SMA Principal Associate John Trapane reminds consultants that working effectively as a member of a client team requires you to understand the six circles of the client’s program

SMA Executive Advisor Ben Wachendorf (RADM US Navy, Ret.) shows how a poor decision making process at the DoD is wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money

SMA Principal Associate Rick Riordan reminds us that contract and proposal management are based on reading every written word in any requirement: no shortcuts are allowed!

Join SMA President & CEO Ajay Patel and other esteemed speakers discussing the GOVCON M&A outlook after the COVID-19 pandemic is over

SMA Principal Associate Dan Harrison provides his insights on how to lead your team to find alignment between the organizations in your company

Update! Nearly 2 years ago, we commented on how Hanson Baldwin would’ve been pleased that DoD Instruction 5000.2 is only 172 pages. We’re updating that article with the latest DoD acquisition news!

Put some fun in your quarantine, isolation, lockdown, and social distancing time by participating in APMP’s Show Us Your Virtual Office Contest, sponsored by SMA

Listen to Dick Eassom, our VP of Corporate Support, aka Wordman, interviewed by Ashley Kayes and Baskar Sundaram for their Scribble Talk podcast.

Dave Patterson details some efforts that the US DoD can make right now that would help small businesses (and large ones) in the aerospace & defense sector struggling under the COVID-19 pandemic

SMA Principal Associate Danny Long explains his passion for being a career capture and proposal professional

There will be NO impact to our ability to support our clients on their proposals and projects during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. (Updated)

SMA Senior Associate Kyle Green reminds us that with team building, you must be intentional to create cross-functional relationships that improve efficiency and quality

“Bad writing is everywhere, and it is something up with which we should not put.” Greg Treverton, Ajay Patel, and Dick Eassom provide some tips for good business writing.

There is a tendency to get lost in the intricate processes for writing proposals. Ajay Patel, President and CEO of SMA, Inc., outlines the nine principles of winning.