APMP GLOSSARY EXAM QUESTIONS
& DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED ALREADY GRADED A+
Account Plan - CORRECT ANSWER A sales plan that is specific to one customer and
covers multiple opportunities with that customer. The timespan covered by the plan
typically is two to five years.
Action Caption - CORRECT ANSWER A short, informative statement associated with a
graphic that provides additional information to help the reader understand what the
graphic means.
Active/Passive Voice - CORRECT ANSWER Sentences written in active voice have a
clear subject and verb. They make it clear who does what. Passive-voice sentences, in
contrast, are considered "weaker," because the subject receives the action instead of
performing it. Passive sentences usually contain a form of the verb "to be."(...)
Advantage - CORRECT ANSWER How, in the seller's opinion, a product or service
may benefit the customer. Advantages are potential benefits and are more powerful
than features.
Aesthetics - CORRECT ANSWER A set of principles regarding the nature and
appreciation of beauty. The study of aesthetics increases the validity of many critical
judgments concerning art. Established aesthetic principles create a shared vocabulary
and understanding for the objective evaluation of beauty.
After-Action Review - CORRECT ANSWER A systematic process to extract the
learning from an event or activity. The process addresses the questions, What should
have happened? What actually happened? What can we learn and apply for the future?
Annotated Outline - CORRECT ANSWER A simple writing or content plan. This is a
structure for the proposal that is usually derived from the customer requirements
documentation. The outline may be annotated to show writing responsibilities,
informative headings, page-count estimates, and so on. The annotated outline amplifies
a(...)
Appendix - CORRECT ANSWER Supplementary material included at the end of a
proposal. Appendices contain specialized, relevant information that facilitates the
decision making process.
,Assumptions - CORRECT ANSWER Conditions that the bid team assume exist for the
purpose of providing a price or terms of service in a proposal.
Balance (Visual) - CORRECT ANSWER Balance is achieved when the visual "weight"
of both halves of a graphic is similar, giving a sense of equilibrium. Unbalanced
graphics convey a sense of uneasiness.
Benchmarking - CORRECT ANSWER A systematic process for comparing your
processes with those of other recognized leaders in your field or industry to identify and
close gaps.
Benefit - CORRECT ANSWER A benefit results from a feature of an offer that resolves
a customer issue and demonstrates the value the customer can achieve from resolving
the issue. To claim a benefit, there must be a feature of the offer that clearly allows the
customer to realize the benefit. Benefits help customers(...)
Best and Final Offer (BAFO) - CORRECT ANSWER A customer request for a
document that describes your organization's final price. There may be more than one
request for a BAFO. The customer requests a BAFO after the proposal has been
submitted to select the final companies to negotiate with or go directly to award.
Bid Decision Tree - CORRECT ANSWER A tool used to help you make an informed
bid decision based on positive and negative indicators. It results in a "yes" or "no"
response leading to a qualified pursuit decision.
Bid Decisions (General) - CORRECT ANSWER Bid decisions are aimed at eliminating
opportunities or sales leads with a low win probability, thus permitting a stronger focus
on opportunities with a higher win probability. For large, complex pursuits, companies
often use market entry, opportunity qualification, bid pursuit, bid/no-bid,(...)
Bid Manager - CORRECT ANSWER A Bid Manager is responsible for managing a bid
or proposal opportunity from qualification to contract award, including: Early and
ongoing strategy development Legal review Solution development Winning price
development Partner identification Risk management Proposal(...)
Bid or Proposal Center - CORRECT ANSWER A support organization dedicated to
generating proposals and other response documents for customers.
Bid Pursuit Decision - CORRECT ANSWER Generally the first decision milestone to
verify that the opportunity fits your strategic direction and capability. This decision often
approves the funds to initiate early opportunity planning activities. Sales may do an
opportunity qualification decisionbefore this decision gate.
Bid Validation Decision - CORRECT ANSWER A decision milestone after the customer
releases an RFP to address obstacles to winning that were identified in the opportunity
plan.
,Bid/No-Bid Decision - CORRECT ANSWER A milestone after the opportunity plan is
substantially complete. It validates that you are properly positioned to win based on the
opportunity plan.
Bidder Comparison Matrix (BCM) - CORRECT ANSWER A tool used to analyze the
customer's current perception of your solution compared to competitors. It usually is a
weighted score that indicates the customer's confidence that you can meet their
requirements.
Black Hat - CORRECT ANSWER See Competitor Review.
Blue Team - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Plan Review
Boilerplate - CORRECT ANSWER Stored text and graphics that are available for
potential reuse in future proposals. Boilerplate is information that is harvested from
existing documentation to be repurposed in other proposals. It may include text and
graphics, technical specifications, company procedures, and advertising and(...)
Business Case - CORRECT ANSWER An internal documented argument for bidding
on a particular opportunity. The business case typically focuses on the financial aspects
of the bid. The same term may also be applied to a document or proposal section that is
aimed at providing the customer with the financial justification for(...)
Business Case Review/Senior Management Review - CORRECT ANSWER All the
internal milestones and approvals (internal governance) required to sign off on the
solution, pricing, and legal requirements.
Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM) - CORRECT ANSWER A
research-based framework that guides business development organizations in
identifying and implementing high-priority improvement actions. The model
encompasses the entire business development life cycle. It establishes a structure that
guides increased performance to: Increase value to(...)
Business Development Maturity Level - CORRECT ANSWER An indicator of an
organization's adoption of business development best practices. For example: Level 1
organizations have ad hoc processes and are often seen as chaotic. Level 2
organizations have repeatable processes and build on past successes. Level 3
organizations have defined processes(...)
Business Development Phases - CORRECT ANSWER There are eight generally
accepted business development phases: Market identificationAccount planning
Opportunity assessment Opportunity planning Proposal planningProposal development
Negotiation Delivery Opportunity assessment, opportunity planning, proposal planning,
proposal(...)
, Callout Box - CORRECT ANSWER A design feature with text inside a box or within
borders to highlight a key point in the text.
Capture Manager - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Manager.
Capture Plan - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Plan.
Capture Rate - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Rate.
Central Processing - CORRECT ANSWER Decisionmaking based on logic and sound
arguments. This type of processing is often used by experts but is less common in
general than peripheral processing.
Change Management - CORRECT ANSWER The application of tools, processes,
skills, and principles to transition people from one way of working to another.
Clarification - CORRECT ANSWER Communication to eliminate minor irregularities or
apparent clerical mistakes in a request for proposal (RFP) or in a proposal. In
government settings, these are typically limited and structured exchanges between the
Government and offerors that may occur after receipt of proposals. In(...)
Color - CORRECT ANSWER A technique used for emphasis, color may be applied
throughout the proposal to headings, callouts, sections, tabs, and anywhere else the
solicitation instructions allow. The use of color can enhance the readability of the
document and draw the reader's attention to specific content you wish to(...)
Color Teams - CORRECT ANSWER See Reviews.
Community of Practice (CoP) - CORRECT ANSWER Networks of people who work on
similar processes or in similar disciplines and who come together to develop and share
their knowledge in that field for the benefit of themselves and their organization. CoPs
may be created formally or informally, and members can interact online or in person.
Competitive Intelligence (CI) - CORRECT ANSWER Objectively understanding the
strengths, weaknesses, and strategies of companies competing against your company
for business. CI is a well-defined business practice to understand the competitive forces
and market dynamics that affect your company's viability and long-term profitability.
Competitor Review - CORRECT ANSWER An assessment and analysis of competitors'
likely strategies and solutions. People who are independent of the opportunity planning
team and are experts on the customer and competitors conduct this review.
Compliance Matrix - CORRECT ANSWER A list of specific customer requirements,
often splitting complex, multi-part requirements into subrequirements. It also helps
Proposal Managers and Internal Reviewers verify that the proposal meets all
requirements.
& DETAILED CORRECT ANSWERS
PASSED ALREADY GRADED A+
Account Plan - CORRECT ANSWER A sales plan that is specific to one customer and
covers multiple opportunities with that customer. The timespan covered by the plan
typically is two to five years.
Action Caption - CORRECT ANSWER A short, informative statement associated with a
graphic that provides additional information to help the reader understand what the
graphic means.
Active/Passive Voice - CORRECT ANSWER Sentences written in active voice have a
clear subject and verb. They make it clear who does what. Passive-voice sentences, in
contrast, are considered "weaker," because the subject receives the action instead of
performing it. Passive sentences usually contain a form of the verb "to be."(...)
Advantage - CORRECT ANSWER How, in the seller's opinion, a product or service
may benefit the customer. Advantages are potential benefits and are more powerful
than features.
Aesthetics - CORRECT ANSWER A set of principles regarding the nature and
appreciation of beauty. The study of aesthetics increases the validity of many critical
judgments concerning art. Established aesthetic principles create a shared vocabulary
and understanding for the objective evaluation of beauty.
After-Action Review - CORRECT ANSWER A systematic process to extract the
learning from an event or activity. The process addresses the questions, What should
have happened? What actually happened? What can we learn and apply for the future?
Annotated Outline - CORRECT ANSWER A simple writing or content plan. This is a
structure for the proposal that is usually derived from the customer requirements
documentation. The outline may be annotated to show writing responsibilities,
informative headings, page-count estimates, and so on. The annotated outline amplifies
a(...)
Appendix - CORRECT ANSWER Supplementary material included at the end of a
proposal. Appendices contain specialized, relevant information that facilitates the
decision making process.
,Assumptions - CORRECT ANSWER Conditions that the bid team assume exist for the
purpose of providing a price or terms of service in a proposal.
Balance (Visual) - CORRECT ANSWER Balance is achieved when the visual "weight"
of both halves of a graphic is similar, giving a sense of equilibrium. Unbalanced
graphics convey a sense of uneasiness.
Benchmarking - CORRECT ANSWER A systematic process for comparing your
processes with those of other recognized leaders in your field or industry to identify and
close gaps.
Benefit - CORRECT ANSWER A benefit results from a feature of an offer that resolves
a customer issue and demonstrates the value the customer can achieve from resolving
the issue. To claim a benefit, there must be a feature of the offer that clearly allows the
customer to realize the benefit. Benefits help customers(...)
Best and Final Offer (BAFO) - CORRECT ANSWER A customer request for a
document that describes your organization's final price. There may be more than one
request for a BAFO. The customer requests a BAFO after the proposal has been
submitted to select the final companies to negotiate with or go directly to award.
Bid Decision Tree - CORRECT ANSWER A tool used to help you make an informed
bid decision based on positive and negative indicators. It results in a "yes" or "no"
response leading to a qualified pursuit decision.
Bid Decisions (General) - CORRECT ANSWER Bid decisions are aimed at eliminating
opportunities or sales leads with a low win probability, thus permitting a stronger focus
on opportunities with a higher win probability. For large, complex pursuits, companies
often use market entry, opportunity qualification, bid pursuit, bid/no-bid,(...)
Bid Manager - CORRECT ANSWER A Bid Manager is responsible for managing a bid
or proposal opportunity from qualification to contract award, including: Early and
ongoing strategy development Legal review Solution development Winning price
development Partner identification Risk management Proposal(...)
Bid or Proposal Center - CORRECT ANSWER A support organization dedicated to
generating proposals and other response documents for customers.
Bid Pursuit Decision - CORRECT ANSWER Generally the first decision milestone to
verify that the opportunity fits your strategic direction and capability. This decision often
approves the funds to initiate early opportunity planning activities. Sales may do an
opportunity qualification decisionbefore this decision gate.
Bid Validation Decision - CORRECT ANSWER A decision milestone after the customer
releases an RFP to address obstacles to winning that were identified in the opportunity
plan.
,Bid/No-Bid Decision - CORRECT ANSWER A milestone after the opportunity plan is
substantially complete. It validates that you are properly positioned to win based on the
opportunity plan.
Bidder Comparison Matrix (BCM) - CORRECT ANSWER A tool used to analyze the
customer's current perception of your solution compared to competitors. It usually is a
weighted score that indicates the customer's confidence that you can meet their
requirements.
Black Hat - CORRECT ANSWER See Competitor Review.
Blue Team - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Plan Review
Boilerplate - CORRECT ANSWER Stored text and graphics that are available for
potential reuse in future proposals. Boilerplate is information that is harvested from
existing documentation to be repurposed in other proposals. It may include text and
graphics, technical specifications, company procedures, and advertising and(...)
Business Case - CORRECT ANSWER An internal documented argument for bidding
on a particular opportunity. The business case typically focuses on the financial aspects
of the bid. The same term may also be applied to a document or proposal section that is
aimed at providing the customer with the financial justification for(...)
Business Case Review/Senior Management Review - CORRECT ANSWER All the
internal milestones and approvals (internal governance) required to sign off on the
solution, pricing, and legal requirements.
Business Development Capability Maturity Model (BD-CMM) - CORRECT ANSWER A
research-based framework that guides business development organizations in
identifying and implementing high-priority improvement actions. The model
encompasses the entire business development life cycle. It establishes a structure that
guides increased performance to: Increase value to(...)
Business Development Maturity Level - CORRECT ANSWER An indicator of an
organization's adoption of business development best practices. For example: Level 1
organizations have ad hoc processes and are often seen as chaotic. Level 2
organizations have repeatable processes and build on past successes. Level 3
organizations have defined processes(...)
Business Development Phases - CORRECT ANSWER There are eight generally
accepted business development phases: Market identificationAccount planning
Opportunity assessment Opportunity planning Proposal planningProposal development
Negotiation Delivery Opportunity assessment, opportunity planning, proposal planning,
proposal(...)
, Callout Box - CORRECT ANSWER A design feature with text inside a box or within
borders to highlight a key point in the text.
Capture Manager - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Manager.
Capture Plan - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Plan.
Capture Rate - CORRECT ANSWER See Opportunity Rate.
Central Processing - CORRECT ANSWER Decisionmaking based on logic and sound
arguments. This type of processing is often used by experts but is less common in
general than peripheral processing.
Change Management - CORRECT ANSWER The application of tools, processes,
skills, and principles to transition people from one way of working to another.
Clarification - CORRECT ANSWER Communication to eliminate minor irregularities or
apparent clerical mistakes in a request for proposal (RFP) or in a proposal. In
government settings, these are typically limited and structured exchanges between the
Government and offerors that may occur after receipt of proposals. In(...)
Color - CORRECT ANSWER A technique used for emphasis, color may be applied
throughout the proposal to headings, callouts, sections, tabs, and anywhere else the
solicitation instructions allow. The use of color can enhance the readability of the
document and draw the reader's attention to specific content you wish to(...)
Color Teams - CORRECT ANSWER See Reviews.
Community of Practice (CoP) - CORRECT ANSWER Networks of people who work on
similar processes or in similar disciplines and who come together to develop and share
their knowledge in that field for the benefit of themselves and their organization. CoPs
may be created formally or informally, and members can interact online or in person.
Competitive Intelligence (CI) - CORRECT ANSWER Objectively understanding the
strengths, weaknesses, and strategies of companies competing against your company
for business. CI is a well-defined business practice to understand the competitive forces
and market dynamics that affect your company's viability and long-term profitability.
Competitor Review - CORRECT ANSWER An assessment and analysis of competitors'
likely strategies and solutions. People who are independent of the opportunity planning
team and are experts on the customer and competitors conduct this review.
Compliance Matrix - CORRECT ANSWER A list of specific customer requirements,
often splitting complex, multi-part requirements into subrequirements. It also helps
Proposal Managers and Internal Reviewers verify that the proposal meets all
requirements.
