k2f-business-proposal

K2F Business Proposal — AI-Native Aesthetic Design

Purpose

Teach agents to blueprint business proposals before layout: a self-contained story that earns trust, scopes deliverables, and surfaces price clearly—without inventing budgets, rates, case studies, or terms the user did not supply.

Built on K2F

This skill produces business proposals as .K2F packages. Follow the k2f skill for authoring: unpack or init a workspace, edit the semantic tree, run pack/verify, then export. K2F keeps agents on meaning (section roles, narrative arc, tables)—not pixel coordinates—while the engine compiles layout, typography, and theme into consistent export-ready output.

Before you build, install the core skill: npx skills add suzheng/k2f --skill k2f.

When to Use

• Drafting a project or services proposal from RFP excerpts, discovery notes, or a solution brief.
• Rebuilding a generic AI proposal so executive summary, scope, and pricing tell one coherent story.
• Preparing a formal offer where validity, inclusions/exclusions, and next steps must be explicit.

Workflow

Step 1. Generate the content_and_design.md

Single blueprint for semantic content and aesthetic intent. Use labeled blocks the k2f skill can map to sections later.

Sub-steps

1. Proposal frame — Audience (buyer vs evaluator), engagement type (fixed, phased, retainer), and desired decision. Set valid-until (default 30 days if user silent). Omit sections the frame does not need.

2. Cover & metadata — Title, optional subtitle, client organization and contact, your firm and contact, date, version. One currency throughout; flag locale formatting if known.

3. Narrative spine (CLOSE) — Plan flow before drafting sections:

   • Context: their situation in their language (from user inputs).
   • Loss: cost of inaction—quantified only when data exists; otherwise qualitative and labeled.
   • Outcome: future state and business value (measurable where possible).
   • Solution: approach, phases, deliverables, success criteria.
   • Evidence: proof you can deliver—case snippets, methodology, credentials user provided. Executive summary must stand alone (~400 words max): entire proposal understandable from that block alone.

4. Section architecture (include / cut) — Default stack; drop or shorten per frame:

   • Executive Summary → Understanding / Current State & Challenges → Proposed Approach (overview + phased delivery) → Expected Outcomes & ROI → Team & Governance (if relevant) → Investment → Why Us → Terms → Next Steps.
   • Cut feature dumps, duplicate methodology, competitor attacks, and deep legal boilerplate.

5. Scope & delivery — Per phase: objective, key activities, deliverables, success criteria, duration. What's included and what's not included as explicit lists—prevent day-one disputes. Assumptions and client dependencies in a distinct block, not buried in prose.

6. Investment block — Pricing model only if user specified. Table-first fees; payment milestones verbatim from user. Never fabricate rates or tax; use NEEDS USER CONFIRMATION when math is incomplete. Scannable path: model → totals → net → schedule.

7. Commercial closure — Start assumptions, duration, location, travel/expenses policy from user. IP, confidentiality, termination, change process at summary level; note legal review recommended. Numbered next steps with dates or triggers.

8. Design intent — Tone, hierarchy, density, palette for the engine:

   • Tone: consultative B2B; trust through understanding, not hype. Lead with their problem; keep price findable.
   • Hierarchy: executive summary and Understanding strongest; conclusion-led phase titles; total never buried.
   • Density: bullets and tables per phase; ~6-line paragraph cap; one outcomes/ROI block, not repeated.
   • Palette: restrained neutrals, one accent on phases, totals, CTA; WCAG AA; tabular fees, not inline dollars.

Rules & constraints

• Discovery honesty: thin inputs → narrow claims and mark assumptions; never invent client context.
• Story gate: CLOSE flow must read as narrative, not a checklist of empty headings.
• Self-contained gate: a reader without your chat history understands problem, offer, price boundaries, and what to do next.
• Traceability gate: every figure, timeline, and credential ties to user input or is explicitly marked TBD.
• Separation gate: client situation, your solution, and commercial terms stay in labeled sections—do not merge RFP text into deliverable descriptions.

Common failure modes

• Feature-dumping without linking to client pain → rewrite each capability as outcome tied to a stated challenge.
• Burying price or vague scope → promote investment summary; split inclusions/exclusions.
• Executive summary that is marketing fluff → replace with CLOSE paragraphs using client-specific facts.
• Phases with activities but no deliverables or success criteria → add both per phase or merge phases.
• Invented case studies, team names, or payment terms → strip; use placeholders.
• Missing valid-until or next steps → add in metadata and closure.

Quality checklist

• Executive summary stands alone and mirrors body (no contradictions).
• At least one section demonstrates deep understanding of their situation (user-sourced).
• Every phase has deliverables and success criteria; inclusions/exclusions align with phases.
• Investment tables reconcile; pricing flagged if unvalidated.
• Valid-until, version, and dates are consistent.
• Design intent names emphasis targets; no fabricated metrics or legal commitments.

Step 2. Use the content_and_design.md and k2f skill to generate a K2F file and export to an appropriate file format.

Follow k2f to instantiate the proposal from the blueprint, apply section roles from design intent, verify, and export the client-ready deliverable.