Project Overview

As a Senior Technical Editor and Federal Proposal Writer at CDM Smith, Melissa led the development of an editorial program tailored to federal government projects. This initiative focused on standardizing editing processes, integrating plain language principles, and training teams to produce clear, persuasive, and compliant deliverables under tight deadlines.

Problem

CDM Smith’s Federal Services Unit managed complex, billion-dollar proposals for agencies such as USACE, FEMA, DOT, and DOD but faced challenges due to inconsistent editing standards, fragmented workflows, and varying team expertise. This resulted in rework, compliance risks, and delays in submissions, impacting win rates and operational efficiency.

Solutions

Comprehensive Editorial Assessment

• Audited existing proposal and technical documents to identify gaps in structure, clarity, and adherence to style guides like The Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style.

• Mapped cross-functional workflows involving engineers, subject matter experts, and writers to uncover bottlenecks in review cycles.

• Recommended integrated tools, such as SharePoint for collaboration and automated checklists for quality control.

Standardized Editing Framework

• Developed customizable templates with built-in plain language guidelines, compliance matrices, and formatting standards for proposals and reports.

• Established multi-stage editing protocols, including developmental reviews for strategy alignment and copyediting for precision.

• Incorporated federal-specific requirements, such as Section 508 accessibility checks, to ensure all content met evaluator expectations.

Sustainable Training Implementation

• Designed and delivered hands-on training sessions for 100+ team members, covering best practices in technical editing and proposal storytelling.

• Created ongoing resources, including quick-reference guides, video tutorials, and peer-review protocols, to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

• Collaborated with leadership to embed the program into project management processes, with metrics tracking for error reduction and turnaround times.

Results

Program rolled out ahead of schedule

• Implemented a scalable editorial framework that standardized processes for 200+ annual proposals, cutting revision cycles by 35% and boosting submission quality.

Style guide and mandatory reviews established

• Created an internal style guide from scratch and required editorial reviews on all client deliverables, earning recognition from the Vice President of the Federal Services Unit for directly improving deliverable excellence and team performance.

Team capabilities elevated

• Trained diverse teams to handle in-house editing with confidence, reducing external dependencies and contributing to successful bids on multimillion-dollar contracts.

“Melissa is a consummate professional, talented writer and editor, and highly valued colleague sought after for her attention to detail, her inquisitiveness and passion for learning, her responsiveness and versatility, and her commitment to excellence.”

—Hal Gillam, Vice President of International Development, CDM Smith