Analyzing Review Feedback
Upon receiving notice of a site visit, one of the first substantive tasks is a careful review of the panel feedback or summary statement from the proposal review. This analysis should be conducted with the lead PI(s) and core co-PIs and should drive the overall strategy for presenting the team's work.
The site visit strategy and reviewer analysis meeting should occur within the first week. Participants should include the lead PI(s), co-PIs, proposal component leads, and the administrative team. The purpose is to review agency guidance, evaluation criteria, prior reviews, and any information about reviewers or site visit structure. The goal is to determine what the team most needs to communicate and what concerns or questions are most likely to arise. Without this step, the team cannot effectively create any videos or presentation slides.
Adjusting Content from Feedback
Once the review is complete, the team should adjust the content plan for the site visit accordingly. This includes refining the overall narrative, identifying vulnerabilities, and determining how to structure the agenda to address reviewers' concerns directly.
An agenda and content architecture review should follow, typically 4-6 weeks before the site visit, with the lead PI(s), core content leads, and the administrative team. This session should confirm the story the team needs to tell, in what sequence, through which speakers, and with what supporting materials — establishing the architecture of the visit so that content development proceeds against a clear structure.
Note: The graphic designer should be looped in at the strategy-meeting stage, not after the content is already drafted.