analyzing-debriefslisted

# Analyzing Debriefs Close the loop on a pursuit. After award (win or lose) the government's debrief is the single best source of truth about how the proposal was actually evaluated. Most teams underuse it: they request it late, ask weak questions, or read a loss debrief through sour grapes. This skill helps request the debrief properly, interpret what the government said, and convert it into lessons that make the next bid better. ## When to use this skill Use this skill after a federal award decision, in two modes: - Before the debrief: to request it on time and prepare strong questions. - After the debrief: to analyze what the government said and capture win/loss lessons learned. Use it for wins as well as losses. A win debrief reveals what worked and where the proposal was weaker than its score suggested — both valuable. ## Inputs **Before the debrief:** - The award notification and the solicitation (for the debrief rules). - The pursuit workspace artifacts — `01-bid-decision.md`, `05-win-strategy.md`, `20-color-review-*.md` — so questions target what the team most needs to learn. **After the debrief:** - The government's debrief content (the written debrief, slides, or notes from an oral debrief). - The same pursuit workspace artifacts, to compare what the team believed against what the government found. Read `../../shared/glossary.md`, `../../shared/federal-solicitation-primer.md`, and `../../shared/pursuit-workspace.md` if not already read this session.