Steps to Creating an Effective Project Brief

A powerful project brief is fundamental in guaranteeing a project’s success. Having a consistent, skeletal reference throughout a project’s duration keeps expectations aligned and facilitates smooth communication between all parties. It should summarise the project’s intentions, key details, and scope.

People often encounter the following pitfalls:

• Vague or overly extensive feature lists
• Misalignment with user needs
• Limited iterative development understanding
• Poorly communicated project context
• Unclear market launch strategies
• Lack of a clear, unique value proposition

To align everyone and avoid these issues, let’s discover how to construct a winning project brief that kick-starts your project successfully.

• Why you need a project brief

Clarifying your ideas ensures you haven’t missed any critical details. It streamlines the process of requesting quotes from vendors, aids in their assessment, and decreases the time between your inquiry and receiving their proposals. Furthermore, a well-prepared project brief aligns everyone’s assumptions, minimising the chances of miscommunication and avoiding project scope expansion.

• Can you simply tell people what you need?

Writing down your key project details allows you to refine them as needed. It also streamlines communication with multiple vendors, eliminating the need for repetition and ensuring everyone starts with the same information. Plus, having a written brief allows for ongoing dialogues and adjustments, improving clarity and accuracy throughout the process.

A well-drafted project brief is a centralised and trustworthy resource for all stakeholders, ensuring alignment on the project’s scope, aims, and critical elements by establishing roles, needs, and motivations; it guarantees everyone is in sync and promotes team uniformity. This indispensable document reduces misunderstandings and maintains team member alignment from beginning to end. By clearly stating the problem, its cause, impact, and intended audience, you improve communication and collaboration, setting the stage for a more seamless application in the ensuing stages.

• Requirements specification or brief?

A project brief offers a broad summary, defining the problem, the suggested solution, and the target audience. A requirements specification details the precise technologies and approaches required to implement that functionality. A project brief may include aspects such as the chosen hosting provider or preferred technology stack. Usually, a brief offers general requirements that indicate the desired solution (for instance, are you looking to develop a scooter, a bike, or a sports car?) List the solution’s primary features, focus on the business perspective of what, why, and how in one or a few paragraphs, and provide a realistic timeline.

• How concise should a project brief be?

On one hand, providing more detail can lead to more accurate estimates (including budget considerations). On the other hand, a 90-page document hardly qualifies as a “brief”. Preparing such a lengthy brief can be time-consuming, as can analysing it. There are scenarios where a detailed brief is warranted, especially when there are numerous processes to illustrate or complex algorithms to clarify. The key is to find a balance between thoroughness and conciseness. Prioritise the essential information that enhances understanding of the project while avoiding unnecessary complexity for the reader. Focus on what the solution will achieve and how it addresses the problem.

• Should it include technical details?

Whether a project brief should be technical depends on your expertise. If you are a technical professional seeking someone to implement your vision, you can delve into technical specifics. However, remember that your knowledge might be limited by the technologies you’re familiar with, while a web development service provider could offer alternative solutions you hadn’t considered.

If you lack technical expertise, it’s best to leave the technical aspect to your vendor. Focus on the business side, as your insights are invaluable.

• Does it matter if the solution is for internal or external users?

The main difference is your perspective and focal points when developing the solution.

Internal Projects

An internal project is designed for use within your organisation or one of its divisions. While meeting stakeholder expectations remains central, you have an established user base that is familiar with your company. These projects typically address existing challenges, meaning users may have been anticipating the solution. They tend to be more lenient regarding any product issues or delays in release. Additionally, you likely have a dedicated budget for these initiatives, which are considered necessary expenses. Your primary focus should be how the solution integrates into your organisation’s ecosystem and infrastructure.

External Projects

In contrast, an external project is aimed at the market. Whether it’s a B2B or B2C offering, you enter a competitive landscape filled with established standards and customer expectations. While you may develop a product based on your assessments, real-world needs may differ significantly. You might believe you’ve pinpointed a critical problem that users will pay to solve, but they may not share your perspective or appreciate your approach.

Budget constraints are often more pressing for external projects, requiring you to prioritise features that address your target audience’s most pressing issues while keeping costs in check. In this case, your emphasis should be on validating the market, releasing early versions, and soliciting user feedback.

Therefore, adjust your project brief to reflect the appropriate perspective based on whether the project is for internal or external use.

• How to create a powerful project brief

Developing a well-organised project brief is vital for any project’s success. Here are the critical elements to consider:

1. Establish Context
2. Outline the Desired Solution
3. Pinpoint Key Stakeholders and Their Motivations
4. Detail the Core Features of the Solution
5. Define the Anticipated Timeline
6. Maintain Realism
7. Incorporate Risk Management and Contingency Strategies

By incorporating these elements, your brief will serve as a thorough guide, fostering clear communication, aligning stakeholders, and underpinning a successful and well-executed project.