A good brief is not a technical document. It is a clear description of a problem, written so that someone who has never met you can understand it. You do not need to know the technology, the platform or the budget to write one.
What a brief is for
A brief helps you think, and it helps anyone you talk to give you a useful answer. Without one, quotes depend on guesses and the guesses differ. With one, you can compare options on the same footing, and you are more likely to get what you meant rather than what was assumed.
What to cover
- The problem. What is going wrong or taking too long? Describe it as a situation, not a feature.
- The people. Who is affected: customers, staff, you? Roughly how many?
- How it works today. The current steps, tools and workarounds. Include the messy parts.
- What a good result looks like. How would you know it worked? A time saved, fewer missed enquiries, fewer errors?
- Limits. Dates that matter, a rough budget range if you have one, rules you must follow, people who must approve.
- What you already use. Software, accounts, your domain name and who controls them.
- Who will look after it. Who will own the content, accounts and day-to-day decisions afterwards?
If you do not know an answer, say so. "I do not know our budget" is more useful than a made-up number, and a good provider will help you work out a range.
A template you can copy
Paste this into an email or document and replace the prompts with your own words.
PROJECT BRIEF 1. The problem What is going wrong or taking too long? 2. Who is affected Customers, staff, or both? Roughly how many? 3. How it works today The steps, tools and workarounds we use now. 4. A good result looks like How will we know this worked? 5. Limits Dates, budget range (or "not sure"), rules we must follow, who must approve. 6. What we already use Software, accounts, domain name, and who controls them. 7. Who will look after it Who will own the content, accounts and decisions afterwards? 8. Anything else Examples we like, things we have tried, worries.
A fictional completed example
PROJECT BRIEF (fictional example) 1. The problem Customers of our mobile dog-grooming service phone or message to book. We lose track of requests and double-book about once a month, which upsets people. 2. Who is affected Two groomers and one part-time office person. About 150 regular customers. 3. How it works today Requests arrive by phone, text and Facebook. The office person writes them in a shared spreadsheet and replies. Reminders are sent by hand the day before. 4. A good result looks like Customers can request a time online and see that it was received. No double bookings. Reminders go out without anyone remembering to send them. 5. Limits Want something working before the busy summer period. Budget not sure. Customer details must not be shared. 6. What we already use A shared spreadsheet, a business email account, a basic website built with a website builder. The domain is registered in the owner's name. 7. Who will look after it The office person will manage bookings. The owner decides changes. 8. Anything else Would like to know if an existing booking tool could do this before we build something.
Use it before you hire anyone
- Write the brief yourself using the template above, even if it is rough.
- Ask one person who does the work to read it and point out what is missing.
- Send the same brief to two or three providers and compare their questions as well as their quotes.
Good providers ask questions. If someone quotes confidently without asking any, treat that as a warning. The guide on what affects cost helps you compare quotes, and the guide to scoping a first version helps you cut the idea down to a size that can be finished.
When the brief reveals a bigger problem
If your brief reveals several systems, sensitive data, or a process with many exceptions, a short scoping conversation is usually worth having before any build starts. It turns a brief into a plan with decisions, options and a smaller first step.
Using the Saral Forge project form
The project brief form on this site asks for your name, your email address, an optional business or team name and a short summary of what needs to become simpler. When you press the button, it opens your email app with a message addressed to Saral Forge. The website does not send or store anything itself, so the brief only reaches us when you press send in your own email app. You can paste the brief above into the summary field, or keep it and send it later.