Creating project briefs: How-tos, templates, and tips

The project’s objectives act as benchmarks for success and help keep the team aligned and focused on the desired outcomes. It’s worth noting that clearly defined objectives basically set the foundation for a successful project.

The project’s success criteria ensures that progress is measurable, while the key performance indicators (KPIs) help track performance and determine whether the project is meeting its objectives. Keep in mind that regular monitoring of these makes it easier for the team to adjust strategies, when necessary.

The project scope⁠(opens in a new tab or window) breaks down what's included in the project to prevent scope creep. It also outlines key deliverables, such as reports or marketing campaigns, so stakeholders are clear with expectations.

This section identifies key stakeholders, including clients, project sponsors, and team members. It’s important to clearly define each one’s role to ensure accountability within the team. This ultimately helps in preventing delays and confusion throughout the project lifecycle.

The timeline provides everyone with a roadmap for project completion. It should include critical milestones and deadlines to help track progress better. Plus, teams are more likely to stay on schedule and submit deliverables without delay.

This section breaks down the financial plan and resource allocation of the project. It should include key information, such as:

• Budgetary constraints
• Funding sources
• Required tools, personnel, and materials

Note that a well-planned budget helps eliminate the impulse to overspend and ensures resources are available at each stage of the project.

This section identifies possible issues or challenges that may occur during project execution, such as budget constraints, technical difficulties, or even stakeholder conflicts. Anticipating these early can help the team take on a proactive approach to problem solving and keep the project on track.

Engaging key stakeholders early ensures everyone’s expectations are outlined and managed. For this step, identify who needs to be consulted. These include sponsors, team leads, and clients. Once that’s done, you can start gathering information by asking the following questions:

• What are the KPIs that will define the success of this campaign?
• How does this project align with our current brand guidelines?
• Are there security or infrastructure requirements that should be considered for this project?
• How will this project impact employee engagement and communication workflows?

Note that you can use surveys, meetings, or collaborative online whiteboards⁠(opens in a new tab or window) to collect stakeholder insights.

Begin to define the project scope and deliverables to ensure alignment across teams. Doing so prevents scope creep, which is a common project pitfall. In fact, project management practitioners shared that around 49% of their projects experienced scope creep, according to a Project Management Institute report⁠(opens in a new tab or window).

Without a strictly defined scope, projects can expand beyond their original intent, leading to misallocated resources, delays, and budget overruns.

When creating the project scope statement, make sure to include the following:

• Acceptance criteria: List down predetermined conditions or requirements that must be met for deliverables to be acceptable. Make sure they have a clear pass/fail result and target the end result (the what), not the solution (the how).
• Exclusions and constraints: Identify tasks that won't be carried out in the project. Anything you consider out of your scope of work falls under exclusions. Constraints, on the other hand, are the limitations of your project.
• Assumptions and dependencies: Identify factors the project relies on, such as external partnerships, regulatory approvals, or technology availability.
• A change control process: Establish how scope changes will be assessed, approved, and communicated to prevent scope creep.

If roles are unclear, tasks may be duplicated and overlooked, leading to inefficiencies and delays. Make sure your project brief explicitly mentions the roles and responsibilities of each team member. You can do this by:

• Using a RACI chart: This framework clarifies who's responsible for tasks, who makes decisions, who needs to be consulted, and who should be kept informed.
• Establishing communication channels: It helps to set up proper communication channels so team members can collaborate smoothly.
• Defining clear approval flows: Ensure that decision-making processes are structured so approvals happen quickly without any bottlenecks.

Create a structured timeline by breaking down the project into phases. For instance, a project may be divided into the research, design, execution, and review phases. Afterwards, determine deadlines and dependencies. Here are some tips for setting a timeline:

• If you’re creating a brief for a marketing campaign, align key milestones with major launches and ensure pre-launch testing and feedback cycles are built into the schedule.
• If you’re creating a creative project brief, establish multiple review checkpoints to avoid last-minute design changes that could delay execution.
• If you’re creating a brief for an organizational change, sync major communication milestones with company-wide meetings, training sessions, or policy⁠(opens in a new tab or window) rollouts for maximum audience engagement.

Resource planning is crucial for teams to avoid unexpected roadblocks. Remember, each department will have different resource needs, so identify them early to ensure a smoother project execution. We outlined some guidelines below to help your team build this section in your project brief:

• Personnel: Identify the skills needed for the project and assign team members accordingly. Also, there should be adequate staffing for key phases like design, implementation, and review.
• Tools: Determine what software, hardware, or platforms will be required for the project. For example, marketing teams may need social media management tools, while creative teams may need design software.
• Budget forecasting: Break down estimated costs for personnel, tools, and additional expenses. Budgets should be allocated properly to prevent shortages mid-project.

List down potential risks associated with the project. These may include budget overruns, inadequate staffing, or stakeholder disagreements. Then, come up with mitigation strategies and backup solutions for them. For example, if you’re launching a marketing campaign, you may develop a response plan for campaign adjustments in case of negative feedback.

Before implementing the project, make sure your team reviews the brief for accuracy. This also helps spot gaps and inconsistencies before the full-scale implementation.

Once the project brief is reviewed and refined, get approvals⁠(opens in a new tab or window) from decision makers and communicate the final version to everyone involved in the project. Always keep in mind that a project brief evolves as project requirements and stakeholder insights change, so keep this document updated.

A project brief should be concise yet comprehensive, providing enough detail to guide the project team without necessarily overwhelming them with unnecessary information. It should also clearly outline the project’s objectives, scope, deliverables, and timeline.

Yes, a project brief is a living document that can and should be updated as your project evolves. However, any modifications should be carefully evaluated and agreed upon by all stakeholders for continued alignment.

A project brief is a high-level overview of a project’s objectives, scope, and deliverables. A project initiation document (PID), on the other hand, expands on the brief with detailed planning elements, acting as a more formalized contract between stakeholders and the project team.