If you’re confused about how to write a project brief, the answer is: well, it may be complicated. There are many factors you should take into account, many people that should be involved, and many pieces of information you’d better gather beforehand. And being well-prepared in the very beginning in order to succeed in the long run is the main idea behind preparing a project brief for an outsourcing company.
Certainly, it is worth making the effort because it usually pays off. It’s simply much easier and faster to reach the goal with a detailed project plan or a roadmap at hand. Sticking to it and referring to it when needed may save you time and help you to get back on track fast whenever any deviation occurs. But, first and foremost, it can help you reach better results overall, aligned to your needs and requirements.
Setting expectations clearly and early enough may simply be a key to success for all project stakeholders. In turn, misunderstandings or mismatches in this area can lead to a waste of time, money, and other resources. The bottom line may be a serious business failure, and the competitive edge of both the client and an outsourcing company may be diminished. Sometimes, it’s too late to save the day, and grave mistakes and huge delays simply cannot be made up for.
In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of cooperation over a project with an outsourcing company, and show you how to make a project brief right.
Table of contents:
1. How to write a project brief? Crucial elements
2. How to write a brief for a project – useful tips
3. Now you know how to write a project brief!
How to write a project brief? Crucial elements
Crafting a project brief is a necessary preliminary step in case of any project. And if it is a project brief for an outsourcing company, it is to clarify the client’s expectations and requirements regarding the common endeavor both sides undertake. A project brief is simply to sum up key information about the project.
So, how to write a client brief right? Well, a general rule is that the more effort you put in at the very beginning, and the more detailed project briefs you prepare, the more you may expect to achieve in the long run.
The essential elements needed to create a good product brief for an external agency embrace:
- project title
- project overview
- project scope
- important dates, project timeline and deadlines
- project objectives
- budget
- design inspiration (if applicable)
- general information about the client
- target audience
- competitive analysis (describing competitors)
- contact details
How to write a brief for a project – useful tips
If you’re wondering how to prepare a design brief or how to create a brief for a project in general, here are a few tips on how to do it right.
1. Take your time and make the effort
Provide all the information required, even if you think it may be unimportant or irrelevant. Engage all employees whom it may concern to get to the point and make the final results truly customized. As many details as possible should be delivered and all questions asked should be answered.
2. Don’t assume that they will know
Make sure that everything is explained clearly and in an unambiguous manner so that you are on the same page with the other party. Write down everything, not only the most important points, and don’t leave anything to chance or understatements as far as your expectations are concerned.
3. Set project objectives and check on them
Keep an eye on the level of the project’s or a particular stage’s completion as well as milestone project deliverables. The effects achieved should be measurable, and tangible – one way to do it may be by setting and making use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), checked regularly.
4. Appoint the right contact person
Both the client and the outsourcing company should indicate an adequate contact person – qualified and available enough to be easy to reach to the other party and able to make certain day-to-day decisions. On top of that, project managers or people in charge of major decision-making should be named in the creative brief, too.
5. Choose a trustworthy outsourcing company
This initial decision is vital and it should be well-thought and based on a thorough comparison of various suppliers. The business entity of your choice needs to be experienced, provide an impressive, relevant portfolio, and have many satisfied clients. Once you’ve made a reasonable choice, do trust the experts’ recommendations and don’t hesitate to implement them.
6. Think security-wise and legal-wise
To be on the safe side, you should also think about things such as being protected enough, including protecting your data. Don’t forget to name the number of iterations available within the contract, specify issues such as the satisfaction guarantee, write what happens if the other party doesn’t reply within a given timeframe, etc.
Now you know how to write a project brief!
Creating a good project brief ensures that both parties involved are on the same page regarding the expectations, requirements, and project goals that the client wants to achieve. If everything’s not clear from the very beginning, the project, and the client company in general, may be taken in the wrong direction due to various kinds of misunderstandings. And the carefully prepared roadmap the outsourcing company of your choice will follow is just the perfect tool to prevent it.
And it’s the responsibility and interest of the investor or a project manager to make a project brief extensive and all-encompassing. A project team covering a lot of people, and representing various departments or areas of expertise, may have to be engaged within the process to do it right. Every piece of information may count and turn out to be meaningful. The data must be as specific as possible and you should also safeguard your own company in case anything goes wrong.
Detailed information provided by the client, in reply to the brief for a project designed by an outsourcing company, can make it all run smoothly and effectively. A good, successful project brief may certainly be regarded as an efficient tool for increasing productivity and achieving business purposes.
Wondering how to write a website design brief or a project brief in general? If you need professional assistance in creating a project brief or expert advice regarding project management in general, contact us now.
