The term “Project Brief” refers to the description of how a project will be executed to achieve the desired outcomes. The project managers use the project brief to explain to their clients the project plan and what they are offering. In a nutshell, the project brief is a short description of the key elements of a project. It is the starting point of any project.
A project brief is a document that project teams use to let people (project team, stakeholders, and clients) know about a project. It explains the process that will be followed while a project is under development, its deliverables, the starting, and ending dates of a project, and the milestones. It is also referred to as a Project Plan or Project Proposal.
The Need for Project Brief?
Now that we know what a project brief is, let’s see why we even want one. A project brief is needed to let your client understand what you will do and how you will do it. Through this, you can briefly explain how long a particular step in the project will take, what deliverables a client should expect at the end of each milestone, what you are offering, etc. It helps you ensure that your client is not expecting more than you will deliver, or you will deliver what your client is expecting within the agreed-upon budget.
Elements of a Project Brief
A project brief usually contains brief details about a project. Creating a project brief depends entirely upon the type of the project and the client to whom you are offering the project. However, here are some elements that are part of most of it:
- Project Summary
- Project Stakeholders
- Project Goals
- Project Timelines
- Project Budget
Although all the elements of the project brief are self-explanatory, let’s discuss each element in some detail:
Project Summary
The project summary is a brief explanation of the entire project. It includes what will be developed at the end of the project, the deliverables of the project, a brief description of the timelines, and the steps that will be taken to complete a project. Furthermore, it defines the major stakeholders of the project. It provides a general idea of the project to the clients, project team, and other stakeholders. It is helpful to keep the entire team on track so that everyone has a shared idea about the project and its deliverables.
Project Stakeholders
The project stakeholders refer to all the people connected to a project in one way or another. The stakeholders are affected by the outcomes of a project directly or indirectly, positively or negatively. They include the project team, clients, end-users, marketing personnel, social media managers, etc.
Project Goals
The project Goals refer to the mutual goals of a client and the company. It includes the goals that a client wants to achieve through a project and the goals that company executives expect to achieve after completing a project.
Project Timelines
The project timelines refer to the starting and ending dates of the project. They also include the period needed to complete a particular step or milestone. Remember that a project is temporary and has to end sometime, no matter how many years it takes to complete.
Project Budget
The project budget refers to the cost of a project. It includes the cost of the machinery or the technology needed for a project, the labor, other bills, etc. The scope of the project determines the budget of the project. If a project’s scope is big, the budget will be high.