Project brief template: put your task on one page

Fill in enough to discuss, then start

A brief does not need to become a long document. Write what is known and list the gaps. Ask AI to restate the intended result before it processes material or changes the project.

Copyable template

Task name and date:
Goal: Help [person] do [task] in [situation].
Current approach and difficulty:

Material:
- Files, original text or data, with sources and dates:
- Confirmed rules and definitions:
- Missing information and who will provide it:
- Files or folders allowed for use; originals that must not change:

Expected result:
- Format: website / tool / table / report / content draft / workflow
- Required content and formatting:
- One example of a correct result:

Scope this time:
- Steps to do first:
- Things to leave out:
- What to do if information is missing, an error occurs or sources conflict:

Checks:
- How I will verify sources, numbers or actions:
- Unusual inputs or cases to try:
- If accounts exist, who may read or change which data:

Confirmation and records:
- Actions needing my confirmation, such as sending, publishing, deleting or paying:
- Where to keep originals, current work and the previous version:
- Material and conditions to change for the next run:

Filled example: event supplies

This is a fictional teaching exercise. The amounts and conditions are not real quotes.

Task: Compare canvas-bag quotes for an event, 2026-10-20.
Goal: Give the organiser a table and short brief to decide on further enquiries.
Difficulty: Three quotes differ in minimum order, tax and arrival terms.
Material: Original quotes A, B and C; do not change the sources.
Conditions: 300 bags, no more than 3600 CNY including tax and delivery,
arriving within 10 calendar days of design approval.
Output: Sources, purchase quantities and formulas in a table, plus questions.
Correct example: A 500-bag minimum must be calculated at no fewer than 500.
Scope: Extract, compare, check and summarise; do not order.
Gaps: Mark missing tax terms for confirmation; do not assume a tax rate.
Checks: Compare every field with the quotes and recalculate totals; no accounts involved.
Confirmation: I approve enquiries or sending; save the quotes, table and brief.
Reuse: Replace the sources, quantity, budget and deadline, then calculate again.

Find the full sources and reference answer in the comparison exercise.

Adapt the brief to another task

• Website or tool: define inputs, actions and expected results, including mobile display, errors and publishing.
• Research or report: define sources, comparison rules and readers. Trace conclusions to source text and retain missing-information questions.
• Content draft: identify the audience, channel, confirmed facts and tone examples. Check the information again before publishing.
• Repeated workflow: say what changes each time, what each step produces and where a person must confirm.

When a new idea appears, update the scope before asking AI to change the work. That way, the intended result is still clear when you return later.

Questions

Read next

• From an idea to a tool or work result — Understand the overall method
• Proposal comparison exercise — Practise with three fictional sources
• Build your first website — Take the brief into a usable page