Projects

Project Brief Template

A project brief fits on one page and gets a yes: what problem this solves, what will be true when it is done, what is in and out, what it costs, and who approves it. Copy the template, or start from the example closest to your project.

Updated 2026-10-27

Copy and adapt

The template

Project briefTemplate

Project brief: {{title}}

Author: {{author}} Date: {{date}} Decision needed from: [name] by [YYYY-MM-DD] Related: [[Client or team]]

The problem

[What is wrong or missing today, with one number that shows it.]

Goal

[What will be true when this is done.]

How we will know it worked:

[Metric]: from [baseline] to [target] by [date]

Audience

[Who this is for, and the one thing they need from it.]

Scope

We will deliver: [deliverables]
We will not: [what people will assume is included but is not]

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: [deadline, budget cap, legal or technical limit]
Assuming: [what must be true for this to work]

Budget and key dates

Budget: [total, with a rough breakdown that adds up]
Key dates: [start, review, delivery]

Roles

Owner: [one name]
Approver: [one name]
Contributors: [names]
Consulted: [names]

Open questions

[Question] (answer from [name]) @due(YYYY-MM-DD)

Sign-off

Approved by [name] on [date]

5 examples

Examples for different situations

The same structure, filled in for the situations people actually bring to it. Copy the one closest to yours.

1.Agency brief for a client website

When it fits: Use this when you are the agency or freelancer, the client has a problem rather than a spec, and the brief is what both sides will point to when scope questions come up in month two.

Agency brief for a client websiteExample 1

Project brief: Harbor Dental website rebuild

Author: Lena Park, Tidewater Studio Date: 2026-10-27 Decision needed from: Dr. Amir Haddad (owner, Harbor Dental) by 2026-11-04 Related: [[Harbor Dental]]

The problem

Harbor Dental's four clinics share one website with no online booking. 41 percent of new-patient inquiries arrive after 6 p.m., when the phones are closed, and front desk staff estimate half of those never call back.

Goal

New patients can book a first visit online at any of the four clinics, any time.

How we will know it worked:

Online first-visit bookings: from 0 to 60 a month by April 2027
Front desk callback list: from about 25 a day to under 10

Audience

Adults in the four clinic areas looking for a new dentist, mostly on phones.

Scope

We will deliver: a new site with one page per clinic, online booking, content migration of the 22 existing pages
We will not: separate websites per clinic, patient portal or billing, ongoing ad campaigns

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: the practice management system's booking API is the only option; no second booking tool.
Assuming: the vendor enables API access within three weeks of the request.

Budget and key dates

Budget: $38,000. Discovery and UX $6,000, design $9,000, development $15,000, booking integration $4,500, content migration $3,500.
Key dates: kickoff Nov 9, design review Dec 4, launch Feb 15, 2027.

Roles

Owner: Lena Park
Approver: Dr. Amir Haddad
Contributors: Jae (developer), Sofia (designer)
Consulted: the four clinic managers

Open questions

Two clinic managers asked for their own sites. Dr. Haddad wants one. Confirm one site before kickoff (answer from Dr. Haddad) @due(2026-11-04)

Sign-off

Approved by Dr. Amir Haddad (decision due 2026-11-04)

2.Engineering performance project

When it fits: Use this when an engineering team wants six weeks to fix something users feel but no roadmap item covers, and the brief has to compete with feature work for the same people.

Engineering performance projectExample 2

Project brief: Android cold start under 2 seconds

Author: Mateo Silva Date: 2026-10-27 Decision needed from: Farid Rahimi (VP Engineering) at the Nov 3 planning meeting Related: [[Mobile performance]]

The problem

Median cold start on mid-range Android phones is 4.1 seconds. One-star reviews that mention "slow" have tripled since August, and 18 percent of new installs never get past the first screen.

Goal

The app opens fast enough on a mid-range phone that nobody mentions speed in reviews.

How we will know it worked:

p50 cold start on the three test devices: from 4.1 s to under 2.0 s by Feb 1, 2027
p90 cold start: from 7.8 s to under 3.5 s
First-screen drop-off: from 18 percent to under 10 percent

Audience

Android users on phones two to four years old, about 55 percent of our Android base.

Scope

We will deliver: lazy loading for the four heaviest modules, a smaller startup bundle, a startup time check in CI that fails the build above 2.5 s
We will not: redesign the home screen, change the iOS app, rewrite the image cache

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: no feature freeze. The 6.2 release ships Dec 9 as planned.
Assuming: most of the time is in bundle loading. Profiling on three devices shows 2.3 s of the 4.1 s there.

Budget and key dates

Budget: no spend. Two engineers (Mateo, Yara) for six weeks, starting Nov 16.
Key dates: profiling report Nov 27, first build under 2.5 s Dec 18, target met Feb 1.

Roles

Owner: Mateo Silva
Approver: Farid Rahimi
Contributors: Yara Costa
Consulted: Ines (QA), product lead for onboarding

Open questions

Does the onboarding team accept a two-week delay on their A/B test while Yara is on this? (answer from the onboarding product lead) @due(2026-11-02)

Sign-off

Approved by Farid Rahimi (decision at the 2026-11-03 planning meeting)

3.Marketing campaign brief with a budget dispute

When it fits: Use this when two departments disagree about a number that drives the whole campaign, and the brief should put the disagreement in front of the approver instead of hiding it.

Marketing campaign brief with a budget disputeExample 3

Project brief: Pantry Box spring win-back

Author: Chloe Adams (lifecycle marketing) Date: 2026-10-27 Decision needed from: Victor Shah (CMO) by 2026-11-10 Related: [[Win-back 2027]]

The problem

8,000 subscribers cancelled between September and December 2026. Exit surveys say 52 percent left for price, 31 percent for recipe repetition. Spring menus launch Mar 15 with 40 new recipes.

Goal

Bring lapsed subscribers back with the new menu, at a cost per reactivation below our new-customer acquisition cost ($92).

How we will know it worked:

Reactivations: 480 (6 percent) by Apr 30, 2027
Reactivated customers still subscribed after 60 days: 55 percent or more

Audience

Subscribers who cancelled in the last four months, have a valid address and did not cancel for delivery problems.

Scope

We will deliver: a four-email sequence, SMS to opted-in customers, retargeting ads, a landing page for the spring menu
We will not: discount for active subscribers, contact customers who cancelled before September

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: SMS only to the 3,100 who opted in. Legal confirmed this on Oct 21.
Assuming: the spring menu is final by Feb 1 so emails can show real dishes.

Budget and key dates

Budget: $36,000. Win-back credits $24,000 (480 at $50), retargeting ads $8,000, SMS sends $2,000, creative $2,000.
Key dates: creative ready Mar 1, first email Mar 15, results Apr 30.

Roles

Owner: Chloe Adams
Approver: Victor Shah
Contributors: Omar (design), Kate (ads)
Consulted: Lucas Brandt (finance), legal

Open questions

Credit amount. Marketing proposes $50; finance proposes $30, which cuts the budget to $26,400 but likely lowers reactivations. Victor to choose (answer from Victor) @due(2026-11-10)

Sign-off

Approved by Victor Shah (decision due 2026-11-10)

4.Research brief for a user study

When it fits: Use this when the project is a study, not a build, and the brief has to say which decision the findings will feed so the research does not turn into an interesting report nobody acts on.

Research brief for a user studyExample 4

Project brief: Why trial teams stay single-user

Author: Noor Rahman (product research) Date: 2026-10-27 Decision needed from: Daniel Ross (head of product) by 2026-10-30 Related: [[Trial activation]], [[Q1 2027 roadmap]]

The problem

64 percent of trials never add a second user. Trials with three or more users convert to paid at 22 percent; single-user trials convert at 4 percent. We do not know why people do not invite.

Goal

Know the top reasons trial users do not invite teammates, well enough to decide whether to build invite prompts in onboarding for Q1.

How we will know it worked:

A ranked list of reasons, each backed by at least three interviews, presented at Q1 planning on Dec 15

Audience

The product trio for onboarding (Daniel, design lead, engineering lead).

Scope

We will deliver: 12 interviews (6 single-user trials, 6 trials with 3 or more users), a findings note with quotes, a recommendation
We will not: a survey, usability testing of current screens, pricing questions

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: findings must be ready by Dec 11 for Q1 planning.
Assuming: we can recruit from trials started in the last 60 days.

Budget and key dates

Budget: $3,000. Participant gift cards $900 (12 at $75), recruiting panel $1,800, transcription $300.
Key dates: recruiting Nov 2 to 13, interviews Nov 16 to Dec 4, findings Dec 11.

Roles

Owner: Noor Rahman
Approver: Daniel Ross
Contributors: Ellis (design, note-taker in every interview)
Consulted: sales, for the three largest lost trials

Open questions

Can we contact trials that already expired? (answer from legal) @due(2026-11-02)

Sign-off

Approved by Daniel Ross (decision due 2026-10-30)

5.Design brief for packaging

When it fits: Use this when you are briefing a freelance designer, the constraints matter more than the inspiration, and a missed constraint means reprinting thousands of bags.

Design brief for packagingExample 5

Project brief: Northline Roasters retail bag labels

Author: Sam Becker (co-owner) Date: 2026-10-27 Decision needed from: Ruth Becker (co-owner) by 2026-11-06 Related: [[Northline wholesale]]

The problem

Our coffees go from 3 blends to 8 single origins in March. All bags look the same on the shelf. Two grocery buyers told us shoppers cannot find the roast they bought last time.

Goal

A shopper can find "their" Northline coffee on a shelf in under five seconds.

How we will know it worked:

Buyers at our 14 grocery stores say yes when asked in April
Reorder rate in grocery: from 28 to 35 percent by June 2027

Audience

Grocery shoppers who already bought Northline once, and the buyers who decide shelf space.

Scope

We will deliver: a label system (color and type rules), eight front labels, one back label template, print-ready files
We will not: a new logo, new bag stock, café menu boards

Constraints and assumptions

Constraint: labels must fit our existing kraft stand-up bags (18,000 in stock), 3.5 by 4.5 inches, printed by our current label printer in four colors.
Assuming: the roast level and tasting notes for all eight coffees are final by Nov 20.

Budget and key dates

Budget: $10,000. Designer fee $7,500, print proofs $1,200, product photography for the site $1,300.
Key dates: kickoff Nov 16, two concepts Dec 7, final files Jan 15, on shelves Mar 1.

Roles

Owner: Sam Becker
Approver: Ruth Becker
Contributors: Ada Kowalski (freelance designer)
Consulted: our label printer, two grocery buyers

Open questions

Does color code the roast level or the origin? Ruth prefers roast, the buyers asked for origin (answer from Ruth) @due(2026-11-06)

Sign-off

Approved by Ruth Becker (decision due 2026-11-06)

What a project brief is for

A project brief template is for the moment before a project exists. Someone has to say yes, and they will say it to a page, not to a conversation. The brief gives them exactly what they need to decide: the problem, the goal, what is in and out, what it costs, and when it will be done.

It is also the document everyone will return to when the project drifts. "Was the patient portal in scope?" is answered in thirty seconds by a good brief, and in a two-week argument by a missing one.

What goes in a project brief

The sections the top-ranking templates share are the ones in the template above. Three of them do most of the work:

The problem, with one number. A number turns a request into a case. Pick the one the approver already cares about: lost inquiries, conversion rate, hours spent, reviews.
Scope, especially the We will not line. The exclusions prevent more scope creep than any process.
The approver and the decision date. A brief without a named decision-maker and a date tends to circulate for weeks collecting comments and no decision.

The rest (audience, constraints, budget, roles) supports those three. Keep each section to a few lines. If you need more, you are writing the plan.

Project brief vs project plan, charter and creative brief

These documents overlap, which is why people search for all of them.

Project brief: one page, before approval, asks for a yes.
Project plan: after approval, turns the brief into milestones, owners, dates and risks. Longer, and updated weekly.
Project charter: a formal authorization, common in large organizations and regulated industries. Often longer than a brief and signed.
Creative or design brief: a project brief for creative work, with more space for audience, tone and constraints on materials. The packaging example above is one.
One-pager: a pitch for an idea, often before there is a project at all. A brief is more concrete about scope and cost.

How to get a brief signed off

Most templates say "get sign-off" and stop. In practice:

Send it with the decision in the subject line. "Decision needed by Nov 4: Harbor Dental website brief" gets read. "Brief attached" does not.
Answer the open questions you can before sending. Leave only the ones that need the approver.
Ask for a yes, a no or a change. Not "thoughts". If they want changes, update the brief, note what changed and send it again.
Record the approval in the brief. Name and date in the Sign-off section. That line is what you point to later.

When to reopen the brief

A signed brief should not be edited quietly. Reopen it, with a new sign-off, when the goal changes, the budget moves by more than about 10 percent, or something moves from We will not to We will deliver. Smaller changes, like a date slipping a week, belong in the project plan's change log, not in the brief.

Common mistakes

No number in the problem. The approver has to take your word for it, and usually will not.
Solution first. A brief that opens with "we will build" invites debate about the build. Open with the problem.
A budget that does not add up. The fastest way to lose an approver's trust.
Hidden disagreements. If two stakeholders disagree, say so in Open questions and name who decides.
No sign-off line. Without it, nobody can say what was agreed, and everything stays negotiable.

Customization tips

One page, or it is a plan
If the brief runs past a page, the extra detail usually belongs in the project plan. The brief's job is to get a decision. Milestones, risk registers and task lists come after the yes.
Put one number in the problem
"Customers cannot book online" is a complaint. "41 percent of inquiries arrive after the phones close" is a problem someone will fund. If you cannot find the number, finding it may be the first project.
Put disagreements in Open questions
If two people want different things, name both positions and the person who decides. A brief that hides a disagreement gets approved and then reopened in week three, which is more expensive.
Make the budget add up
List every line and check that they sum to the total. Approvers check. A breakdown that does not add up costs you credibility on everything else in the brief.
Name what you will not do
The We will not line is the most useful sentence in the brief. Write the thing the approver is most likely to assume is included, and say it is not.

In the app

How to do this in Scribelet

Open Desk Settings, then Templates, tap Add Template and paste the template above. {{author}} and {{date}} fill in for you, and a default tag like #brief keeps every brief one search away.
Prefer to describe it? When adding a template, use Generate with AI and write "a one-page brief for agency clients with budget and sign-off". Scribelet drafts a template you can edit.
Attach the client's RFP or the funder's guidelines as a PDF. Scribelet extracts the text so it is searchable, and the AI can answer questions about it next to your brief.
Write open questions as - [ ] Confirm one site (answer from Dr. Haddad) @due(2026-11-04). They show up in the Tasks view until answered.
Link the plan, the kickoff meeting and every status update to the brief with [[Harbor Dental]]. When scope comes up in month two, ask the AI chat "what did we say was out of scope for the Harbor Dental site?" and get the answer with a citation to the brief.

Templates, template variables and AI generation are documented in Note templates.

Frequently asked questions

What is a project brief?

A short document, usually one page, that explains why a project should happen: the problem, the goal, the scope, the cost and who decides. It is written before the project is approved and it is what the approver says yes to. Everything after it, including the plan, builds on it.

How long should a project brief be?

One page for most projects, two at the most. If yours is longer, move the detail into the project plan and keep the brief to what the approver needs to decide. Each example above fits on a page.

Who writes the project brief?

The person who will own the project, even if someone else asked for it. Writing it forces the owner to find the number behind the problem, say what is out of scope and name the approver. A brief written by the sponsor and handed down tends to skip the constraints.

What is a research brief template?

A project brief for a study instead of a build. It has the same sections, but the goal is a decision the findings will inform, and the deliverable is the findings rather than a product. The fourth example above is a research brief for a user interview study.

How do I write a design brief?

Start with the problem the design must solve, then spend most of the brief on constraints: sizes, materials, existing stock, brand rules and print limits. Designers can work with vague inspiration but not with a constraint they learn about after the files are done. The fifth example shows a packaging design brief.

What is the difference between a project brief and a project charter?

A charter is a formal document, often required by a project office, that authorizes the project and the project manager and may serve as a contract. A brief is lighter: it informs and asks for a decision. Many teams use a brief instead of a charter; larger organizations use the brief to get to the charter.

Get the yes, then keep the brief within reach

Save this brief as a template in Scribelet, attach the client's PDF so its text is searchable, and link the plan and every meeting back to the brief. When scope is questioned in month two, ask your notes what was agreed. Encrypted, free to start.

Write your project brief

or get the app

Download on theApp Store

Free plan, no credit card. See pricing

Projects

Project Plan Template

A project plan says what will be true when the project is done, what is in and out of scope, which milestones get you there by when, who owns each one, and what could go wrong. This template adds the part most plans skip: a dated record of every change.

Meetings

Project Kickoff Meeting Template

A kickoff meeting should leave behind one page everyone can point to later: why the project exists, what success looks like, what is in and out of scope, who decides what, and which assumptions could sink it. This template is the agenda before the meeting and that page after it.

Work

One Pager Template

A one-pager exists to get one decision from a reader who will give it two minutes. This template puts the ask at the top, gives every section a word budget so the whole thing fits on a page, and keeps the detail in a linked appendix. Copy it, or start from the filled-in one-pager closest to yours.

Product

PRD Template (Product Requirements Document)

A PRD (product requirements document) says what problem a release solves, for whom, how you will know it worked, and what it deliberately will not do. This template keeps it short enough to be read, and adds what most PRD templates leave out: a status, a decision log, and open questions with owners and dates.

Product

User Interview Template

A user interview note is only useful if a teammate can tell what the participant said from what you concluded. This template keeps verbatim quotes, observed behavior and your interpretation in separate sections, ends with a three-line snapshot, and links every session to one study note for synthesis.

Work

Decision Log Template

A decision log is a running record of what was decided, why, by whom, and what you expected to happen. This template adds the two fields most logs leave out: who disagreed, and a date to check whether the decision worked. Copy it for a team, or use the decision journal example for your own choices.