How to use project briefs to plan for success
I'm a big proponent of planning, and a project brief can be a great tool to keep you focused on the right things when you're taking on a project.
Just like you need goals to direct your energy and efforts in your business and to ensure you’re moving in the right direction, you also need a plan for how to get there.
Because setting a goal without taking any action steps to make it happen is like saying you want to go on vacation somewhere but never actually booking your plane ticket. It’s ineffective, to say the least, and will leave you stuck in the same place year after year complaining about how you never got to go on your trip or achieve that thing you want to.
Projects don’t magically happen. They require a plan, schedule, and communication to be successful.
And to kick things off so you know exactly what needs to be done, it’s a good idea to outline what’s required in a project brief.
What is a project brief?
A project brief is a virtual or physical document that gives an overview of the goals and purpose of your project, the deliverables, and the timelines or deadlines for each activity.
It’s essentially the complete outline of your project workflow!
Whether it's a project you're doing internally from start to finish or you're getting help from contractors, this brief will help you organize your ideas so you're clear on what you want to accomplish and how you're going to get there.
And while this may seem like something only large businesses or teams require, it’s actually an extremely valuable tool for solopreneurs and small business owners as well—especially if you’re prone to shiny object syndrome and feel like you could benefit from something keeping you on track.
Here’s how to begin setting yours up for your next project.
Set your goals and purpose
What is your desired outcome for this project or campaign? What is the intention behind it? What is the scope and scale?
Oftentimes as small business owners, we can feel the pull to do whatever the trendy thing is without truly thinking about if we have the resources available to execute, if it will appeal to our ideal clients, and/or how it plays into our larger vision and values as a company.
Instead, get clear on the purpose behind this work and what you hope to achieve.
Determine your target audience
Your project should speak to the needs of your target audience; ideally helping them to relieve a pain point they’re struggling with and need support on.
So, write down who specifically this campaign or project is for so you know what type of messaging to use and who you’re speaking to.
Here’s a refresher on target markets, audiences and ideal clients if you need one.
This matters most if you have a specific audience segment in mind. If you’re too broad in the messaging, it may not be clear to the people you’re speaking to that you’re actually speaking to them.
Zoom in: determine the project deliverables
This is where you’ll break down the deliverables that are needed to meet the project goals.
Consider your target audience as you decide what methods of communication will be most effective to reach them.
Make a list of every deliverable required for the project, even small things. Here’s a sample list of deliverables for a super simple new product launch:
Landing page
Product imagery and/or videos
Blog post
Social media
Email automation
This is a somewhat basic list of deliverables that can apply to some degree pretty universally to a product launch. It gets longer if you’re adding in a webinar, PR activities, and other common launch activities.
When you have a comprehensive list of the planned deliverables, it’s easier to map out the actual tasks that need to happen. Because there are multiple steps involved in doing every one of the listed deliverables.
Landing page
Design
Copy
Images
Product imagery and/or videos
Set up “marketable” user data (i.e., don’t use YOUR data as the sample you promote)
Record walkthroughs
Take screenshots
Blog post
Content
Feature image
CTA
Social media posts
How many?
How often?
Social media graphics
Design
Copy
CTA
Email automation plan
How many emails?
Focus of each email
CTA
Timing
Email sequence setup
Copy
Images
The deeper you get into the process, the more details there are to manage, and that’s why starting with a project brief is so helpful! Thinking it through upfront helps you stay on track and avoid forgetting something essential.
Outline your requirements
When you set out to do any project, you usually have a timeline in mind that you want to get it done. You may also have a budget. The project brief is the starting place for setting, managing, and sometimes, shifting expectations.
Consider:
How much time and energy will the project take?
What is your budget? How does this project fit into it?
Do you need to hire anyone to help you execute?
What systems and processes do you need to tactically have in place in order to achieve your goals?
What else is going on that may distract you or others from this project?
Here it might also be important to look at any other constraints you have and to begin to look at different approaches you could take in order to work around these.
You want your timeline to be realistic based on the resources you have available and any potential constraints that might come up.
However, it’s also sometimes good to put a tiny bit of pressure on yourself in terms of deadlines, because as you likely know according to Parkinson's law, "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
Meaning, without a deadline (or various deadlines, depending on the number of deliverables), you may never actually *launch* the thing or complete the project you intend to.
Determine how you will measure success
Based on the goals you’re working toward, you’ll also want to define how you’ll measure success.
What metrics will be most beneficial to track? Is there a specific number of sign-ups, clicks, or sales you are aiming for?
Determining these measures of success will help you increase internal motivation and drive during your campaign. When the project is completed, you can more easily reflect on what went well and what could be improved in the future.
Project brief example
Below is an example of what a simple project brief might look like. The brief is the single source of truth about the whole project. You use it to describe everything so you can create your project plan and allocate resources to complete the various tasks.
How you prepare a project brief is pretty flexible. You could put it in a basic document, some campaign briefs I’ve worked on were outlined in a deck and started to outline the project plan. If you’re already using a tool like ClickUp, Notion, or Asana, you may have project briefs set up in your project management tool already.
I often see small business owners trying to execute large projects without this planning in place because so much of their resources are focused on execution.
However, with this initial planning, the execution becomes a lot easier, goals are more likely to be reached, and future projects have a baseline for deliverables, as well as a record of what has and hasn’t worked in the past.
So, give yourself some time to plan before you jump into your next project! It will likely be more valuable than you think.