A project brief is a document that provides essential information about the project. It is a tool for communicating the scope, objectives, and requirements of a project.
When starting a project or at any stage of the project, it may not be possible to provide detailed information when information about the project is requested by key stakeholders due to time constraints. In addition to time constraints, providing excessive detail to these stakeholders is often not the most effective solution. Instead, providing an understandable and compressed version of the data we have is often the best solution. Simply and understandably, without overwhelming stakeholders with details.
A project brief can be described as a high-level description of the essential parts of a project such as goals, deliverables, scope, and necessary processes. The purpose of a project brief is to provide stakeholders with an overview of the entire project. It should be concise and present all necessary information about the scope of work for each phase of the project. It should also outline any potential risks or obstacles that may arise during development.
A project brief is a document that is used to communicate the scope of the project, its objectives and requirements, and what constitutes success. It can be used for any kind of project and it is a vital document for any type of work.
In PMBOK 7, it is classified as an artifact in the subgroup of strategy artifacts. It is recommended to be used in
A good project brief,
- Should be clear,
- Should be understandable,
- Should provide key information,
- Should not have unnecessary details.
Its essence and style may change with the nature of the project. A good project brief should be tailored according to the complexity and scope of the project. A project brief typically includes the following information but is not limited to them.
- Project objectives,
- Metrics for success,
- Timeline
- Target Audience.