A project brief is often referred to as a project proposal or a project charter. It is a very important document that outlines the project. A brief that is written well during the initiation stage can make or break a project. The success or failure of a project at the first stage completely depends on the project brief.
PRINCE2, adopted in numerous countries all over the world, including Western European countries, the UK, and Australia, the project brief offers basic foundation required for the project initiation at the very start of a PRINCE2 project. Project brief template is usually brief in structure. It is quite flexible in the initiation stage, where it can be extended and refined.
If you want to know more about what is project brief, a PRINCE2 training online will help you easily learn more how to create a brief for a project and how it essentially works
What is Project Brief in PRINCE2?
The first step involved in PRINCE2 is starting up a project. It requires a brief period of time where the project's idea is studied to see if it is worth being initiated. It is more like a simple justification or evaluation of the project at its very inception. The final result of this stage is referred to as the project brief, which, as the very name suggests, is a brief description of the project. The primary project brief purpose is to introduce the project and explains why it is relevant and worthy of spending resources and money to actually initiate it. Project brief PRINCE2 is an important process document per PRINCE2 methodology as it sets the foundation for the project progress.
In the project brief outline, the problem that needs solving needs to be explained with crystal clear details. It should also throw light upon the project goal, the expected outcomes, and its scope, which should be high-level. The project objectives elucidated in the project brief should have six variables – Scope, Cost, Risk, Benefit, Time, Quality abbreviated as SCRBTQ.
To ensure that it is carried out properly, the project brief should always be created, keeping in mind the stakeholders who will directly influence the project's approval. Make sure that at the inception stage, before making a project brief, you always have the interest of the stakeholders in mind. Once all of these pieces of information have been gathered, you need to check up on the justification of the project.
In this step, you will need to compare and weigh out the pros and cons of initiating the project, the impact it will have upon the company, and the cost incurred. With PRINCE2 Foundation training, you will learn about how to prepare a project brief, the project brief structure, as well as the brief project report format with ease.
PRINCE2 Project Brief Components/Contents
As a brief description of the project example, a project brief is supposed to have numerous components that can vary depending on what is the nature of the project. In general, a project brief is required to have all of the following components listed below:
- Title: Naming a project is the first criterion of creating a project brief. A project has to have a name, and it is important to keep in mind that it is the title via which the project in question will be referred to any meeting, conversation, or email relevant to this project. Make sure it is concise, crisp, and catchy. It should also be specific enough not to be confused with other projects at hand.
- Client Summary: A client summary is about who the company is and what they stand for, including its ethos, its work, and its vision. You also need to cover potential competitors they might face or are already competing with. The section highlighting the client summary is often overlooked when it comes to internal projects, which is big mistake companies tend to make. It serves as both a useful reminder for the stakeholders and the staff but can be invaluable to new recruits, external investors, or talents if involved at any point.
- Project Description: The project description section should be a concise and carefully constructed summary of the project in question. It should include the objectives, scope, and future and also go on to define the project's primary purpose. You also need to include methodologies, responsibilities, as well as quality expectations. The project brief should include SMART objectives i.e. objectives that have attributes of being:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Timely
- Insights/ Business Case: In this age with Information technology reigning supreme in every industrial sector worldwide, data is a valuable resource. This should be kept in mind while creating a project brief. Make sure that the relevance of your project is strongly backed up with relevant data to prove that your project is viable. Some of the useful stats you can include are:
- Statistics from wide industries or competitors to bring awareness
- The user persona of the client
- Relevant research
- Project Scope: This section should include an itemized breakdown of the work that will take place during the course of the project. You will need to address every logistics related to the project. You might also need to add other important aspects like the finances, budget, key schedule, deadline date, and even the available resources to take up this project.
- Success Measure: Your project brief will essentially define how far your project will go in its success. The list of important project success factors is similar to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It is important to chart out the success measurements because you are more likely to refer back to them during the project lifespan.
- Other Key Information: This is the final section of the project brief, where you can choose to add details of correspondence of any key person in the project and even the project lead. You might also need to list the team and even define each of their responsibilities.
The primary aim of a project brief is to provide a concise overview of any project. It is offered after submitting a project proposal and plays a key role in the approval of the project. It is usually written keeping the mentality of the project board members. To make things easier, you can also choose to use a project brief sample or a PRINCE2 project brief template. A project brief is mainly used to provide a strong foundation to help initiate a project. It is created at the inception, often known as the start-up process of the project by a project manager. Even though the project brief is regarded as a document, it can be presented in numerous ways, such as for instance, here is a list of PRINCE2 project brief examples that can be delivered via:
- Paper
- Document (Word, PDF, etc.)
- Direct entry into a tool used for project management
- PowerPoint presentation
During a project brief example construction, keep in mind the following objectives that it needs to adhere to:
- It should be concise, brief, and, most importantly, clear and comprehensible.
- It should reflect the project mandates. You can use a project management brief template to elucidate the prerequisites of the business and the users that may provide PRINCE2 project brief examples.
- It has to consider a number of solutions and should not be limited to only one.
- It has to recommend a project approach that will offer the highest chance of meeting a successful outcome.
- It should offer objectives aligned with the values and mission of the organization.
Steps to Create PRINCE2 Project Brief
While creating a project brief, several aims and objectives must be kept in mind. You need to ensure that the brief you developed achieves these aims. Make sure that you follow the steps to create a PRINCE2 project brief.
1. Create a Solid Project Plan
Before even going into the development of the project brief, make sure that your project plan is relevant and robust. The project brief can be referred to as an educational tool used by school board members about the project as a whole and what it stands for. It should carefully outline the project logistics and consider a holistic audience comprising colleagues and clients. Things you should consider while making a project plan are listed below:
- The project deliverables
- The mode of achieving said deliverables
- The different people working on the project team and the roles that they will need to take
- If the milestones are achievable at all
- How will feedback be received
To make sure that the project deliverables are robust and relevant, you need proper background information. To help make a detailed project brief will all project deliverables and relevant information, you can utilize a reliant sample project brief, PRINCE2 offers as a guideline or look for a project brief template.
2. Set Up Project Goals
You cannot set up a project plan without knowing what it will achieve in the long run. Just as you would plan out the destination of a vacation trip, you also need to set the goals for a project brief. These will essentially include the who, when, what, where, why, and how of the project. The goals and expectations of the project should be clearly set in the project brief to streamline the management of the project and prevent any scope creep.
3. Create Project Outline
After gathering enough information that will help support your project brief, you must review them thoroughly. Make sure that your project brief is compact and outlines the following.
- Project goals
- The approach of the project
- The team, their skills, and assigned roles
- The expectations regarding the deliverables
- The expectations regarding the collaboration
- The primary decision-makers
- The time needed for the client to review the work and offer feedback
- Dependencies
- Deadline dates
4. Use PRINCE2 Project Brief Template
A PRINCE2 project plan template is a well-arranged document that includes relevant project details like the purpose, objectives, potential audience, project team members, and the proposed timeframe of the project. The project brief will need to be offered to the stakeholders and the project board for approval. However, you can make your job way easier by using a handy project brief sample template. By drafting your project brief with a project brief template, you will be able to keep on track and make sure that all prerequisites are covered. Here is a Project Brief downloadable template you can use while making one.
Project Brief Quality Criteria
A large part of your early planning during project documentation has to include the project objectives in one way or the other. You can keep your team members motivated and on track to help you achieve your company goals. A well-charted project brief will help team members understand their roles and how their work can add value to the organization. This will enable them to be two times more motivated. Therefore, you need to make sure that the quality criteria of the project brief adhere to the following key points:
- Keep the document as brief as possible. Its main purpose is to offer information to the board members who are key to initiating a project.
- It will need to be refined and expanded in the initiation stage, which will further become a part of the documentation in project initiation.
- The project brief must reflect the project mandates and the requirements of the organization and end users.
- While developing a project brief, make sure you carefully consider a wide range of probable solutions relevant to the project approach. For instance, for a solution related to software, you can consider off-the-shelf in-house development that is contracted out to get started. You can also create a new application or update an existing one.
- You need to make sure that the project brief meets the project objectives.
- Make sure you double-check the corporate standards, strategies, and policies.
- The project brief needs to be a SMART document (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound).
- The project brief should house objectives that are SMART i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound to ensure team and project success.
Importance of Project Brief in PRINCE2
As mentioned before, the project brief is a document that offers a concise overview of a proposed project that is meant to be presented before the Project Board. It is used mainly to offer a complete and strong foundation for the project initiation and is taken care of by a project manager. To efficiently manage projects as a project manager, you can avail of Project Management training online to advance your career in this field. As a project manager, creating project briefs will be part and parcel of your life. Therefore, it is important to understand the importance of project briefs:
- Guide: A project brief can be your bible to refer to every time you require guidance during the designing, planning, and construction. It is more like a handy manual that comprises the instructions that designers, architects, and contractors need to exceed expectations and also to make sure that the project is kept on track regarding the goals and budget.
- Evaluate: A project brief will help you evaluate a design's efficiency during its creation process and even later during its construction. A concisely designed brief at the initiation stage will enable your team to be more effective when it comes to problem-solving.
- Instruction Manual: A well-constructed project brief can easily act as an instruction manual. With this guiding document, the project team can easily make subsequent choices faster because they will know where their efforts need to focus, thanks to the document. All in all, it will greatly help streamline the team operations as well as make a positive impact on their decision-making skills.
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Conclusion
A project brief is an important and ever-evolving document in any design project. It starts with what your key objectives are and builds upon new discoveries and new information. It helps make a foundational base of every project upon which it rests and establishes the criteria under which the project has been initiated and also as per the inputs put in place by the stakeholders and project board members.
It is developed by a project manager, which senior users and suppliers further review, and finally approved by the executives. If you aspire to become a project manager, you need to be prepared to create extensive project briefs daily. To simplify creating project briefs, you can use multiple delivery modes and even a project brief template word document that is also widely available. To get started, you need to first take up relevant and reliable training like KnowledgeHut PRINCE2 training online.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is included in a project brief?
The project brief needs to comprise the following important information:
- Project definition
- Outline business case
- Project product description
- Project approach
- Project management team structure
- Role descriptions
- References
2. What does a brief project mean?
A project brief is a brief description of the important elements pertaining to your project. It is more like a short, crisp, quick summary for cross-functional collaborators and project stakeholders to go through or back to once approved. The project brief needs to fully portray the project requirements without confusing the project board members with an overflow of details.
3. What is a project brief template?
A project brief template is a well-structured document that offers the project purpose, aims, audience, roles and responsibilities, and timeframe of the proposed project in detail. This document is further presented to the stakeholders and the project board for their approval.
4. What is a project brief and why is it important?
The project brief helps deliver key information about the project concisely and comprehensively. It is provided as a summary that outlines the project objectives, the project scope, the key deliverables, milestones, and the timeframe. Creating a thorough project brief is important because it helps bring everyone together to fulfill the project mandates successfully.
5. Is a project brief the same as a business case?
No. A project brief and a business case are essentially not the same. A project brief outlines the budgets and returns on the investments, whereas a business case emphasizes more on the financial requirements in thorough detail. In many instances, both the project brief and the business case are created and offered at the same time as a very well-detailed project proposal.
