Resource
Turn an early idea into a clearer project brief
Most early-stage projects are not short of ambition — they are short of a clear statement of what is being decided, on what evidence, and by when. This guide sets out the questions that make a brief usable, and the worksheet below lets you work through them at your own pace.
It is written for anyone preparing a project before seeking support — whether you intend to approach us or not. There is no form to fill in and nothing to submit.
A plain-text worksheet you can fill in, or print this page as a working guide.
Eight questions that make a brief usable
Work through them in order, or start with whichever is least clear. Where you cannot answer a line, that is itself useful — it marks where the work actually is.
The decision and the deadline
Name the decision this work has to support and the date it is needed by. A project scoped against no deadline tends to expand; one scoped against a real decision gate stays focused.
Prompts
- What decision does this work have to support?
- By when is it needed, and who has to make it?
- What happens if no decision is made?
The intended customer or user and the need
Describe the segment rather than the whole market, the need it addresses, and what those people do today instead. The alternative they already use is the real benchmark for the proposition.
Prompts
- Who is this for, specifically?
- What need or job does it address?
- Why would they change from what they do today?
Location, markets and constraints
Set out where the project would operate, which markets are in scope, and which constraints are fixed against those that could be worked around. Requirements and evidence expectations differ by jurisdiction, so the markets matter early.
Prompts
- Where would this operate, and which markets are in scope?
- Which jurisdictions are involved?
- Which constraints are fixed, and which are flexible?
The options, including doing nothing
List the realistic options — and the do-nothing case alongside them. Deferring is a genuine option with its own cost, and comparing against it makes the case for acting, or not acting, visible.
Prompts
- What are the two or three realistic options?
- What does each roughly cost in money and effort?
- What happens if you wait?
Evidence you already hold vs assumptions
Separate what is evidenced from what is assumed, and be honest about which is which. Then identify the single assumption that would change the decision if it turned out to be wrong — that is the one to test first.
Prompts
- What evidence do you already hold, and where is it?
- What are you currently assuming?
- Which assumption is decisive?
Costs, revenue and resources to test
List the figures that need establishing rather than guessing at them now. Use your own numbers or ranges — a borrowed industry average is not evidence about your project.
Prompts
- Which capital and operating cost items need to be established?
- Which revenue or savings assumptions need testing?
- What people, skills and time are required?
Specialist inputs and approvals to establish
Identify the design, engineering, legal, planning, certification or technical work the project would need, and the approvals likely to apply. Establishing early who provides each one prevents a late surprise in the programme.
Prompts
- Which specialist disciplines would be needed?
- Which approvals, licences or registrations are likely?
- Who would provide each, and have they been approached?
Requested deliverables and the next decision gate
Say what you actually want to receive and in what form — a report, a model, a roadmap, a briefing. Then name the next gate after that. A scope that ends at a decision point is more useful than one that ends at a document.
Prompts
- What do you want to receive at the end?
- In what form?
- What is the next decision gate, and when?
Short prompts by sector
The same eight questions apply everywhere, but a few sectors raise their own early questions. These are illustrations, not a checklist — start with whichever fits what you are working on.
Construction & built environment
- What is the brief, and what is the site?
- What use, scale and mix is intended?
- Which options are genuinely open, and which are fixed?
Hospitality & tourism
- Who is the guest or visitor, and what is the segment?
- What demand evidence exists, and how seasonal is it?
- Which local suppliers would the operation depend on?
Manufacturing
- What product or material is involved, and who is the customer?
- What capacity is required, against what demand?
- What would have to change in the process to deliver it?
Recycling & resource recovery
- What is the feedstock, and where does it come from?
- What saleable grade could be produced, and to what specification?
- Who would take the output, and on what terms?
Using this guide
Use these questions to organise your evidence, identify gaps and agree the next piece of work. It is a scoping aid, not a compliance assessment; specialist technical or legal advice may be needed for particular decisions.
If it would help to talk it through
If you have worked through the questions and want a second view on the scope, you can request an initial scoping call. It starts an enquiry — we agree the scope and the timing from there, and nothing is booked automatically.
No email required to read the guide or download the worksheet.