02 CLIENT GUIDE

HOW TO PREPARE A PROJECT BRIEF

A project brief does not need to be technical. Its purpose is to make your business goals, users and essential features clear enough for a useful scope discussion. Missing answers can be marked “not sure.”

1. Introduce your business

Describe what you sell or provide, where you operate, who your typical customers are and whether you already have a site or application.

2. Explain the business problem

State the current difficulty: customers cannot find information, staff enter the same data twice, bookings are lost, orders are handled manually or a legacy system is difficult to use.

3. Describe the people and tasks

Identify visitors, customers, staff, managers and administrators. For each role, write down the most important task. Example: “Customer chooses a service, selects a date and receives confirmation.”

4. Separate must-have from optional

Mark essential features for launch, useful enhancements and longer-term ideas. This helps avoid spending the whole budget on secondary features before the core process works.

5. List connections and existing data

Mention current spreadsheets, software, POS, payment provider, inventory system, mail or SMS platform, existing website and database. Data migration and integrations often need a separate audit.

6. Agree on content and approvals

Identify who provides brand assets, photographs, legal disclosures, prices, product data and policies; who approves designs and content; and how feedback will be consolidated.

7. State budget, timing and handover expectations

Provide a realistic budget range, target date, reasons behind the date, and whether you want hosting, source-code handover, training, maintenance or future upgrades.

Questions to prepare before requesting a quote

  • Business name, industry and contact person
  • What success looks like six months after launch
  • Primary user types and three most important actions
  • Must-have and optional features
  • Existing website, software and integrations
  • Content owner and final approver
  • Budget range and target launch period
  • Domain, account ownership and ongoing support preferences

Example: how this affects a real project

Sample mini-brief: “We operate a small resort. Guests should view room categories, check dates and request a booking. Staff need to see pending requests and confirm or reject them. We have room photos and prices. Online deposits are optional for a later phase. We want the domain under our company account.”

Frequently asked questions

What if I cannot answer all the questions?

That is fine. State what you know and flag uncertainties. Discovery is designed to resolve them.

Should I send login passwords with the inquiry?

No. Never send passwords or API keys in a public contact form. Credentials can be exchanged through a secure method only if needed later.

Can I send reference websites?

Yes. Say what you like about their navigation, content or features. References guide direction but do not authorize copying another company’s content or intellectual property.

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