GUIDE 12Tools & Templates

Project Brief Template

Use this template to organize your thoughts before starting a software project. It's designed to be completed in 30–60 minutes and gives any development team — including ours — a solid foundation to work from.

Section 1: Business Overview

Describe your business in 3–5 sentences. What do you do? Who are your customers? How do you make money? This context helps us understand the environment the software will operate in.

Company name and industry
Core products or services
Target customers or users
Current team size and structure

Section 2: The Problem

What specific problem are you trying to solve? Be concrete. Instead of 'we need better software,' describe the actual situation: what happens now, why it's a problem, and what it costs you in time, money, or opportunity.

Current situation: What exists now?
Pain points: What specifically doesn't work?
Impact: What does this cost your business?
Trigger: Why now? What changed?

Section 3: Users & Roles

Who will use this system? List each user role and what they need to accomplish. Don't forget admin users, managers, and any external users (customers, partners).

Role name (e.g., 'Field Agent', 'Admin', 'Customer')
What they need to do in the system
Their technical comfort level
How often they'll use the system

Section 4: Desired Outcome

What does success look like in 6 months? In 12 months? Be specific about measurable outcomes where possible — 'reduce manual data entry by 80%' is better than 'improve efficiency.'

Section 5: Constraints & Requirements

List any hard constraints — budget range, deadline, existing systems that must integrate, compliance requirements, or technical limitations. Also note any 'nice to have' features that could be deferred.