Each project, be it IT or marketing, should start with a brief. It is a relatively short document that collects all the relevant information about your company and the planned project. In this article, we’ll tell you a bit more about the design brief. What should it look like? What should it include? And most of all – why is it so important (also for you, as a customer)?
IT services are usually tailor-made. This means that such projects are implemented from scratch according to the requirements and guidelines of the commissioning company. There is no question of copying ready-made solutions here. Each project is different, it must meet different criteria and meet the tastes of different groups of recipients. Another important point is the fact that in IT similar goals can be achieved in several different ways. Will everyone be equally good? No, it depends on many factors such as:
IT services are usually tailor-made. This means that such projects are implemented from scratch according to the requirements and guidelines of the commissioning company. There is no question of copying ready-made solutions here. Each project is different, it must meet different criteria and meet the tastes of different groups of recipients. Another important point is the fact that in IT similar goals can be achieved in several different ways. Will everyone be equally good? No, it depends on many factors such as:
- customer expectations,
- planned budget,
- target group,
- the goal the project is to achieve.
The role of the project brief
To understand why the brief is so important, let’s use a prosaic example – buying a car. It is not enough that you go to the showroom and say that you want to buy a car. After all, you will find a whole lot of models on the market – from small sports cars to seven-seat vans. Choose from a variety of motors, drives and an endless list of additional options. It is therefore crucial that you know exactly what vehicle you want to buy, what you will use it for and how much you can spend on it. If you neglect this stage, you will probably find that you will leave the dealership in a car that is not entirely comfortable for you or does not have the functions you need.
It is the same in the IT world. The slogan “web application” is just the beginning. The company that is to help you create the application needs to know:
It is the same in the IT world. The slogan “web application” is just the beginning. The company that is to help you create the application needs to know:
- What are the capabilities of this application - what should it do?
- Who will use it and for what purpose?
- What is it supposed to look like?
- What role is it supposed to play from a business point of view?
- What model is it supposed to work in?
- What are the project schedule (when would you like the finished product) and the maximum budget?
This is a good start for further talks. Let’s move on. Sometimes a customer has specific expectations regarding the technology used (e.g. a programming language) or the appearance of an application; in other cases, this new product must work with your current IT ecosystem. All these requirements should be included in the brief.
It is also good to trace the activities of the competition. It may turn out that a very similar solution is already available on the market and your application must be designed to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
Only with all this data, the software company you will be working with will be able to deliver exactly the project you want.
It is also good to trace the activities of the competition. It may turn out that a very similar solution is already available on the market and your application must be designed to avoid accusations of plagiarism.
Only with all this data, the software company you will be working with will be able to deliver exactly the project you want.
The brief is also important for the client.
On the other hand, a project brief can help you as well. Having all this information ready helps you to better focus on your new project and think it over carefully again. It may happen that in the brief you find a question that you did not think about at all. In that case, use this opportunity to gather more information and reflect on what you want. Such “surprising” questions can trigger the necessary changes before work begins. And this, in turn, can save you from unnecessary expenses or wasted time.
Do you want to outsource an IT project?
Start by filling out the brief!
Generally speaking, any serious IT company will ask you to present a brief before starting work. Nobody will risk creating an application or other IT solution without a good knowledge of the project assumptions and expectations. If, on the other hand, you are wondering what exactly should be included in the project brief, we have good news.
We have prepared our template for such a brief. You can download it for free now.
Our brief contains all the important questions that we want to ask you on the occasion of your planned order. For a few questions, you will also find additional tips that will allow you to prepare a comprehensive answer.
If, however, you have additional materials, e.g. technical specifications, mock-ups or even simple sketches illustrating your vision – just send them to us as attachments to the brief. In this way, we will have easy access to all the data we need.
On this basis, we can thoroughly analyze your order and come back to you with a quote or additional questions. We usually try to do it within 3-5 business days.
Send the completed brief to contact@idmk.pl. We’ll do the rest!
If, however, you have additional materials, e.g. technical specifications, mock-ups or even simple sketches illustrating your vision – just send them to us as attachments to the brief. In this way, we will have easy access to all the data we need.
On this basis, we can thoroughly analyze your order and come back to you with a quote or additional questions. We usually try to do it within 3-5 business days.
Send the completed brief to contact@idmk.pl. We’ll do the rest!