Project brief

Purpose:

To provide a firm foundation for the initiation of the project.

If approval is given to proceed to initiation, the Project Brief is extended and refined into the Project Initiation Document.

For construction projects, the Project Brief is a formal statement of the objectives and functional and operational requirements of the finished project. It should be in sufficient detail to enable the construction team to execute the detailed design and specification of the work and is therefore an essential reference for the construction team.

The Project Brief is a key document in its own right. It is the basis of the Project Initiation Document, which gives the direction and scope of the project and forms the 'contract' between the project team and corporate or programme management. Any significant change to the material contained in the Project Brief will thus need to be referred to corporate or programme management.

For construction projects the Project Brief is a key component of the Project Execution Plan.

Fitness for purpose content:

• Does the Project Brief accurately reflect the mandate for the project?
• Does it form a firm basis on which to initiate a project ?
• Does it indicate how the customer will assess the acceptability of the finished product(s)? 

Suggested contents:
The following is a suggested list of contents, which should be tailored to the requirements and environment of each project.

Background

Project Definition, explaining what the project needs to achieve. It will contain:

• project objectives
• project scope
• outline project deliverables and/or desired outcomes
• any exclusions
• constraints
• interfaces

Outline Business Case

• a description of how this project supports business strategy, plans or programmes
• the reason for selection of this solution

Customer's quality expectations

Acceptance Criteria

Any known risks.

If earlier work has been done, the Project Brief may refer to the document(s) containing useful information, such as:

• Outline Project Plan,
• rather than include copies of them.

Source information:

The Project Brief is developed from the mandate for the project identified at the start of the project.

If the project is part of a programme, the programme should provide the Project Brief.

If no mandate to proceed is provided, the project owner (SRO) should provide the necessary input to the Project Sponsor/Project Director who will generate the Project Brief.

Further Information:

See the briefings on programme and project management; see also document outlines for project plan, project initiation document and project execution plan.

Managing successful programmes

Managing successful projects with PRINCE 2

Achieving Excellence Guides 1-10

Guide to the Appointment of Consultants and Contractors