Client brief
Definition
Concise document from the client expressing their needs and expectations. The brief is the raw material from which the provider develops the specification or proposal.
Detailed explanation
The client brief precedes the statement of work. It captures the business intent of the project (the 'why'), not the technical specification (the 'how'). An effective brief answers 4 questions: What problem are we solving? For whom? How do we measure success? Which constraints are non-negotiable (budget, deadlines, existing technologies)? From this raw material, a structured SOW can be generated, manually or with AI. A well-targeted 300-500 word brief is worth more than a 20-page brief with no clear focus.
Concrete example
Brief: 'We sell handmade jewellery online from our Shopify store, we are stuck at 8 k€/month. We want to redesign the site to increase conversion and reach 25 k€/month in 6 months. Budget 10-15 k€. Non-negotiable: keep Shopify, integrate Klaviyo.'
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