April 06, 2004 | View Comments (20) | Category: Project Management
Summary: At the beginning, there was the creative brief...
Summary: This entry pertains more to larger projects in the corporate world, but could obviously apply to small freelance gigs. However, smaller jobs might benefit from combining the next series of entries into one or two phases.
At my last job there was always a problem of defining exactly what the "latest" project was going to be. The problem lied within the project stakeholder who never wished to take the time to give the proper details to the project team so that they could have a clear overhead view of the project (by the way, I was the project team). In hindsight it was my fault that I did not implement a more rigorous procedure in gaining information.
A good first step for any project is to issue a creative brief to the project stakeholder. In someways it is a Request for Proposal (RFP). It contains a high-level description of the business objectives and functional requirements and is drafted by the project stakeholders (not yourself).
The creative brief is a form of communication that allows you to understand the objectives and the major deliverables of the project, which include significant features and deadlines. I have seen creative briefs that include business objectives, desired launch date, user profile, budget, project description, success metrics, a list of model web sites, and a feature summary. All of these are a good idea to include and you will find that the completion of this document is a great jumpoff to your project.
For small jobs this document is useful, especially the budget section. With this information you can provide your prospective client with a range (tiers) of services. For example, tier one can cover basic design for $2,000. Tier 2 covers design and programming $8,000 (madeup prices).
It is important to get the project stakeholder to fill out the document to the best of their abilities. I have been in the situation where the stakeholder has told me they are unsure of the requirements. How can I know what to build if they do not even know what they want? Significant features do not have to include what color you want the background, but if this an ecommerce site I would like to know if their is a shopping cart functionality allowing customers to order more than one item at once. The stakeholder has to know more than the fact that they wish to sell bottled water online.
After finishing the creative brief, many project stakeholders like to believe that their job is done and project development can begin. It is important as the project manager that you communicate that the creative brief is only the beginning of the process. Otherwise the project will already begin to run away from you before it has even begun.
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You must be hell of a researcher! :-P I agree that homework should be done no matter what, but if the client doesn't fill out a document that you think is required then I would say that you have failed in communicating the importance to them.
Of course I never had a client to never fill one out. I would get lucky like that...then the development would start...
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Glad to see the new alogrithms that Google is using are bringing up relevant ads. Project management and plasma tvs go hand-in-hand...
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
It's really not that big a deal to do initial investigation on your own in lieu of no feedback on a creative brief. If it's a public corporation, you can easily find it's SIC code, then go to the SEC's (or finance.yahoo, Hoovers...) website and discover what other companies are also in that industry. I've stated before that websites in a similiar industry all have the same feel, even though they might look anything alike. Studying those websites, you can get a gleam of how vendors and customers interact.
This, of course, is those "punt" measures you'll sometimes have to take when there is (and there always are cases) where you're provided with limited information by the client.
Plus, it's a good habit to do even with a comprehensive brief.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
...bringing up relevant ads...
Look at some of your keywords in the post - series, creative, view, feature, programming, $8,000
Sounds like it could be a plasma TV.
Yeh, I'd agree, I'm a hell of a researcher.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Good points.
I would be surprised to see larger corporations though balk at the idea of having to "fill out" a creative brief, especially since there is usually a significant amount of money being invested in the project.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
You'd be surprised. Just like many of those who posted on your first project management post, I've been part of big corporate projects that plenty of money, time and energy were put into for several years, and then without reasonable explanation get dropped.
I've been told by a cohort of mine who's an SAP progrmmaer that allegedly Walmart invested over 80 million into SAP implementation only to decide not to go with it.
All that to say, just because there's a big push or money behind it and you come bounding in with your creative brief doesn't always guarantee there is going to be effective communication.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
Very true. I forgot about this project that a company I worked for tried to implement. I was only 17 at the time so I just watched from the sidelines. They spent a couple million over the first year and then decided it wasn't worth their time. Amazing.
But I do think one of the reasons they fail is because a lot of the time the higher ups see something that they do not communicate and when they don't get there, they feel as though the project is failing.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Failure of project communication could be one of the reasons, but I really think it's a tiny matter at the CEO level.
More likely there was a change in the marketplace or some other change where the company or its benefactors would not have benefitted. Remember, the only real purpose of a corporation is to provide a return of investment (and hopefully more) to its shareholders.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
always a good idea to keep this in mind. (Standish Group's CHAOS report re: success and failure of IT projects)
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
yep. One thing though, they didn't mention the ones that go over time and over budget but end up being *better* than the original plan specified. We've had a couple of things where we essentially ended up being late with version 1 and launching with what should have been version 1.5, long before that version would have come out. Feature creep, sort of, but it contributed vastly to the success of the project... the one particular one we beat our projections for the first year, in the first month. And by the end of the year, we'd beat our projections for the first 3 years... then it finally plateaued and has gone up only a little from there, which was as expected.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
Received and replied... did you get my response? Check your spam filter... damned squirrelmail sometimes gets junked.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
What I do is definitely set up an interview and I bring a creative brief/questionnaire list with me. I would like to meet a client if possible. It's one thing to believe they're sincere through long-distance, it's another when they're right in your face and you can gauge their reactions. Of course, this situation can't always be used (like across country clients, etc) but a phone conversation asking questions, I think, gets better responses than sending them a document to fill out. Unless they want it or ask for it.
Then, during the interview, I let the person talk all they want first and foremost, which eliminates some of the questions and sections in the brief really, and then I tell them I have a few questions to ask them to help me further realise what their needs are.
Of course, I tell them that I will have to write up a detailed proposal for them to approve before any thing gets started, and if they like the proposal, send them an agreement/contract, and ONCE they sign the dotted line AND give me the first chunk of payment do I start the project.
Lea (http://xox.lealea.net/01/)
"...ONCE they sign the dotted line AND give me the first chunk of payment do I start the project...
Yep. Typically, I'll divide the payments into 3 - approval of the quote, approval of the design beta, conclusion. That way, if the project falls apart for whatever reason, I've still made some money for my effort.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)
I always suggest some division of it... some up front, some when it's finished... the client has without fail said "That's too complicated. Can't I just pay you all of it up front?"
oh, not without fail. there was one that OK'd paying me in 4 chunks on the first site I did for them. I found it helpful because I was more eager to get the site done quickly so I'd get the rest of the money.
JC (http://thelionsweb.com/weblog)
For smaller stuff I always did 25% up front, 25% after 2 weeks and the rest when it is done.
Otherwise I think you should set payments up for whenever you complete a deliverable. That way you get paid for the work you have been doing.
Scrivs (http://www.9rules.com/whitespace/)
Hi, I'm new to Project Management, I came across your site while investigating about project briefs, is this something that should always be used in a project at the initian stage and is also used as the foundation of building your plan.
Sorry if this is a sill question, i'm just new to this.
k
KD
I think it should always be used, but the size will vary depending on the project size. It could be as simple as one paragraph to as complicated as a 20-page piece. The point is just to develop a clear understanding between the designer and the client.
Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)
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#1
I use a combination of creative brief / interview as part of RFP's in order to not only prepare a definitive quote on the job, but also "expand" the vision of the client as to what else can be included that they might not have considered.
Some clients are really good about filling it out - others not so. Just having the document doesn't mean your client is going to fill it out.
For those who's personality it is to not spend time filling out, or even discussing a brief - it's best to do as much homework yourself on the company, clients and vendors without one.
Mark Fusco (http://www.lightpierce.com/ltshdw)