How to Write a Brief for a Software Project

Are you leading a tech project and need help writing a software development project plan? Here are a few tips for how to put together a detailed brief.

Picture the following scenario: You’re the owner of a startup company and want to build a new website with a few functionalities. However, you know that if you’re going to cooperate effectively with your engineering team or a development company, you need to outline your goals, budget, and deadline.

Every successful project begins with a project brief, especially when timelines are tight, budgets are limited, and many decisions need to be made.

Starting a software project is often challenging because it requires agreement on the target audience, project goals, scope, timeline, and available resources. If you consider all of these factors, you can write a great project brief that will work for everyone.

Here are the key project brief components that help keep a software development project on track:

Table of Contents

• Project Goals
• Target Audience
• Functionalities
• Mockups
• The Current State of the Project
• Budget
• Deadline
• Conclusion

Project Goals

Describe the project goals clearly. A software development brief template may help but describing goals clearly is crucial since it will help the development team understand what the needs of the project are and their role in the project. Get into details. Instead of saying: “I need a new website,” say, “I need a new website with a modern design, a customizable menu, and an online payment system.”

A clear software project description helps share the broader product vision. If there are plans to expand the project in future, help the team understand the long-term direction beyond initial scope. Be sure to emphasize any unique attributes of the application.

Make the software development project plan concise and to the point. Create a document that outlines a table and add all the important details. What is it, who is it for, why are we doing it, what is our expected outcome, what are the goals. You may also include “similar projects/examples” for inspiration, detail who owns the different project parts, or add deadlines, and action items.

Levi Olmstead | Director of Marketing, 2nd Kitchen

Target Audience

At the core of every software solution lies the target audience. For you and the project team to create a great software solution, you need to understand the end-user. Note that it’s possible to have more than one target persona. Define 1 to 3 target personas who will be using the product.

The ideal software project description example should include the target persona’s:

• age
• occupation
• personal interests
• income
• goals
• challenges

For the sake of this article, we’ll imagine that your business is based in New York, and it’s in the vegan food industry. If you do research and find that 3% of people aged 18-29 are vegan, and 4% of people aged 30-49 are vegan, then you’ll have two target personas.

With a target persona in mind you can steer software development projects in the right direction. You’ll be aware of the challenges and problems of that target persona and create a software solution that answers those problems.

When you have a target persona in mind, you can steer the software development project in the right direction.

Functionalities

After defining the target persona, the next item on the software development project plans is to describe the primary features of your software. What are the specific features you want to be included? What type of payment system would it have? Do you want to include a loyalty program?

The engineering team must know what functionalities the software will have from the beginning and what functionalities you plan on adding later. It’ll be easier for the engineering team to come up with an estimation once they know what they’ll be working on. That’s why knowing how to write a project plan is highly beneficial.

With a good understanding of the market, the user, and your ultimate goals with the software, you provide a framework for your software development project plan and can start thinking about the functionality and features you need. It’s always good to split these features into “Essentials”, “Nice to Have’s”, and “Bonuses”, so you create software that meets all the essential requirements. Put time and effort into the “Nice to Have’s“ or “Bonuses” that you think will bring the most value with the least effort. This helps deliver your core product faster and you can expand features from there, based on user feedback. This can save a lot of time and money over creating a full product up front.

Sam Orchard, Creative Director, Edge of the Web

Mockups

Mockups are a visual representation of the product. Instead of wasting time on coding, the product is visually created before it’s designed. It can be sketches, diagrams, or wireframes that help illustrate your vision for your product.

It’s recommended that the project brief contains mockups so that both the developers and the business reps have a clear picture of the product. It also makes it easier for the engineering team to estimate the costs and move to the development of the product faster.

For example, if you’re building a website, the mockup would show the structure of the site and its basic functionalities in a static way. It will display the order of the components, but also the specific colors, shapes, and exact placement of the elements. If you already have some graphic designs, logos, or images that have been created, share them with the team members.

The Current State of the Project

Do you already have some version of the product? If yes, then point out the restrictions that users and system administrators can come across. Also, through a software development brief let the team know what you expect from the development process. Sharing this info will help the engineering team recommend the right technology for creating an upgraded, scalable product.

Budget

The success of the project depends on a well-planned and properly estimated budget. Cost estimation should include each element required for the project such as materials, equipment, and labor. A well thought-out budget is essential for every software development plan.

If you have a limited budget, share that information with the engineering team so that they can choose solutions that fit your budget and determine the project scope. The team can select a technology that costs less money, and they can work within practical constraints.

For example, if the functionalities you want exceed the budget, the developers will prioritize the work and focus on developing the essential features in the first phase.

If you have a limited budget, it’s best to share that information with the engineering team so that they can choose solutions that best fit your budget.

Deadline

Setting clear deadlines is an important step when you’re creating a software project plan brief.

Do you have to release your product at a specific date or month? When can the team start working on the project?

Knowing the deadline will help determine the size of the team and the scope of work. If the deadline is short and the plan is ambitious, you may need to narrow the scope to release the product on time.

A recommended approach is building an MVP (minimum viable product). The concept behind creating an MVP is to design a basic version of the end product. The next step is to offer it to customers to test their response. Instead of building a ton of features, you build the most crucial ones, test the product, and use the feedback to plan your next steps.

Conclusion

A project brief is much more than a list of dates. A well thought-out brief guides the team through the entire project with comprehensive details about project milestones, roles, decisions, and project completion.

Following the steps outlined here will help lead your team to build outstanding products that customers will love using.

FAQs

Q: What is the purpose of a project brief?

The purpose of a project brief is to ensure that everyone involved in the project understands the target audience, project goals, scope, budget, and deadline. It’s a crucial resource that can keep the project from going off the rails.

Q: What is included in a project brief?

The most essential project brief contents include:

• Project goals
• Target Audience
• Primary Functionalities
• Mockups
• Current State of the Project
• Budget
• Deadline

A software project summary example will only be complete if you have all these aspects.

Q: What is a website brief?

A website brief is a document that guides the entire website design process. It’s a detailed and comprehensive resource that serves as a reference to all parties involved. It generally covers the goals of the project, target audience, functionalities, mockups, budget, and deadline.

Q: How do you write a software brief?

A software brief is written by project managers or startup owners then handed to an engineering team or a software company to complete. Knowing how to write a project brief means the team will receive a detailed, comprehensive roadmap containing all the key points and milestones.