Before I start this project, what should I have decided?

A one-page brief: what done means, what’s out of scope, the first three moves and the likeliest stall.


When to use
At the start of any project that will take more than a couple of weeks.
Time
10 min

The prompt

I’m about to start a project: . Before I do anything, help me write a one-page brief. Ask me up to five questions, one at a time, about who it’s for, what finished looks like, my deadline, and what I’ve already got. Then write the brief under these headings: the outcome in one sentence, how I’ll know it’s done, what is out of scope, the first three moves, the most likely way it stalls, and a date to check whether it’s still worth doing. Where my answers were vague, leave the line blank and tell me what’s missing. Don’t fill it in for me.

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