Five parts. The result (a thing you can point at). Who it is for. What it must include. What it must not do. When the draft is due and who approves it. Add links to examples and files. That is a complete brief, and it takes two minutes.
What a brief is
A brief is the written version of what is in your head when you ask someone to do something. It is not a title. "Webinar flyer" is a title. It is not a conversation. Conversations evaporate. It is the short document the person works from, and the document the work gets checked against when it is done.
The five parts
1. The result
Say what should exist when the work is done. Write it as a thing, not an activity.
- Weak: "Work on the pricing page."
- Strong: "A new pricing page with the three current plans and a comparison table."
If you cannot name the thing, you are not ready to hand it over.
2. Who it is for
Name the reader, the user, or the audience. Say where the thing will be used, because that changes the shape of it.
- "New customers, in an email." (600 pixels wide, short.)
- "The leadership team, in the Tuesday meeting." (One page, decision first.)
- "Developers, in the Jira ticket." (Precise, with links.)
3. What it must include
List the facts and the parts. Dates, names, prices, links, sections. If a fact does not exist yet, say so, and say who will get it.
- "Date, time in Eastern Time, the two speakers, a Register button."
- "The survey results plus the two interviews, both attached."
This is the part people skip most, and it causes the most redos.
4. What it must not do
The limits. The rules. The things that will cause trouble if they slip in.
- "Do not mention pricing."
- "Do not promise phone support."
- "Keep it under 150 words."
Saying what not to do is as useful as saying what to do. It stops the one addition that gets the whole thing sent back.
5. When, and who approves
A draft date and a final date, if there are two. One named approver. Not "the team." One person.
- "Draft to Dana by Thursday noon. Dana approves. Final Friday."
Add these when you have them
- An example. "Like the March flyer, but for June." One link saves a paragraph.
- The why. One line on what this is for. People make better choices when they know the goal.
- Done checks. Three to six yes-or-no checks. "Fits on one page." "Prices match the pricing page." The acceptance criteria builder writes these for you.
A complete brief, start to finish
Task: Customer email about the new verification step
Result: A short email from support@ to all current customers.
For: All current customers. Many read on their phones.
Must include: What is changing. What to do the first time they log in. The start date, June 3. A link to the help article (attached).
Must not: Mention the pricing change. Promise phone support.
Due: Draft to Dana by Thursday noon. Dana approves. Send Friday.
Why: So nobody is surprised on June 3 and support is not flooded.
Done when: A customer who reads it knows what changes, what to do, and when.
Nine lines. Two minutes. Nothing to guess.
How long should a brief be?
As long as it needs to be to remove guessing, and no longer. For a senior teammate doing a familiar task, five short lines. For a new hire or a new kind of task, more under "must include" and an example. The task brief checker tells you what the reader will still have to ask.
Where M-Tracker fits
In M-Tracker, the brief is the task. Write it once, or speak it with voice dictation and tidy it up. Attach files and links. When the work is marked done, M-Tracker reads it against this brief and tells the person what is missing. The clearer the brief, the sharper the check.
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