Task brief template
A five-part task brief template you can copy into email, Slack, Jira, or any task tool. With a filled example and the two-minute rule.
A task brief is the written version of what is in your head when you ask someone to do something. Five parts. Two minutes. The person can start without asking you a question, and the work can be checked against it when it is done.
When to use it
Every time you hand work to someone else. Teammate, freelancer, new hire, or an AI tool. If the task will take more than an hour, it deserves a brief.
The template
Copy this. Replace the text in brackets.
Task: [short name]Result: [the thing that should exist when this is done, in one sentence]For: [who will read, use, or see it, and where]Must include:- [fact, section, or part]- [fact, section, or part]- [link to files or examples]Must not:- [thing to leave out or rule to follow]Due: [draft date] to [approver's name]. [Approver] approves. Final: [date].Why: [one line on what this is for]Done when: [one sentence a stranger could test]
Open in the task brief builder · Create as a task in M-Tracker
A filled example
Task: Customer email about the new verification stepResult: A short email, sent from support@, telling all current customersabout the new verification step.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- Link to the help article (attached)Must not:- Mention the pricing change- Promise phone supportDue: Draft Thursday noon to Dana. Dana approves. Final: 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.
Tips
- Write the result as a thing. "A flyer," not "work on the flyer."
- "Must include" is where most redos start. If you do not know a fact yet, say so and say who will get it.
- One approver. Not "the team."
- A new hire needs more under "must include" and an example link. A senior teammate needs less.
- Speak it if typing is slow. Record the five answers, then tidy.
Check it before you send it
Paste your finished brief into the task brief checker. It tells you what the reader will still have to ask.
Where M-Tracker fits
In M-Tracker, this template is the task. The brief, files, and links live together. When the work is marked done, M-Tracker checks it against the brief and shows the person what is missing before you see it. You can also dictate the brief by voice and let M-Tracker tidy it up.
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