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<Insert Project Name> Created/updated 13/08/22
PRINCE2™- Project Brief
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© Crown copyright 2009.
PRINCE2™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce
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Project Brief <Insert Project Name> Created/updated 13/08/22
Overview
Purpose A Project Brief is used to provide a full and firm foundation for the initiation
of the project and is created in the Starting up a Project process.
In the Initiating a Project process, the contents of the Project Brief are
extended and refined in the Project Initiation Documentation, after which
the Project Brief is no longer maintained.
Contents The Project Brief should cover the following topics.
Project Definition.......................................................................................................3
Outline Business Case..............................................................................................4
Project Product Description......................................................................................4
Project Approach......................................................................................................4
Project Management Team Structure.....................................................................4
Role Descriptions......................................................................................................5
References................................................................................................................5
Advice The Project Brief is derived from: A project mandate supplied at the start of
the project; Programme management - if the project is part of a programme,
the Project Brief is likely to be supplied by the programme, and therefore it
will not have to be derived from a project mandate; Discussions with
corporate management regarding corporate strategy and any policies and
standards that apply; Discussions with the Project Board and users if the
project mandate is incomplete or if no project mandate is provided;
Discussions with the operations and maintenance organization (if
applicable); Discussion with the (potential) suppliers regarding specialist
development lifecycles that could be used; Lessons Log.
A Project Brief can take a number of formats, including: Document or
presentation slides; Entry in a project management tool.
The following quality criteria should be observed:
 It is brief because its purpose at this point is to provide a firm basis on
which to initiate a project. It will later be refined and expanded as part
of the Project Initiation Documentation
 The Project Brief accurately reflects the project mandate and the
requirements of the business and the users
 The project approach considers a range of solutions, such as: bespoke or
off-the-shelf; contracted out or developed in-house; designed from new
or a modified existing product
 The project approach has been selected which maximizes the chance of
achieving overall success for the project
 The project objectives, project approach and strategies are consistent
with the organization’s corporate social responsibility directive
 The project objectives are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and
Time-bound (SMART).
© Crown copyright 2009.
PRINCE2™ is a Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce
page 2 of 5