How to Prepare a Brief for the Consultant
A Brief for the Consultant
(Educational version)
A Brief is a written document describing the expectations and objectives of the company to the potential Consultant. Such a document aims to receive a proposal from the Consultant about the possible solution, budget, and time. A brief can cover all types of projects and range from a small document with a few lines to a large one from 2 to 100 pages. It should be as long as needed to convey the requirements of the Project. However, be sure you provide enough information to avoid the need for creative exploration from the Consultant’s side.
Be clear and short explaining the ideas. But remember, what is clear for you may not be apparent to other people who are not familiar with your business and your way of operating. The response to your brief from the Consultant will naturally reflect what you ask for. Thus, focus on specific requirements/problems to get more concrete suggestions.
A well-written brief offers several significant advantages:
- clarifying the business objectives by ‘in house managers’
- create the summary of the key points to focus the work on
Note! When making an educational Consulting Project, it is advisable to focus on the specific issue, product, service, or business.
The brief should include the subsequent sections:
1. Corporate profile — nevertheless, the Consultant knows or does not know about the business; it is essential to explain its vision about its operations. It is recommended to provide the Consultant with the business’s vision, mission, values, and background information.
2. Market position — a short and realistic evaluation of the company/brand/service/product concerning its competitors. It is advisable to provide a list of close or possible competitors.
3. Current situation — perceived by company existing issues and problems. If no problems can be identified, what has been done until the moment?
4. Objectives — the aims of the Project. The critical section of the brief. What do you want to achieve through the Project? If possible, try to provide specific information about target numbers in objectives, limitations to budget and expected time frames.
Templates to download: