Strategy
How to brief an agency properly
The difference between a six-week project and a six-month one is almost always the quality of the brief.
We have started projects from a two-line email and from a forty-page deck. Neither works. Here is the shape of a brief that actually accelerates the work.
Lead with the business problem
Not "we need a new website" — "our demo requests dropped 30% after we changed pricing and we do not know why." The first is a solution you guessed at. The second lets us find a better one.
Name the decision-maker
Projects stall on approval, not on production. Say up front who signs off and how quickly they can.
Be honest about constraints
Budget, deadline, legal review, that one stakeholder who hates the colour green. Constraints stated on day one shape good work. Constraints revealed in week five destroy it.
Define what success looks like
Write down the number that would make this project obviously worth it. If nobody can name one, the project is not ready to start.
