How do you write a product brief?

The key to writing an effective product brief is identifying the most important elements of your product plan and then clearly and concisely outlining them for your audience. You can also use a template like this one to build a product brief faster and easier than creating one from scratch.

What does a product brief contain?

A product brief contains a description of the product, its purpose, design, opportunity, competitors, and price. It also states what will be required to move the project forward and the names of the personnel that will be responsible for completing essential tasks. Finally, it directs the receiving party to relevant resources that they can reference for more information should they need any. Product briefs can vary on a case-by-case basis, but this is the standard outline.

What is the purpose of a product brief?

The purpose of a product brief is to provide vital context for the development of a product and to ensure all relevant departments are on the same page. A thoughtfully created product brief will shed light on the strategic direction of the development process and help eliminate any potential misunderstandings between personnel. A product brief is a great place for teams to start a project and revisit throughout the process as a reference point.

What is a product brief template?

A product brief template is a pre-made outline that business professionals can use as a foundation for building their own custom product briefs. A template like this one has prearranged section headings, some prewritten text, instructions for where to add personal detail, and fillable fields. A product brief template can save a lot of time and lead to a better result, and since a template like this one is free to use, there’s no downside.

Why is product brief important?

A product brief is important because it kicks the development process off and gets everyone on the same page. It outlines the most important information in a one-page document, so every relevant department has a clear set of product details to refer back to. A product brief is also helpful in laying out key responsibilities, requirements to move the project forward, and important timelines so that all relevant parties are held accountable.

Product Brief Template

Product Name: [Product.Name]

Date: [Document.CreatedDate]

Produced by:[Sender.FirstName][Sender.LastName]

Summary

This product brief is intended to give (your audience, e.g., management, contractors, etc.) an overview of (product name) and (state the goal of the brief, e.g., get approval for development, gather feedback, give a demo, etc.).

Purpose of Product

The purpose of [Product.Name] is to (describe the purpose of the product). The use cases for [Product.Name] include:

Example use case

Example use case

Example use case

Product Design

(Provide details and visuals on the product design if available. If it's a physical product, measurements, materials, and pictures could be provided. If it's a digital product, you could provide screenshots or other design elements that illustrate the user experience.)

Opportunity

[Product.Name] will solve the problem of (state the problem or problems) by (describe the solution).

Target Audience

The target audience for [Product.Name] is (detail your target audience, e.g., stay-at-home parents in their 40s in middle-income households, single working professionals in their 30s with high incomes, etc.).

Competitors

The size of this industry is (state the dollar value of the target market if it's available), and there is (state the amount of competition that's been identified).

Some of our main competitors include:

Competitor #1

Competitor #2

Competitor #3

Our product will stand apart from these competitors because (describe the unique selling point or USP that makes your product different from the rest).

Price

(Describe the pricing model you'll use for your product, e.g., upfront cost, subscription, tiered model, etc.)

Requirements

For [Product.Name] to be market ready, it will require the following tasks to be completed:

Task #1

Task #2

Task #3

Ownership

There are several key personnel that will be involved in bringing [Product.Name] from the development stage to the market.

Key personnel #1 and their responsibilities

Key personnel #2 and their responsibilities

Key personnel #3 and their responsibilities

Resources

(Point your audience towards any other relevant resources besides this product brief that may provide them with more information should they be interested. This could include documentation, decks, design files, etc.)

Signature

MM / DD / YYYY

[Sender.FirstName][Sender.LastName]

[Sender.Company]