Brief 01
Brief 01
Writing a scope
A scope is a short written account of what you will do, what you will not do, and when you will stop. If you skip it, you and the other person will invent different jobs in your heads, and one of you will be annoyed later.
Write the scope before you start the work, even if the job is small and the other person is someone you know. Keep it to one page if you can. Use ordinary sentences, not a contract template you do not understand.
What belongs on the page
Name the work in one sentence. Then list the concrete outputs: a written note, a meeting, a set of questions for a supplier, a draft letter. If the output is a conversation, say so. "Help you think about this" is not an output you can finish.
Name the things you will not do. If you are not going to file a form, speak to a government office, or make the final decision, write that down. People often hear an offer of advice as an offer to take the task over.
Give a date on which the work ends, or a number of hours, or both. If the work might grow, say how you will pause and write a new scope rather than quietly adding days.
Before you send it
- Is there at least one visible output?
- Is there a clear stop?
- Have you listed work you are not doing?
- Does the other person need to give you something (papers, access, a decision) before you can start?
Ask them to reply in writing that they agree, even if that is only a short email or message. Then keep a copy with your notes.