Hello again and welcome back.
I am sure you will not be surprised when I say that my experience of most digital briefs sucks. However, you might find it slightly more controversial when I tell you that I advise most of the agencies and in-house teams I mentor to largely ignore the briefs they receive from prospective clients and stakeholders.
Okay, so maybe ignore is too strong a word, but I do encourage them to take a brief with a huge pinch of salt and not to be constrained by it. I would advise you to do the same.
Let me explain why.
The Problem With Most Briefs
In many cases, the person writing the brief doesn’t have a massive amount of digital experience, or at the very least, doesn’t have a lot of experience in your field. At best this means that any brief they write turns into a wishlist of functionality they think they need either now or in the future. At worst, it means they write a brief for something that they do not need at all!
More than once, I have received a brief for a website redesign project, when throwing out their website and starting again is the worst thing they could do. I have also received briefs where the client is intent on changing their website, when their problem lay in the fact they were driving the wrong kind of users to the site through poorly targeted advertising.
My point is that in many cases, the client is poorly positioned to diagnose their problem or the best solution.
However, even if they do have the experience and expertise to do so, it is still worth looking beyond their brief, as if you don’t, you are failing to provide that client with all you have to offer. You can, and should, bring more to a project than blindly implementing other people’s ideas.
I am aware you might not feel you have the authority to start suggesting alternative approaches. It is hard to turn around to a prospective client and challenge their approach. It is even more challenging if it is your boss. However, if approached with sensitivity, it is almost always appreciated.
What To Do Instead
Not being constrained by a brief does not mean outright rejecting it or telling the client it is terrible. Instead, it is about having a conversation with the client about their objectives. It is about stepping back from the brief and understanding the underlying motivations.
Ask questions about their approach and offer alternatives that may address the same underlying objective differently.
However, most of all, you need to accept if the client wants to continue down their original path. My clients occasionally ignore my advice, and that is fine. I am there as an advisor, but ultimately it is their project and their decision. If you have the humility to accept that, you will rarely get in trouble when you suggest alternative approaches.
In fact, in my experience, being willing to offer advise and have an opinion can be a great way of standing out in a crowded marketplace or building your reputation and influence in-house.
What Is Your Experience
But perhaps I am naive. Perhaps I am in a privileged position that gives me a degree of latitude when working with clients. If so, I would like to know. I would love to hear what challenges you face in this area? Do you feel you can have open and honest conversations around the briefs you receive or do they feel like a straight jacket you have to conform to?
I would honestly love to hear from you on this. I am not just asking for your comment to improve some algorithm like every YouTube video you ever watch!
