AI Project Brief Builder & Free Planning Template
An AI project brief defines one useful outcome, the permitted inputs, expected output and how a responsible owner will test and review the result. Write it before choosing a model or expanding a pilot.
Start with a decision, then choose the technology
A brief is useful when it lets another person understand what you want to improve, which information is allowed and how you will decide whether the work helped. Start with one bounded task, rather than a broad instruction to “add AI”. Give the task a responsible owner and write down the current manual process.
Compare the smallest workable option with that baseline. A rule, checklist or search interface may be sufficient. If you use a model, define what evidence must support its answer and what it should do when the source is incomplete. Separate generating a draft from taking an action such as sending an email or changing a record.
No signup required. This browser tool creates a portable Markdown worksheet. It does not send your fields to a server or evaluate your project's readiness.
Write your project brief
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Completion counts filled fields. It does not measure the quality or readiness of your project.
Name one repeated task, its owner and what should improve.
Who uses the result, and who can approve a pilot?
List permitted sources, access rules and material you must exclude.
Define the format, required evidence and behaviour when information is missing.
Describe the current process and a simpler alternative to compare.
Write the expected behaviour before choosing a model. Include ordinary, missing-data and conflicting-source cases.
State who reviews output and which actions require explicit approval.
Define escalation, fallback, privacy limits and when the pilot should stop.
Set a budget, an owner and one small experiment. Use your own measured constraints.
Your portable brief
# AI project brief ## Problem and smallest useful outcome To be defined. ## Users and decision owner To be defined. ## Inputs, sources and data boundaries To be defined. ## Output contract To be defined. ## Baseline and alternatives To be defined. ## Success criteria and test cases To be defined. ## Human review and action limits To be defined. ## Failure handling and stop conditions To be defined. ## Time, cost and next experiment To be defined. ## Review before starting - Agree the scope, data permissions and action boundaries with the owner. - Compare the simplest workable approach against the current process. - Record test cases and expected behaviour before running the pilot. - Review evidence and failures before expanding scope. Worksheet: Innovate with Ajay — https://innovatewithajay.com/resources/ai-project-brief The original worksheet structure is available under CC BY 4.0. Your entered project content remains yours. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Worked example: an internal FAQ draft assistant
This is an illustrative scope, not a report of a deployed customer system. Support staff currently search an approved FAQ and write a reply. The pilot's smallest useful outcome is a draft answer with references that a support lead can review. It has no permission to send a message or change a customer record.
| Test case | Expected behaviour | Evidence to record |
|---|---|---|
| The FAQ contains the answer | Draft an answer supported by the permitted source. | Source references, factual checks and review time. |
| The answer is absent | Identify the missing information and route it to the owner. | Whether the draft invented an unsupported statement. |
| Two passages conflict | Flag the conflict for human review. | The passages retrieved and the review decision. |
| A document is restricted | Respect the user's access and exclude restricted material. | Access-check outcome using synthetic test data. |
Use the same questions for manual search, keyword search and the proposed assistant. Choose your own acceptance criteria and record actual results. Improve the process only after examining failures as well as successful examples. Keep sensitive material out of a learning exercise; use synthetic inputs when developing test cases.
Make the brief reusable
Version your brief beside the project's decision notes. Record who agreed the scope, which source version was used and which test cases justified a change. Revisit the brief when the task, source permissions or action limits change. A useful project handoff includes the unresolved questions, rather than hiding them behind a completion percentage.
The original worksheet structure is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. When sharing an adapted worksheet, credit Innovate with Ajay, link to this resource and indicate changes. Your entered project details remain yours. This licence covers the worksheet structure, not other website content.
Continue from planning to evaluation
- Build a reusable AI task workbook to connect the brief to representative inputs and a rubric.
- Write an AI task brief for a focused explanation of a single task contract.
- Download the architecture decision record to compare options and document trade-offs.
- Explore evaluation and deployment checklists before expanding a pilot.
Questions about the project brief
What belongs in an AI project brief?
Define the problem, users, permitted inputs, output contract, baseline, test cases, human review, failure handling and resource limits. A useful brief lets an owner compare a bounded pilot with the current process.
Do I need a model or RAG for every AI project?
Start with the task and compare simpler approaches such as a checklist, rules or keyword search. Consider retrieval when the task needs permitted source material. Choose an approach by testing it against your baseline and expected behaviour.
Does this tool upload or save my project details?
The builder creates your brief in this browser. Its fields are not sent to a server or saved in browser storage. You can copy or download the Markdown; refreshing or leaving the page clears the fields.
Can I share or adapt the worksheet?
Yes. The original worksheet structure is offered under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Credit Innovate with Ajay, link to this page and describe any changes to the worksheet. The licence does not apply to your own project details or to other content on this website.