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Brief Evaluator
A brief isn't a description: it's a set of decisions made. This tool checks the 12 dimensions a complete brief must cover and gives an immediate completeness score.
Insufficient brief
The specification cannot start in this state.
0/12
Check the dimensions covered by your brief
No data is stored — everything runs in your browser.
How to use this tool
- 1Describe the feature to evaluate (optional)
- 2Check the dimensions covered by your current brief
- 3Review your completeness score
- 4Fill in the missing dimensions before starting development
Why it matters
A brief rarely covers more than 3 or 4 of the 12 critical dimensions in the first meeting. That's not a lack of skill — clients naturally think in terms of desired functionality, not system behaviour. This tool makes gaps visible without putting the client on the spot.
Frequently asked questions
- What minimum score is needed to start development?
- There is no universal threshold. In practice, a score of 7 or more (out of 12) means the structural decisions are made and the rest can be resolved during the sprint. Below 5, the risk of blocking development on unresolved questions is high.
- Can the brief be completed during development?
- Yes, and it often is. Agile accepts emerging specifications. But uncovered dimensions must be identified at the start, not discovered in QA. The difference: deciding that error cases will be defined as you go vs ignoring them until a bug reveals them.
- How do you use this tool in a scoping workshop?
- Share it at the start of the meeting and spend 2 minutes per dimension. For each unchecked box, ask the corresponding open question. It's a question generator, not a form to fill out. The goal is for everyone to leave the meeting with the same answers.