A brief that gets your automation built right the first time.
Ten minutes spent here saves days later. Use our template, see what a good brief looks like and learn which details change the price, the timeline and the risk.
Most delays begin with a missing detail.
Automation is exact. A computer cannot guess what ‘sync my customers’ means. The more precisely you describe the trigger, the data and the exceptions, the faster and safer the build.
Faster delivery
Our delivery clock starts once the brief is complete. A complete brief removes the waiting.
An accurate price
Volume, systems and exceptions drive the price. Stating them up front means the quote does not move.
Fewer revisions
When the first build matches what you meant, your two included revision rounds stay in reserve.
Safer automations
Exceptions you describe become exceptions we test. The ones nobody mentions are the ones that break.
Less back-and-forth
A complete brief means the first reply can be a quote, not a list of questions.
A shared record
Everyone who approves the project can read one page and agree on what it will do.
Copy it, fill it in, send it.
Paste it into a document, answer what you can, and attach it to the quote form or the upload page. Perfect is not required. ‘I don’t know’ is a useful answer.
PROJECT BRIEF — BoldBellows 1. GOAL In one sentence, what should be different when this is done? > When ___ happens in ___, then ___ should happen in ___. 2. TOOLS Main platform and plan/edition: ___ Other tools involved: ___ Does the plan include API access? yes / no / not sure 3. TRIGGER What starts it? (a payment, a form, a new record, a schedule, a message) ___ 4. STEPS List what should happen, in order: 1. ___ 2. ___ 3. ___ 5. DATA Which fields move from where to where? (a simple table is fine) ___ in A -> ___ in B 6. EXCEPTIONS What should happen when: - a record already exists? ___ - a required field is empty? ___ - a payment is refunded or canceled? ___ - something fails? who should be told? ___ 7. SCALE Approximate events per month: ___ Busiest day or season: ___ 8. SENSITIVE DATA Does it touch payment, health, HR or children's data? ___ 9. TIMING Start: ___ Go-live date (if any): ___ 10. ACCESS Who can approve access to each tool? ___ Is there a sandbox or test account? ___ 11. DONE LOOKS LIKE How will you know it works? ___
What each prompt is really asking.
Every line of the template exists because it changes how we build. Here is the thinking behind each one.
1. Goal
One sentence: when this happens in A, that should happen in B. If you can write it, you have the heart of the brief.
2. Tools and plans
The platform and its edition. The same tool behaves differently on different plans, especially for API access and limits.
3. Trigger
What starts it: a payment, a form, a new record, a schedule, a message. The trigger decides the architecture.
4. Steps
What happens, in order. A numbered list is perfect, and it becomes the build plan.
5. Data
Which fields move from where to where. Mapping is most of the work, so precision here pays back.
6. Exceptions
Duplicates, empty fields, refunds and failures. This is where automations usually break.
7. Scale
Events per month and your busiest day. Volume decides queuing, rate-limit handling and testing.
8. Sensitive data
Payment, health, HR or children’s data adds safeguards. Saying so early lets us plan them.
9. Timing
Start date and any go-live date. A real deadline is quoted honestly.
10. Access
Who can approve access to each tool. This starts the delivery clock.
11. What done looks like
How you will know it works. We turn it into the test plan.
What a strong brief looks like.
Side by side, the difference is specificity. The same request, written two ways.
Details that shape the build.
Five details change the design, the price or the schedule more than anything else. Mention them first.
| Detail | Why we ask | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Plan or edition | API access, rate limits and features differ by plan. | Whether the automation is possible and how fast it can run |
| Volume | High volume needs queuing and duplicate protection. | Design, testing and price |
| Exceptions | Refunds, cancellations and edits are where automations usually break. | Scope of the build |
| Sensitive data | Payment or personal data needs extra care. | Security and testing steps |
| Who can approve access | Admin permission is often held by someone else. | How soon the clock can start |
Six mistakes that slow a project down.
We see the same six in briefs again and again. All of them are easy to fix before you send.
Describing the tool
‘Use the webhook’ is a method. The goal is ‘mark the order paid’.
Leaving out the plan
Without the edition we cannot say what the API allows.
Forgetting the unhappy path
Refunds, cancellations and edits belong in the brief.
Skipping the access owner
Nobody can grant permission they do not hold.
Sending credentials
Never put passwords or keys in a brief. Enter them only in your secure customer dashboard.
Being vague about volume
‘A few’ could be ten a month or ten thousand.
Three easy steps.
From a blank page to a quote in a day.
- 1
Fill in the template
Answer what you can. Add screenshots if they help.
10 min - 2
Send it
Attach it to the quote form, or send it on the secure upload page.
1 min - 3
We reply
A specialist reads it and replies with a quote or clear questions within 24 hours.
≤ 24 h
Quick answers.
What people ask while filling it in.
Do I need a brief to request a quote?
No. The quote form collects the essentials. A brief just adds detail and speeds up delivery, because it answers questions before we ask them. If you do not have one, the form is enough.
What if I don’t know the answers?
Write ‘not sure’. We will help you decide, and we will tell you which answers matter most. A brief with honest gaps is more useful than one with guesses, because it shows us what to explain. Most people leave two or three prompts open, and that is fine.
How long should a brief be?
One page is plenty. Clear and specific beats long: name the trigger, the tools, what should happen, what must never happen and the date that matters. If you have more detail, attach it as a separate document, but a short, clear brief usually produces the fastest, most accurate quote.
Where do I send it?
Attach it to the quote form, or use the secure upload page. If you are already a client, upload it in your customer dashboard. Never include passwords or API keys in a brief; those go only through the dashboard.
Should I include passwords?
Never in a brief. A brief is shared, stored and forwarded, so a secret in it can end up anywhere. Login details and API keys go only into your secure customer dashboard, in the access request we post after payment. See access and requirements for what each platform needs.
Can you help me write it?
Yes. Choose ‘A custom automation idea’ on the contact form and describe the problem in your own words. We reply with the questions that matter and, if useful, a draft brief for you to correct. That draft also becomes the basis of your quote.
Can I use my own format?
Of course. The template is a checklist, not a requirement. A document, a spreadsheet, a list of bullet points or notes typed out from a screen recording all work, provided they cover the same ground: what starts it, what should happen, what must not happen and when you need it.
What if my process changes after I send it?
Tell us. Changes before work starts are free, because nothing has been built yet and we simply update the quote if the scope moves. After work has started, a change is handled as a scope change: we quote it first, and you decide whether to go ahead.
Is the template free?
Yes. Use it for any project, with or without us. It is a plain checklist and you may copy, adapt and share it with colleagues or other suppliers. We only ask that you do not resell it as your own product.
Do you keep my brief private?
Yes. It is used only for your project and is stored privately, visible only to the people working on your order. It is deleted on the schedule in the privacy policy, and we never share it with other clients or use it to train AI.
Brief ready? Get your quote.
Send it with the quote form, or ask us anything first.