Explore a solution through the work it changes.

Read a brief as a starting point

The examples describe possible approaches, not completed customer engagements. Use your own workflow and constraints to decide what applies.

Ask for the acceptance evidence

A useful proposal explains how the result will be verified and who will operate it after release.

Explain the problem before the proposed system

A solution brief should help a business reader understand what will change in their working day. Begin with the current process, who experiences the problem and the consequence of leaving it unresolved. Use a concrete example without exposing customer information or implying a result that has not been measured.

For example, describe staff checking three systems to answer a service request, then explain which information a proposed workspace would bring together. Avoid presenting an AI assistant as the entire solution when access control, integration quality and a clear escalation route determine whether the answer can actually be used.

Show the boundary of the proposal

Describe the workflows covered, the systems involved and the decisions that remain with people. Name exclusions that affect expectations, such as historical data cleanup or replacing the accounting platform. A short diagram can clarify where information moves and where an approval is required.

Separate proposed behaviour from proven behaviour. A prototype may establish that a document can be retrieved without establishing that the service can support all intended users. Record what has been tested, what was assumed and what still needs validation. This gives commercial and technical reviewers a shared basis for discussing scope without mistaking a concept for a delivered customer outcome.

Use the brief to support a decision

Finish with the next decision, the evidence needed and the people who should be involved. That might be approving a discovery workshop, testing an integration or agreeing a limited pilot. Make the requested commitment proportionate to what is currently known.

Keep a dated version and update it when a material assumption changes. If the delivery approach changes but the original brief continues circulating, readers can reasonably form different expectations. A maintained brief should remain concise enough to read in one sitting while linking to the deeper technical and commercial records that support the proposed work.