Related article:

Stage Gate Improvements

What is the Project Brief?

The Project Brief is an initiative feature that provides a configurable and simplified interface for the Amplify software.

There are two main purposes for using the Project Brief. The first is to provide a consistent structure across initiative classifications.

Using the provided tools, a Project Manager can identify and assign the required items for each initiative type. Once configured, the Project Brief guides users on the preferred interactions with the selected initiative.

The second purpose of the Project Brief is to simplify the Amplify experience for users. The Project Brief can serve as a single source of interaction for particular users where their actions are governed by what has been made available.

This governance allows these users to focus only on what they need to achieve for an initiative, quickly, and without extraneous navigation or training. 

How does the Project Brief work?

There are three main steps to understanding the Project Brief.

1. Template Configuration
2. Using the Project Brief
3. Baseline data

Template Configuration

The first step in using the Project Brief is to create a template for it. The configuration is done through the initiative classification settings in the Admin menu or through program configuration if you are using programs.

The template will decide what is available to the Project Brief for every initiative using that classification. Furthermore, the template will decide what is available at every stage of the initiative.

Using the Project Brief

The Project Brief can be accessed from the side menu of the initiative or project. It can be considered as a combination of the Performance Dashboard, the Initiative/Project Properties, and every other item available item on Amplify.

The Project Brief has three main areas: the Stage Gate widget, the Properties, and the Stage Section.

The Stage Gate Widget behaves the same way as the Performance Dashboard and can be used to navigate between the stage sections of the Project Brief. It can also still be used to request approval to advance to the next stage.

The Properties section contains information deemed intrinsic to the current Initiative, much the same way the Initiative properties currently work.

The Stage Section contains all of the actionable items for the current stage of the initiative. The items here have been determined to be an essential part of the current stage. The data in these items can be manipulated as usual and, in some instances, new items can be created.

Baselined Data

The Project Brief introduces a new function for baselines that allows a user to view past data in real time. At the successful advancement of each stage, all of the data entered into the Project Brief is recorded. These baseline snapshots allow users to navigate to previous stages (via the Stage Gate widget) and observe what data was confirmed for that stage. Successive changes to the same items will not override the baseline so the Stage Gate widget can be used as a sort of timeline tool.

For more information on how to use the Project Brief, refer to the following articles:

• Project Brief Template Configuration
• Project Brief Permissions
• How to use the Project Brief
• Project Brief Widgets