PLANNING REPORT / A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK
Use this report to organize an internal review of workflows, systems, data and ownership before scoping a technology change. It is a planning framework, not a survey or a report of measured market findings.
Executive perspective
A project brief becomes more useful when business priorities are connected to the environment that must support them. Review the current workflow, the people using it and the systems involved before choosing a solution. The purpose of this review is to make decisions and open questions visible.
1. Workflow readiness
Select one important workflow and map it from intake to completion. Record the people involved, approval points, exceptions and repeated data entry. Ask the responsible team to verify the map. Summarize the friction that the proposed project should address.
2. System and integration readiness
List the applications involved and the interfaces available to connect them. Identify owners, access requirements and external dependencies. Record where compatibility needs investigation. Do not assume that an existing system can export or receive the data required without checking.
3. Data readiness
Identify the information the workflow depends on, where it is held and who is responsible for its meaning. Review representative records for completeness and consistency. Agree which definitions, access rules and reconciliation questions must be settled during discovery.
4. Delivery and ownership readiness
Assign a reviewer for each important milestone. Discuss acceptance criteria, deployment responsibilities, documentation and handover. The review should make clear who can approve the change and who will own the resulting system.
Turning the review into a brief
Create a one-page summary of the priority workflow, required systems, unresolved questions and proposed first milestone. Separate confirmed requirements from assumptions. Bring that summary to a scoping conversation so the next step is grounded in the environment you have reviewed.
TAKE IT FORWARD
Your planning checklist
- Map one priority workflow.
- Identify application and data owners.
- Record access and integration dependencies.
- Agree a reviewable first milestone.
- Define acceptance and handover responsibilities.