Independent resource / bbtecconsulting.com
A brief that can be worked on.
A practical sequence for clarifying a consulting question and recording the decisions around it.
1. Name the decision
Write the choice the work should support. Separate it from the symptom that prompted the discussion and any solution already suggested.
Ask who needs the answer and what they will do with it. That purpose determines which detail belongs.
2. Set a boundary
Describe the work, people and period included. Note related issues outside this discussion.
If the boundary changes, record why instead of silently expanding the brief.
3. Separate what is known
List source material, observations and interpretations separately. Keep enough context to revisit important statements.
Mark missing information and conflicting accounts rather than filling the gap with an assumption.
4. Choose an investigation
Select a bounded source review, example set or structured conversation. State what it should clarify.
Name the responsible person and what they will bring back. Do not promise an answer before the work.
5. Review the reasoning
Compare the material with the original question. Identify which assumptions changed and what remains open.
Keep alternatives visible where the evidence does not settle the point.
6. Leave the record
State the decision, its owner, reasoning and next step. Connect open questions to that record.
Save enough of the earlier brief to let another reader understand how the work developed.