Design Proposal Template
This is a typical template I use when working with clients to ensure that before I "break ground" on a new project or feature, I have gathered as much pertinent information from the organization as possible, giving me the best chance to deliver a product that meets or exceeds key stakeholder needs.
Title
Author:
Created Date:
Last Modified:
Reviewer | Status | Last Reviewed Date |
---|---|---|
name | email | Approved | In Progress | Assigned |
Re: (typically I’ll link to other documents that inspired this document)
Terms
Defines canonical terms that are essential for the rest of the document. This is often the most valuable piece of a design proposal, as it codifies language around a particular domain-specific problem.
Introduction
Gives background on the project. Good topics to cover are:
- The players involved
- The company history around the topic
- Previous efforts made to serve key stakeholders in this area
- Cursory details of the project (if possible)
Purpose
Provides justification for moving forward by addressing potential blockers and defining:
- The problem
- The proposed solution
- The expected outcome
Out of Scope
Defines specific details that are not in-scope for the project. This is often the second most valuable piece of a design proposal, as it functions as an informal contract between designers, implementers, and other key stakeholders that defines the boundaries of the project.
Implementation Plan
The _first section defines specific details for how to accomplish the task. Includes things like:
- Technologies used
- Dependencies
- Acceptance criteria
- Testing
- Timelines (sometimes)
Next Steps
Most next steps will depend on the details of the Implementation Plan, however, a common next step is to create one-or-many Change Reviews defining the release process.
Resources
A collection of links to the relevant documentation, code repositories, external tooling etc. that will help the reader understand the proposal and eventually implement the aforementioned feature.