Template · C56
Build a decision-ready marketing-plan brief
Does the brief contain enough information to begin without creating false consensus?
Direct answer
An eight-criterion grid distinguishes blocking, conditional and completable elements during the planning process.
01Accept the brief, accept it with conditions or suspend the start.
02The rule, the evidence and the next review date stay visible.
How to use this
Move from the question to the deliverable.
Does the brief contain enough information to begin without creating false consensus?
Accept the brief, accept it with conditions or suspend the start.
Eight-criterion brief gate
Decision grid · SQ-56
Decide whether the brief really allows work to start
A brief does not need to be exhaustive. It must, however, secure the irreversible decisions and make the unknowns visible.
Grid applied to a multi-offer annual plan. Each criterion receives 0, 1 or 2 points according to the evidence available.
- 01Distinguish
Separate the blocking information from what can be completed during framing.
- 02Score
Give 0 without evidence, 1 if partial or contested, 2 if validated.
- 03Block
Suspend if the sponsor, the mandate or a non-negotiable constraint scores 0.
- 04Condition
Attach every partial point to an owner and a resolution date.
Brief gate: 13/16, conditional start
The total guides the decision, but a zero on a blocking criterion overrides the average.
Score = Σ scores from 0 to 2; go ≥ 14, conditional go from 10 to 13, no-go < 10| Criterion | Expected evidence | Score | Blocking if 0 | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsor | Name + availability | 2 | Yes | None |
| Mandate | Expected decision | 2 | Yes | None |
| Scope | Included + excluded | 1 | Yes | Validate two offers |
| Horizon | Start and end dates | 2 | No | None |
| Baseline | Comparable sources | 1 | No | Normalise CRM |
| Constraints | Budget + capacity | 2 | Yes | None |
| Stakeholders | Decision-makers + contributors | 1 | No | Name Finance |
| Assumptions | Value + confidence | 2 | No | None |
01The brief authorises the start, but the scope must be validated before any costing.
02The baseline can be normalised during framing because no irreversible spending depends on it yet.
03The three partial points become dated actions, not footnotes.
Working grid. The blocking criteria must be adapted to the decision rights of the organisation.
Coherence controls
Minimum conditions before validation.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
The status, the evidence and the owner must be available for review.
Usable deliverable
Eight-criterion brief gate
Explore the decision further with an interactive control, or start from a structured template to produce your deliverable.