An original resource by Waseet Mahyudin
How to brief a research task you can actually use
Define the decision, scope, evidence and handover before research starts. Includes a reusable brief, source register and decision log.
Free to reuse for your own work. No signup or file upload needed.
Who this helps
For a founder, small team or independent business commissioning company, competitor, supplier or prospect research.
A brief that tells the researcher what to investigate, what counts as evidence and what still needs your judgement.
1. Start with the decision
“Research competitors” describes an activity. “Compare the published onboarding options of five named providers so we can plan our own offer” gives the work a purpose. Write the question before choosing the spreadsheet columns.
- Name the person who will use the findings and the decision they need to make.
- Write one main question and a small set of supporting questions. Put interesting but unrelated questions outside scope.
- Define the expected deliverable: a shortlist, comparison table, source-backed summary or combination.
- Agree the research cut-off date and any decision deadline; do not assume that an old page describes the current offer.
2. Make selection rules inspectable
A shortlist is only useful if another person can understand why each entry is there. Separate requirements from preferences and keep unresolved entries visible.
- Define the market, geography, company type and size band where relevant. Explain how each will be checked.
- Set required conditions, useful extras and explicit exclusions. Agree how to handle borderline cases.
- State whether the work covers a fixed list or searches for candidates. Agree any practical limits before work starts.
- List permitted sources and access: public material, client-owned files or explicitly authorized accounts. Do not include passwords in the brief.
- Identify details that must stay unknown if the evidence is missing; a plausible guess is not a completed field.
3. Separate evidence from interpretation
Keep a source beside the claim it supports. A company describing its service establishes what it says it offers; it does not independently establish performance, availability or suitability for your needs.
- Record the page title, URL, date checked and any relevant publication or update date.
- Write the observation in plain language, then put your interpretation in a separate field.
- Use clear statuses such as observed, needs confirmation and not found. Explain the reason instead of assigning an unsupported accuracy score.
- If sources disagree, retain both and describe the disagreement. Choose a source only when there is a defensible reason.
- Review AI-assisted summaries against the actual source. An AI response without supporting evidence is a research lead, not verification.
4. Agree the handover and review
The next person should be able to inspect the findings without repeating the entire investigation. A short readme is often as useful as another tab of results.
- Choose the file format and columns before collecting a large set of records.
- Include the source register, field definitions, selection rules, unresolved questions and date range covered.
- Agree which entries need direct confirmation and who will follow up.
- Check a representative sample early, including an ambiguous or incomplete entry, before extending the approach.
- Review the final findings against the original question. Keep recommendations distinct from the evidence used to reach them.
Make the columns understandable
Field definitions
Adapt these definitions to the brief. All examples below are illustrative.
- Record ID
Stable reference for one candidate or finding; retain it across revisions.
Example: R-001 (illustrative)
- Observation
A narrowly stated fact visible in the referenced material, without adding an inference.
Example: The supplied page lists remote onboarding.
- Source and dates
Page title, URL, date checked and publication/update date when shown; record “not stated” if absent.
Example: [Page title] · [URL] · checked [YYYY-MM-DD]
- Conclusion
Your interpretation of the observation in relation to the brief; label it as an interpretation.
Example: May fit the remote-service requirement; delivery details need confirmation.
- Evidence status
Observed, needs confirmation or not found, with the specific reason.
Example: Needs confirmation: company size not stated.
- Next action
The unresolved question, person responsible and agreed follow-up point.
Example: Brief owner to confirm acceptable company-size evidence.
Illustrative decision / not a client result
A decision in practice
Illustrative situation: a candidate meets the service requirement, but its company size is not stated.
Action
Keep the candidate in “needs review” and leave company size unconfirmed.
Reason
The brief requires a size band; a service description does not establish team size.
Follow-up
Ask the brief owner whether to seek confirmation or exclude the candidate. Record the decision and date.
Acceptance checklist
Use these as review questions. A checkbox only means something after the work behind it has been checked.
- Each included record has a traceable source or an explicit reason why evidence is unavailable.
- Observation, interpretation and uncertainty can be distinguished without guessing.
- Selection and exclusion decisions follow the agreed criteria.
- Missing information, conflicting sources and required follow-up remain visible.
- The final summary answers the decision in the brief and states the research cut-off date.
What this does not establish
This is a general briefing method, not proof that any particular company meets your criteria. Public information can be incomplete or change after review. Research does not replace specialist advice, supplier due diligence or permission to contact someone.
Try a related demonstration
Inspect the approach in an original interactive project. It uses synthetic data and is not a record of paid client work.
Prospect research workspacePut the brief to work
Need help with your next project?
Tell me the outcome, the source material and the constraints. Start with a description; keep sensitive records out of the enquiry form.
Discuss your project