Project requirements template
A copy-paste requirements document structure: goals, scope in/out, integrations, constraints, acceptance criteria — the spec that makes quotes comparable.
The step after the brief: where the brief says what you need, this document says exactly what that means — precise enough that two developers reading it price the same project. It is the skeleton of the spec a good developer writes back to you; filling it first makes every quote you receive comparable.
The fields, with guidance
Goal & success metric
The business outcome and how it will be measured after launch.
Example: Generate 10–15 qualified enquiries/month, measured in GA4 by form submissions.
Scope — in
Every page, feature and integration, as a list. Complete beats pretty.
Example: Home, Services, About, Contact; intake form routing to two inboxes; blog; 301 map of old URLs.
Scope — out
What this project explicitly does not include. Prevents the expensive ambiguity.
Example: No copywriting, no product photography, no paid ads setup, no mobile app.
Constraints
Platform, hosting, brand, tools, deadline — anything locked before the build.
Example: Stay on WordPress; current host must stay; launch before Oct 1.
Acceptance criteria
How “done” gets checked. The sentence that prevents most launch disputes.
Example: All forms tested end-to-end; mobile Lighthouse 90+; redirects verified; editors trained.
Content & access inventory
What exists, who owns it, what state it is in.
Example: Copy: 60% drafted by us. Images: stock + client photos. GA4 + Search Console access ready.
Copy this block
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS — [project] — [date]
1. GOAL
Business outcome:
Success metric + how measured:
2. SCOPE — IN
Pages:
Features:
Integrations:
Data/migrations:
3. SCOPE — OUT (explicitly not included)
4. CONSTRAINTS
Platform/hosting:
Brand/tools:
Deadline + why:
5. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA (definition of done)
-
6. CONTENT & ACCESS
Copy: who / what state:
Media:
Analytics/access:
7. BUDGET BAND:
8. DECISION MAKER + feedback SLA:
Plain text on purpose — pastes cleanly into email, docs and project tools.
Attach this to the brief form and the quote that comes back references your acceptance criteria line by line — which is exactly what a scoped quote should do.
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