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The builder's desk

Less blank page.
More clear thinking.

Practical starting points for a product worth building. Write your first brief, keep track of evidence and make your next decision easier to inspect.

Build my brief

Free tools and editable templates. No account needed.

Evidence becomes product memory
Evidence becomes product memorySources to Evidence; Brief to Evidence; Evidence to Decision; Decision to Artefacts. Source references and decision history travel with the work.SourcesYou + ResearchBriefProduct ownerEvidenceResearch SynthesisDecisionPanel + youArtefactsDesign + Engineering
  1. SourcesYou + ResearchMission input
  2. BriefProduct ownerMission input
  3. EvidenceResearch SynthesisFrom Sources + Brief
  4. DecisionPanel + youFrom Evidence
  5. ArtefactsDesign + EngineeringFrom Decision
Source references and decision history travel with the work.

01 · Frame the work

A better brief makes
a better starting point.

Describe the person, the problem and the change you want to see. Leave room for the team to discover an answer you didn't expect.

Specialists contribute. Reviewers challenge.
Specialists contribute. Reviewers challenge.Objective to Research; Objective to Product; Research to Challenge; Product to Challenge; Challenge to Your call. This is a sample team structure; enabled capabilities vary by mission.ObjectiveYouResearchEvidence briefProductOptions + trade-offsChallengeSecurity + EngineeringYour callHuman approval
  1. ObjectiveYouMission input
  2. ResearchEvidence briefFrom Objective
  3. ProductOptions + trade-offsFrom Objective
  4. ChallengeSecurity + EngineeringFrom Research + Product
  5. Your callHuman approvalFrom Challenge
This is a sample team structure; enabled capabilities vary by mission.
  • Specific audience, rather than “everyone”.
  • A problem to investigate, rather than a fixed feature list.
  • A clear outcome and explicit boundaries.
Your first product brief

Required: audience, problem and outcome. Your answers stay in this page; they are not sent to a server or saved when you leave.

Markdown format · editable in any text editor

02 · Keep the reasoning

Three documents worth keeping.

Lightweight Markdown templates. Use them with DeliverX or wherever your team works.

From evidence to a judgement
From evidence to a judgementEvidence to Option A; Evidence to Option B; Option A to Challenge; Option B to Challenge; Challenge to Decide. Dissent stays in the record. High-impact decisions escalate to you.EvidenceResearch SynthesisOption AProduct recommendationOption BAlternative approachChallengeReviewers + veto rulesDecidePanel / your call
  1. EvidenceResearch SynthesisMission input
  2. Option AProduct recommendationFrom Evidence
  3. Option BAlternative approachFrom Evidence
  4. ChallengeReviewers + veto rulesFrom Option A + Option B
  5. DecidePanel / your callFrom Challenge
Dissent stays in the record. High-impact decisions escalate to you.

Evidence register

Separate what someone observed from what your team assumes.

Approval controls the next handoff
Approval controls the next handoffProposal to Review; Review to You; You to Next task. The moving trace illustrates a handoff; it never approves real work.ProposalSpecialist teamReviewEvidence + risksYouApprove or returnNext taskApproved scope only
  1. ProposalSpecialist teamMission input
  2. ReviewEvidence + risksFrom Proposal
  3. YouApprove or returnFrom Review
  4. Next taskApproved scope onlyFrom You
The moving trace illustrates a handoff; it never approves real work.

Decision record

Keep the alternatives, trade-offs and human decision together.

Observation informs the next question
Observation informs the next questionDecision to Build; Build to Observe; Observe to Next question; Next question to Decision. Connected measurement and automatic learning remain planned.DecisionExpected resultBuildInspectable artefactObserveYou supply resultsNext questionProposed mission
  1. DecisionExpected resultFrom Next question
  2. BuildInspectable artefactFrom Decision
  3. ObserveYou supply resultsFrom Build
  4. Next questionProposed missionFrom Observe
Connected measurement and automatic learning remain planned.

Experiment brief

Write the expected result before you observe the outcome.

From approved scope to reviewable output
From approved scope to reviewable outputPRD to UX; PRD to Architecture; UX to Prototype; Architecture to Prototype; Prototype to Inspect. A reviewable prototype is distinct from runtime-tested, deployed software.PRDProductUXDesignArchitectureEngineeringPrototypeBuild + QA reviewInspectYou + project export
  1. PRDProductMission input
  2. UXDesignFrom PRD
  3. ArchitectureEngineeringFrom PRD
  4. PrototypeBuild + QA reviewFrom UX + Architecture
  5. InspectYou + project exportFrom Prototype
A reviewable prototype is distinct from runtime-tested, deployed software.

03 · Review the output

Before you call it done,
open the work.

Does it answer the original problem?

Compare the deliverable with the brief and acceptance criteria. A long document is not a substitute for the required outcome.

Can you trace the important claims?

Follow the source references. Distinguish observations from assumptions. A second agent agreeing with a claim is not independent evidence.

What actually ran?

Look for retained execution logs before accepting a tested or deployed claim. An HTML prototype and static checks have narrower assurance.

What is still unknown?

Keep limitations and open questions with the output. Decide what evidence is needed before taking a consequential next step.

Ready to use your brief?

Give your next idea
a team and a direction.

Start a product project