Published October 12, 2026.
Why a short intake brief earns its keep
Growth work often arrives as a verb: build a list, fix the campaign, update the dashboard. The verb sounds decisive but hides the choices that determine whether the result is useful. A growth assistant may not know which segment matters, which source is authoritative, or which decision the finished work should support. A one-page intake brief makes those choices visible before execution. It reduces avoidable clarification loops without pretending every assignment can be specified perfectly. The objective is not paperwork. It is a shared definition of the problem, the evidence available, and the point at which the owner must make a judgment.
Write the outcome as an observable state
Replace “clean the CRM” with a state another person can inspect: duplicate candidates reviewed under the approved matching rule, unresolved records placed in an exception queue, and a change log delivered to the pipeline owner. Name the audience and downstream decision. If the deliverable is a report, identify what the reader should be able to decide after reading it. Add a due time and timezone, because “Friday” becomes ambiguous across distributed teams. Avoid prescribing every keystroke. A strong brief fixes the destination and safety boundaries while leaving room for an experienced operator to choose an efficient route.
Attach inputs, authority, and exclusions
List the exact systems, saved views, source documents, and credential scope the assistant may use. Mark one source as controlling when two tools disagree. Record exclusions explicitly: no production automation changes, no customer contact, no deletion, or no spend adjustments without approval. For sensitive exports, state where files may be stored and when they must be removed. This protects the business and the operator. It also exposes missing access early, when the schedule can still be adjusted, instead of halfway through the assignment when a deadline is already at risk.
Close with acceptance and escalation
Define three to five checks that prove the work is ready. Good checks are observable: every accepted lead has a source URL and last-verified date; totals reconcile to the dashboard; the draft uses the approved offer; or each exception has an owner. Then specify escalation triggers, such as an unknown consent status, a metric definition conflict, or a request that would change a live workflow. At handoff, the assistant should summarize completed work, exceptions, assumptions, and recommended next actions. That compact evidence packet lets the owner review the decision points instead of recreating the entire task.
