Validate the Brief Before Building the Deck

Updated September 2026: in June 2020 my manager gave me a brief for a short-turnaround opportunity; I built slides and a storyline around it, then presented them on a call with onsite and offshore teams, where the day's work was set aside. I have rewritten it into advice on validating a brief before investing a day in it.

Back from leave, I was assigned an opportunity with a familiar account team and a short deadline. My manager shared some snippets and asked me to collate slides with a storyline. I trusted his input, built the deck, and he asked me to set up a call with onsite and offshore teams. I opened the call with my deck in presentation mode, confident. The day's work did not survive it.

Why do second-hand briefs go wrong?

Because they are summaries of conversations you were not in. Details get lost, and the manager's own interpretation fills the gaps. When the people closest to the client hear the result, they often find it does not match what they asked for.

How do you validate a brief quickly?

• Write the brief back in five lines: the client's need, the deliverable, the storyline, the deadline and the approver.
• Send it to the onsite lead as well as your manager, and ask for a quick yes or corrections.
• Hold the kickoff call first, then build, not the other way round.

Should you present a full deck at a first call?

Usually not. At a first call, share a one-page outline and ask questions. Presenting a finished deck invites people to react to the slides rather than tell you what they need. An outline invites correction when correction is cheap.

How do you recover when a day's work is dropped?

Take notes on what the team actually wants, confirm it in writing, and reuse whatever still fits. Then tell your manager what changed, factually. Most of the time some structure survives, even if the storyline changes.

What should you ask your manager in future?

"Has the onsite team seen this direction?" If the answer is no, suggest a fifteen-minute call before building. That single question saves the most rework.

Keep reading

• When a Client Team Asks for You by Name
• When Your Lead Rejects a Slide the Client Team Accepted
• Running a Query Log With Answer Deadlines