Research commissioned with a topic instead of a question is hard to answer. This guide shows how to write a short brief for anyone who will do the work, inside your company or outside it: the decision behind it, the question in a form that can be answered, and what you want to hold at the end.
Begin with the decision, not the subject. 'Market for X' is a subject; 'whether to enter segment Y with product Z or wait' is a decision, and the research needed for it is narrower and clearer. If no decision depends on the work, you probably need a different, smaller piece of work.
Write the brief so that someone with no knowledge of your company can start without calling you.
One sentence, plus who will act on the answer.
Phrased so that an answer could be shown wrong. Avoid 'explore' and 'understand'.
Products, places, customer types, periods; and what is explicitly excluded.
Documents, figures and views, each marked as your own or independently sourced.
Sources you cannot use, material you may not share, language, and any date the answer is needed by.
Table, shortlist, short memo, matrix; with a source log and a statement of limits.
Each as verified fact, inference, unavailable or client-provided, so you can see what carries weight.
What could not be established, and what that means for the answer.
Research assembles and structures the evidence. Decisions on structure, market and strategy stay with you or with a consulting engagement.
LATYNEX's custom commercial research works from a brief of this kind: the question is scoped in writing and the approach agreed before research starts.
If the answer differs from yours, the brief is not yet clear.
So trade-offs can be made with your knowledge.
Research assembles evidence; it does not forecast or decide.
Whether you want only what a source shows, or also labelled inference.
Research reports what can be established from public and provided sources. It is not a guarantee about a counterparty's future conduct and not legal advice.
One page is enough. Clarity helps more than length.
Say so and describe the decision. Narrowing it is part of agreeing the scope.
Yes, labelled as such. It can be tested, and it helps the researcher aim.
No obligation. We read your request and reply with a straight answer.
Tell us what you need to find out and by when. We confirm scope before any work starts.
Request research