Empathise
Here are the questions that help you define problem, stakeholder and scope of your project
It should be a concise statement that address such questions as:
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What is the gap / problem that you are trying to address? (Future vs. current scenario)
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How big/severe is the problem that you are working on?
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Who are your potential users?
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What are their needs that are not being met currently?
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What are the blockers that are preventing users from meeting these needs?
Description of the partner
If you are working with a community partner to solve a problem for, like the Institute for Blinds, Food Agency, etc. You can address such questions as:
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Who is the community partner for this project? (e.g., external NGO, company, anyone whom you are trying to solve this problem with)
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What is the overall goal that the partner is trying to get to? (think of their motivation and goals)
User
It should address such questions as:
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Who will be affected by your project other than the user?
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Who has vital interest in the project’s success?
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Think beyond the end user – Who has an interest in maintenance, storage, etc.?
Project scope
Address such questions as:
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What are going to be the project results?
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When the project is finished, what will be left behind by your team?
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What functionality is in-scope and should be part of the project at this time? (consider what your inspired idea/tool/problem offers to the target user group)
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What functionality is out-of-scope and should not be included? (consider what your inspired idea/tool/problem does not offer to the target user group)
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What assumptions has your team made? (about the current scenario including users, market, competition, need, geography, etc)
User needs list
It should include a complete list of the major functions needed by each user:
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Who will be affected by your project other than your stakeholder/user?
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Who has vital interest in the project’s success?
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Expected overall project timeline
It should address such questions as:
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What is the timeline for completion of the entire project?​
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What are the major milestones?
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When is the project intended to be completed?
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What is the current team’s assessment of the timeline?
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The most common tool for project planning in industry is the Gantt Chart