In advance of the new year and the self-improvement resolutions that quickly follow, the Project Management team at JESS3 circled up last week to set some goals for ourselves.

A top priority for 2012 is perfecting the creative brief — admittedly, no small task. But like all January gym-goers, we’re committed and determined.

We started by doing our homework. The Internet offers a plethora of resources to help with research. From SlideShare presentations like these:

…to industry blogs like this, this and this.

Did you know the word “briefing” comes from American military language and means “a deployment discussion with a short description of the situation and explanation of the aims of the operation, and a detailed strategy”? The term was introduced into advertising by the American advertising executive Rosser Reeves and the copywriter David Ogilvy, and was then adopted by marketing.# Now you do!

Beyond this research, we’ve also begun interviewing our team members from Creative and Strategy. We’re getting valuable insights on what they need to know to do their jobs better, faster, stronger.

Our CEO and Founder Jesse Thomas cautions not to over-think it. “A creative brief is a recipe handed to you by a chef,” Thomas said. “You need to work with him on planning how you are going to execute.”

Global Creative Director Christian Day says it simply: “It has everything the designer needs to start the project and is then a jumping point for the director to direct from.”

But, we thought, why stop there? Why not seek advice from those outside our own circle?

That’s why we’re looking to our JESS3 blog readers for insight! What’s the best creative brief you’ve ever seen and what made it stand out? What’s the most fixable mistake you see in briefs repeatedly? Can a template work or is more about training yourself to think like a creative or strategist?

Leave us a comment below or send us an email to weigh in. We promise to share the wealth by compiling all the tips into a follow-up blog before New Year’s Eve!

Thanks in advance for your input. With your help, we’ll be in bikini-shape in no time!

Jenny Redden is the Senior Project Manager at JESS3, follow her on Twitter @J_Redden.

Tags: creative brief, jenny redden, JESS3, project management