“Make it better” is not a technical specification.
A good product-development project begins with a clear brief.
Without one, development becomes subjective very quickly.
The customer says:
“It should feel more premium.”
The chemist hears:
“Change something.”
The next sample may be different.
But not necessarily better.
A development brief solves that problem.
It translates a commercial idea into a defined technical and practical target.
What is a product development brief?
A development brief is a document that describes:
what the product is
who it is for
how it should be used
what it should achieve
what characteristics matter most
which benchmarks are relevant
what the commercial limitations are
what should be considered a successful result
It does not need to contain a finished formulation.
That is the manufacturer's job.
But it should clearly define the destination.
Why a good brief matters
A strong brief helps:
Reduce unnecessary development rounds
Clear targets lead to more focused formulation work.
Improve feedback
Samples can be evaluated against agreed criteria.
Align commercial and technical teams
Sales, marketing, R&D and the customer work from the same objective.
Control project scope
New requests can be distinguished from the original brief.
Speed up approvals
A product is easier to approve when everyone knows what “finished” means.
Start with the commercial objective
Before discussing chemistry, define the business case.
Ask:
Who is the customer?
Consumer?
Enthusiast?
Professional detailer?
Dealer?
Retail customer?
Industrial user?
Where will the product be sold?
Direct-to-consumer?
Retail?
Marketplace?
Distribution?
Professional network?
OEM?
What position should it occupy?
Value?
Mainstream?
Premium?
Professional?
Specialist?
What price point does it need to support?
The technical target should make sense commercially.
A formulation intended for a €12 product and a formulation intended for a €60 product may require completely different decisions.
Define the product role
Every product should have a clear role in the range.
For example:
hero product
core product
maintenance product
support product
professional product
entry product
This helps determine how much differentiation and development effort is appropriate.
Describe the product in one sentence
If the product cannot be described clearly in one sentence, the brief is probably not ready.
For example:
A premium pH-neutral maintenance shampoo for coated vehicles, designed for high lubricity, low residue and a refined user experience.
That is much more useful than:
A really good shampoo.
Another example:
A professional wheel cleaner for frequent workshop use with strong contamination removal, controlled dwell behaviour and good material compatibility.
Again, clear enough to guide development.
Define the intended application
The same product category can behave very differently depending on how it is used.
Clarify:
ready to use or concentrate
spray, foam, pour or wipe
wet or dry surface
manual or machine application
indoor or outdoor
dwell time
rinse or wipe-off
professional or consumer use
required dilution
temperature or climate considerations
Application method can influence the formulation significantly.
Define the target surfaces
Do not assume “automotive surface” is specific enough.
Examples:
paint
coated paint
matte paint
glass
wheels
plastics
rubber
leather
textiles
metal
trim
mixed surfaces
The intended substrate can influence compatibility, chemistry and product claims.
Use benchmark products carefully
Benchmark products can be extremely useful.
But a benchmark is only helpful if you explain why it matters.
Do not just write:
“We like Product X.”
Instead define:
What should be matched?
For example:
application
slickness
foam
wipe-off
durability
What should be improved?
For example:
fragrance
residue
user experience
concentration
packaging compatibility
What should be avoided?
For example:
streaking
aggressive odour
excessive dwell sensitivity
difficult removal
The benchmark should clarify the target, not replace it.
Define performance requirements
This is where the brief becomes technically useful.
Potential attributes may include:
cleaning power
gloss
slickness
hydrophobicity
durability
wetting
foam
lubrication
residue
wipe-off
curing
chemical resistance
drying behaviour
finish
anti-static effect
water repellency
material compatibility
Not every product needs every parameter.
Choose only those that matter.
Prioritize the requirements
This is one of the most important parts of the brief.
Use three categories.
MUST HAVE
Non-negotiable.
If the product does not achieve this, the development has failed.
Examples:
must be pH neutral
must be coating-safe
must work at 1:500 dilution
must fit a certain packaging system
must meet a target cost ceiling
SHOULD HAVE
Important but with some flexibility.
Examples:
should have strong foam
should have a premium fragrance
should have high slickness
should reduce drying effort
NICE TO HAVE
Desirable if technically practical.
Examples:
specific colour
unusual visual effect
secondary fragrance note
additional marketing characteristic
This hierarchy prevents contradictions.
Why prioritization matters
Imagine a brief asking for:
maximum cleaning power
neutral pH
extremely gentle material compatibility
zero residue
lowest possible cost
very high concentration
premium fragrance
unrestricted surface compatibility
Each request sounds reasonable individually.
Together, they may conflict.
The developer needs to know what matters most.
Define physical characteristics
Relevant fields can include:
Appearance
Clear?
Opaque?
Pearlescent?
Coloured?
Colour
Specific target or open?
Fragrance
Direction:
citrus
clean
sweet
woody
neutral
technical
other
Intensity:
low
medium
strong
Viscosity
Low?
Medium?
Gel-like?
Sprayable?
Pumpable?
Foaming behaviour
Low?
Controlled?
High?
Dense?
Fast-breaking?
Define concentration and dilution
For concentrates, clarify:
intended dilution range
standard use dilution
maximum dilution
professional vs consumer use
dosing method
expected cost-per-use
A concentrate may look commercially attractive but can become difficult for users if dilution is too complex.
Define packaging constraints
Packaging should be part of the brief early.
Include:
pack size
bottle type
material
trigger or closure
pump
cap
label area
carton size
customer-supplied packaging
packaging still to be sourced
This matters because formulation properties can influence filling and compatibility.
Define target markets
The intended market can affect:
classification
labelling
documentation
language
product claims
UFI / PCN
packaging
transport
List the countries or regions as early as possible.
Do not wait until the product is finished to say:
“We also want to sell it in another market.”
Define desired claims
Possible claims might include:
pH neutral
coating safe
streak-free
solvent free
biodegradable
high gloss
long-lasting
anti-static
hydrophobic
silicone free
safe on specific surfaces
professional grade
Claims should be treated as development inputs, not just marketing copy added later.
Define commercial parameters
A technically excellent product can still fail commercially.
Include:
Target retail price
Target wholesale price
Target purchase price
Expected first order
Expected annual volume
Margin expectations where relevant
Required pack size
Intended channel
These numbers help ensure the product is being developed into a commercially realistic structure.
Define timing
A useful brief includes:
desired first sample
target technical approval
artwork deadline
production target
commercial launch date
fixed deadlines
If the project is tied to:
a trade fair
retailer listing
campaign
launch event
distributor meeting
say so early.
Timing changes development decisions.
Define what success looks like
This sounds obvious but is often missing.
Complete this sentence:
This project is successful if…
Examples:
…the product clearly outperforms our current benchmark on application and slickness while staying within the target cost.
Or:
…the formulation can be launched in our current packaging with no major operational changes and reaches the target retail price.
Or:
…professional detailers can achieve the required result faster than with the current system.
That gives the development team a commercial definition of success.
A strong brief should answer 12 questions
1. What is the product?
2. Who is it for?
3. Where will it be sold?
4. How will it be used?
5. What surfaces are involved?
6. What should it do?
7. Which benchmarks matter?
8. What must be different?
9. Which requirements are non-negotiable?
10. What are the cost and volume targets?
11. What packaging will be used?
12. When does it need to launch?
If those are clear, development usually becomes much more efficient.
Example: weak brief
We need a premium spray sealant. It should be better than Competitor X, smell good and be easy to use.
This leaves too many unanswered questions.
Better in what way?
For whom?
At what price?
How long should it last?
Wet or dry application?
What surfaces?
What packaging?
What market?
Example: strong brief
PRODUCT
Premium spray sealant
USER
Enthusiast and professional detailer
MARKET
EU
POSITIONING
Premium
APPLICATION
Dry application by trigger spray and microfiber
TARGET
Fast application with strong gloss and slickness
BENCHMARK
Competitor X
MATCH
Ease of application
IMPROVE
Slickness and water behaviour
AVOID
Streaking in warm conditions
MUST HAVE
easy wipe-off
coating compatibility
stable in proposed trigger bottle
acceptable for EU launch
SHOULD HAVE
strong gloss
premium fragrance
3–6 month durability target
NICE TO HAVE
very low product usage per vehicle
PACKAGING
500 ml trigger bottle
TARGET RETAIL
€24.95
INITIAL VOLUME
5,000 units
TARGET LAUNCH
Q2 2027
Now the R&D team has something useful to work with.
Do not over-specify the chemistry
A good brief defines the result.
It does not need to dictate every ingredient.
Unless there is a valid reason, avoid telling the chemist:
which surfactants to use
which polymer to use
which solvent to use
which exact raw-material architecture to use
Instead define:
performance
restrictions
user experience
commercial target
regulatory constraints
Let the formulator solve the technical problem.
Separate requirements from preferences
Customers often mix these together.
For example:
“It must be blue.”
Does it really have to be blue?
Or would blue simply be nice?
That distinction matters.
Every “must” reduces development freedom.
Use strict requirements only where they are genuinely necessary.
Avoid moving targets
One of the biggest causes of slow development is changing the objective during sampling.
For example:
V1:
More cleaning power.
V2:
Actually make it gentler.
V3:
Could we make it cheaper?
V4:
Now make it more concentrated.
The product may never reach approval because the destination keeps changing.
If the brief changes materially, update the brief explicitly.
Do not quietly move the target.
Development freeze
Once a product reaches technical approval, there should be a clear point where the brief is considered satisfied.
After this stage:
formulation changes
fragrance changes
colour changes
concentration changes
packaging changes
may require additional work.
This is why formal approval matters.
A simple Product Development Brief template
Use the following structure.
PROJECT
Customer:
Project:
Product:
Project ID:
Development route:
PRODUCT PURPOSE
What should the product do?
TARGET USER
Who is it for?
MARKET
Where will it be sold?
POSITIONING
Value / Mainstream / Premium / Professional / Specialist
APPLICATION
How will it be used?
SURFACES
Where will it be used?
BENCHMARKS
Primary benchmark:
What should be matched?
What should improve?
What should be avoided?
PERFORMANCE TARGETS
Required technical characteristics:
MUST HAVE
SHOULD HAVE
NICE TO HAVE
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Appearance:
Colour:
Fragrance:
Viscosity:
Foam:
COMMERCIAL TARGET
Retail price:
Purchase price:
Initial volume:
Annual volume:
PACKAGING
Container:
Pack size:
Closure:
Label:
TARGET MARKETS
Countries:
Languages:
CLAIMS
Desired claims:
TIMELINE
First sample:
Technical approval:
Production:
Launch:
SUCCESS CRITERIA
This project is successful if:
The Infinitec approach
At Infinitec, a proper development brief is the transition between:
“We have an idea.”
and
“We are ready to develop.”
It creates a shared target for:
customer
project management
R&D
quality
regulatory
production
The objective is not bureaucracy.
It is clarity.
Good briefs create better development.
Ready to brief a product?
Use our structured Product Development Brief to define your project.
Or start a project with Infinitec and we will help build the brief with you.
Continue reading:
Next: How to Use Benchmark Products Correctly
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