When a project struggles, the cause can often be traced back to something left unsaid at the start: an assumption about the budget, a deadline nobody mentioned, a decision-maker who appeared late. A little thinking before we begin can save a good deal of backtracking afterwards.

Here are six things worth thinking through before any project starts. You don't need polished answers. Rough notes are fine, and "I'm not sure yet" is a useful answer too — it tells us where the conversation should begin.

The checklist

• The outcome you want. Describe what will be different when the project is finished, rather than the steps to get there. A useful test is to say what would make you look back and call it a success. That gives both of us a way to judge every later decision.
• A realistic budget range. A range is more useful than a single figure. Sharing it early lets us suggest an approach that fits, rather than one that has to be cut back later. If you have no idea what's reasonable, say so, and we can talk about what drives the cost.
• A deadline, and what drives it. Tell us when you need the work done and why that date matters: an event, a season, another piece of work that depends on this one. A fixed date and a preferred date are planned for differently, so it helps to know which one this is.
• Who decides, and who needs to be consulted. Name the person who gives the final yes. Then list anyone whose opinion has to be heard along the way: a partner, a colleague, a board, a family member. Bringing them in early is far easier than reopening finished work because someone saw it late.
• The materials and access we'll need. Depending on the work, that might be documents, background information, earlier work on the same problem, or access to a space, a system or the people who know the details. Gathering these before the start date means the early days aren't spent waiting.
• How you'd like to be kept updated. Some people want a short note every week; others only want to hear when there's a decision to make or a problem to solve. Tell us which you prefer, how you like to be reached, and who else should be copied.

What to do with your answers

Write them down, even as a few lines, and share them with us before we start. We'll likely have questions of our own, and some of your answers may shift once we've talked. That's fine. It's far better for a plan to change on paper at the start than halfway through the work.

If any item is hard to answer, that's worth knowing too. Bring it to our first conversation and we'll work through it together.