Project Request Form Template

A project request form is how a client asks for a new piece of work in a way your team can act on straight away. Copy the template below, make it the one place new requests go, and every job starts with the same basic facts.

The project request form template

Keep it short enough to fill in on a phone. Every field has a one-line hint.

PROJECT REQUEST FORM

Your name
  So we know who to come back to with questions.

Company or team
  Which client or department this is for.

Request title
  A few words that name the job. "Summer sale banners", not "design".

Request type
  Pick one: design, copy, website, video, social, print, other.

What you need
  Describe the work in a few sentences, as you'd explain it to a colleague.

Why you need it
  What it's for and what it should make happen.

Deliverables
  Format, sizes and how many.

Audience
  Who will see it.

Due date
  When you need it, and what that date is tied to.

Priority
  Pick one: urgent, this week, this month, whenever.

Files and examples
  Attach copy, images, logos or links to examples you like.

Approver
  Who gives the final yes, if it's not you.

Anything else
  Budget code, related requests, people to keep in the loop.

What each field is for

Each field answers a question your team would otherwise have to ask.

• Request title and type let you sort and route the queue at a glance. A designer can pick up "design" requests without opening each one.
• What you need and why you need it are separate on purpose. The first describes the work, the second tells you whether the work is the right answer.
• Deliverables catch the hidden work: one "post" is often three sizes.
• Due date and priority together stop everything being urgent. A date says when, the priority says how much it matters if it slips.
• Approver saves the most time later. If the person asking isn't the person who signs off, you need to know now.

Creative request form and design request form versions

The same form works for creative and design requests. Change the request type options and add one or two fields that matter for that kind of work.

For a creative request form, add:

Key message
  The one thing people should remember.

Channels
  Where it will run: email, social, paid, print, events.

For a design request form, add:

Sizes and specs
  Every size needed. Include bleed and file type for print.

Brand rules
  Anything that must match an existing campaign or template.

If you need a full creative brief for bigger jobs, the request form is the first step: it tells you which requests need one.

Project request form vs project intake form

A project request form is for one piece of work. A project intake form is often used for larger projects that need review before they're accepted, and adds fields for budget, scope, stakeholders and success measures.

Most client-service teams need the request form for day-to-day work and a longer intake for new engagements. If you're onboarding a new client rather than taking a new request, use a client intake form instead.

Setting it up in a form tool

The template works in any form tool, a shared doc or a portal. A few setup choices make a big difference to how well clients fill it in.

• Use dropdowns for request type and priority, and a date picker for the due date. Clients answer faster when they pick.
• Put each hint in the help text under the question, so the client sees what a good answer looks like.
• Make only the fields you need to start required: name, title, what you need, deliverables and due date.
• Allow file uploads and links in one field, so clients don't have to email attachments separately.
• Send a confirmation to the requester with a copy of their answers. It cuts the "did you get my request?" emails.

A filled-in example

Here's a request from the client of a small marketing agency, a regional bike shop.

• Your name: Leo Marsh
• Company or team: Cranks Cycles, marketing
• Request title: Autumn service offer, social and in-store
• Request type: Design
• What you need: Posts and a poster for our autumn bike service deal. Same style as the spring campaign.
• Why you need it: Fill the workshop in October, which is usually quiet.
• Deliverables: Two Instagram posts (1080 x 1350), one story (1080 x 1920), one A3 poster for the shop window.
• Audience: Commuters and weekend riders who already bought a bike from us.
• Due date: September 25, so we can post from October 1.
• Priority: This month.
• Files and examples: Spring campaign files attached, offer copy attached.
• Approver: Nadia, shop owner.
• Anything else: The offer is "Full service for $79, this October only."

That's enough to start. The one thing the team might still ask is whether the poster needs bleed for their printer, and that's one question, not a call.

How to use it

1. Make it the only front door. Link it in your email signature, your portal and your onboarding docs. Requests that arrive elsewhere get logged on the form by your team, so nothing lives only in a chat thread.
2. Triage within one working day. Read each request, check it against the client's scope or retainer, and reply with one of three answers: starting, need more detail, or this is extra work.
3. Ask for gaps in one message. If the due date and sizes are missing, ask for both in a single short reply.
4. Confirm before you start. Send back a two-line summary and the date you'll deliver.
5. Sign-off goes to the named approver. The person in the approver field signs off on the finished work. If that field is empty, ask before you start, not at delivery. Our client approval process guide covers the steps from there.

Common mistakes

• Too many required fields. A request form isn't a brief. If it takes 20 minutes, clients will email you instead.
• No request type. Without it, every request looks the same in your queue and routing takes longer.
• "ASAP" as a due date. Replace the free text with a date picker and a priority dropdown.
• Accepting requests in five places. One request in email, one in chat, one on a call. Pick one front door, or something gets lost.

How Dora does this for you

The truth about request forms: some clients will always email instead. And the ones who use the form leave the due date blank.

Dora takes requests however they arrive, from the portal, by email or from the client's own AI tool, and writes the brief from the client's first message. She asks only for what's missing, follows up when a client goes quiet, and keeps every file and decision on the request. When the work is done, the client approves it in one click. If nobody replies, it auto-approves after a few days. And if a request is outside the agreed scope, it becomes a change order the client accepts in one click.

The hours your team spends retyping emails into a form and chasing missing details are hours you don't bill. See how Dora works as an AI account manager, with every client in their own client portal. Your first client is free, then $10 per client per month with unlimited team seats. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What should a project request form include?

The requester's name and company, a request title and type, what's needed and why, the deliverables, the audience, a due date and priority, files and examples, and the name of the approver if it isn't the person asking.

What's the difference between a project request form and a project intake form?

A project request form covers one piece of work and is built for day-to-day requests. A project intake form is usually longer and used for bigger projects that need review before they're accepted, with fields for budget, scope, stakeholders and success measures.

How is a creative request form different from a design request form?

Both start from the same fields. A creative request form adds the key message and the channels it will run on. A design request form adds sizes and specs, including bleed for print, and any brand rules or templates it must match.

How long should a project request form take to fill in?

A few minutes. If it takes much longer, clients will email you instead. Keep the required fields to the ones you need to start, and use dropdowns for request type and priority.

What if a client sends requests by email instead of the form?

Log the request on the form yourself so everything lives in one place, then ask the client for anything that's missing in one short message. Fighting the habit usually costs more than adapting to it.