PROJECT-GOALS.md Template

Use this simple Markdown template to define what your project should achieve, its key requirements and what is explicitly outside its scope.

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Use the free PROJECT-GOALS.md generator and customize the result for your project.

Generate PROJECT-GOALS.md

Basic PROJECT-GOALS.md template

Copy this template into a file named PROJECT-GOALS.md at the root of your project. 

# PROJECT-GOALS.md

## Project

[Project name]

## Overview

[Describe what you are building and why.]

## Primary Goals

- [Primary goal]
- [Secondary goal]
- [Additional goal]

## Key Requirements

- [Requirement]
- [Requirement]
- [Requirement]

## Non-Goals

- [Explicitly out-of-scope item]
- [Feature or capability not required]
- [Constraint that should not be addressed]

## Success Principle

Build the simplest solution that satisfies the project goals and requirements while respecting the defined scope.
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What should PROJECT-GOALS.md contain?

A useful project goals file should make the destination of the project clear without turning into a detailed implementation specification.

Section Purpose
Project The name of the project.
Overview A concise description of what is being built and why.
Primary Goals The outcomes the project should deliver.
Key Requirements The main constraints and capabilities the solution must satisfy.
Non-Goals Things that are explicitly outside the project scope.
Success Principle A simple principle to guide implementation decisions.

Example

Here is a simplified example for an expense management application: 

# PROJECT-GOALS.md

## Project

ExpenseFlow

## Overview

A web application that helps small businesses manage
employee expense submissions and reporting.

## Primary Goals

- Make expense submission simple
- Reduce manual expense processing
- Provide clear expense reporting

## Key Requirements

- Responsive web interface
- Secure authentication
- Expense categorisation
- CSV report export

## Non-Goals

- Payroll management
- Native mobile applications
- Full accounting functionality

## Success Principle

Keep expense management simple and avoid unnecessary
complexity outside the defined scope.

PROJECT-GOALS.md vs agent instructions

Project goals and coding-agent instructions solve different problems.

File Focus
PROJECT-GOALS.md Objectives, requirements and project boundaries
AGENTS.md Instructions for coding agents working in the repository
CLAUDE.md Project context and instructions for Claude Code
GEMINI.md Project context and instructions for Gemini CLI
copilot-instructions.md Repository instructions for GitHub Copilot

Suggested project structure

my-project/
│
├── README.md
├── PROJECT-GOALS.md
├── AGENTS.md
├── CLAUDE.md
│
└── src/

The files can complement each other: project goals define the destination, while agent instruction files define how particular tools should work in the repository.

Create your own PROJECT-GOALS.md

Describe your project, goals, requirements and non-goals, then generate a ready-to-download Markdown file.

Open the generator

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