The sidebar is how you get around BriefSpec. It’s always visible on the left side of the screen, and every section of the platform is one click away. This guide covers what each item does and when you’ll use it.

BriefSpec sidebar with numbered navigation items
The BriefSpec sidebar with each navigation item numbered. Hover over any icon to see its label, or click the expand arrow at the top to pin it open with full text labels.

Collapsed vs Expanded

The sidebar starts collapsed — showing icons only. Hover over any icon to see a tooltip with its name. Click the expand arrow at the very top (next to the BriefSpec logo) to pin it open, which shows full text labels next to each icon. Collapse it again when you need more screen space.

BriefSpec expanded sidebar with full text labels
The sidebar expanded with full text labels visible next to each icon. Click the collapse arrow (highlighted at the top) to return to icon-only mode.

From top to bottom, here’s what each icon takes you to (numbered in the screenshot above):

  1. Home — Your personal dashboard. This is where you land after logging in. Shows your onboarding checklist, metric cards, and quick-access tables for projects, requirements, action items, and defects.
  2. Projects — The full projects grid. Create new projects, edit existing ones, or click into any project to open its workspace. This is where most of your work lives.
  3. Clients — Manage client organizations. Add new clients, edit details, and manage team members for each client. Projects must be assigned to a client, so set these up early.
  4. Users — Invite team members, assign roles, and manage permissions. Only visible if you have admin privileges.

Additional items visible when you scroll or expand the sidebar:

  • Time Entry — Log and track time against projects. Available on plans that include the time tracking module.
  • Test Case Library — A shared repository of reusable test case templates. Create test cases here once and pull them into any project.
  • Settings — Account preferences, subscription and billing, platform configuration, OpenAI key management, and tenant branding (logo and colors).
  • Agent Spark — The AI-powered assistant. Generate test cases from requirements, analyze documents, and get help drafting content.

Recent Projects

Below the main navigation, the sidebar shows your most recently accessed projects. Click any one to jump directly into its workspace without going through the Projects grid. This is a fast shortcut when you’re bouncing between a few active projects throughout the day.

Inside a Project: The Workspace Sidebar

When you click into a project, the sidebar changes. A second panel opens showing project-specific navigation organized into collapsible sections:

  • OVERVIEW — Dashboard and Plan. The Dashboard gives you metrics and charts for the project. Plan shows your project timeline and phases.
  • WORK — Backlog (requirements), Phase, Boards, and Action Items. This is where day-to-day delivery work happens.
  • TESTING — Test Cases, Test Cycles, Defects, and Traceability. Everything related to UAT, SIT, and quality assurance.
  • GOVERNANCE — Key Decisions, RAID Logs, Documents, and Service Requests. For project oversight and compliance.
  • AI TOOLS — AI-powered features for the project (varies by plan).
  • PROJECT ADMIN — Project-level settings, team management, and configuration.
BriefSpec project workspace sidebar with section tabs
Inside a project, the sidebar expands to show section tabs — OVERVIEW, WORK, TESTING, GOVERNANCE, AI TOOLS, and PROJECT ADMIN. Each section contains links to that area of the project. Click any section header to expand or collapse its links.

Click any section header (like TESTING) to expand or collapse its links. The Dashboard tab under OVERVIEW is selected by default when you enter a project.