This document gives general guidance on all stages of a translation project. Its main purpose is to ensure efficiency and quality by enhancing communication among the parties involved in the translation project. This document provides a framework for developing translation project specifications that are the basis for requesting, setting up, managing and evaluating translation projects. It also includes guidance on needs analysis, risk assessment and workflows, but it does not provide procedures for evaluating the quality of translation output. This document is primarily intended for those who request translation services. However, it can also be relevant for the translation service providers and the end users of the translation output. It is applicable to all sectors, including the commercial and government sectors, and non-profit organizations. It does not apply to interpreting services.