Changing the Brief

You may not know (and possibly not care) but the term Strategic Brief has been dropped from the 2020 version of the RIBA Plan of Work and replaced with Client Requirements. Back in the 1998 Architect’s Plan of Work, Strategic Briefing was a work stage in its own right with the output being the preparation of the Strategic Brief by or on behalf of the client.

In the various irritations of the Standard Form of Agreement for the appointment of an Architect dating from the SFA/99 version, the task of compiling, revising and editing of the Strategic Brief is treated as an additional service to be instructed when required and does not form part of the main management or design services. In essence, it is assumed that the client is responsible for defining and articulating their needs to the design team but allows for the client to obtain assistance from others, if required.

Gone also from the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 are the Initial Project Brief and the Final Project Brief that featured in the 2013 version. In their place is simply the Project Brief which is prepared during Preparation and Brief (Stage 1) with Project Brief Derogations to be agreed with the design team during Concept Design (Stage 2).

The client having ownership of the Project Brief is a principal that continues to be maintained in the RIBA Plan of Work 2020, however, there are a number of reasons why there can be some confusion over who drafts or updates the Project Brief in practice. It could be that the client is unaware of the Plan of Work, how it is intended to operate and their own roles and responsibilities. It could also be that the design team members are appointed on bespoke developer, contractor or local authority appointments drafted by the client’s legal team with terminology and services that differs from the Plan of Work and that the task of the development of the brief is not fully captured as a result. Or it could also be that the matter is not adequately discussed between client and design team and, as project work progresses, the design team set out in documents, such as work stage reports or the Design and Access Statement submitted for planning, their own understanding of the client’s Project Brief. This risks that crucial Client Requirements are not identified prior to commencement of design meaning that they are either missed entirely or that there is abortive or additional work to incorporate them in to a partially developed design.

Commentary on the RIBA Plan of Work 2020 makes it clear that the process of developing the Client Requirements and the corresponding Business Case should involve all key Project Stakeholders within the client body and be undertaken at Strategic Definition (Stage 0). It goes on the say that it is important to recognise that Preparation and Brief (Stage 1) is not a design stage but is about establishing a clear Project Brief, before the design process commences at Concept Design (Stage 2). The reasons for this are neatly summarised in the commentary by stating that a poor Project Brief is likely to lead to poor design outcomes and that a poor design will not achieve exemplary Project Outcomes.

 All clients should therefore understand that they are responsible for the Project Brief, that it is an important document that determines the direction and approach of the design team for early design activity and that a well-considered Project Brief is crucial to project success.

#PlanOfWork #StrategicBrief #ProjectBrief #ClientRequirements #ProjectOutcomes

https://www.architecture.com/-/media/GatherContent/Test-resources-page/Additional-Documents/2020RIBAPlanofWorkoverviewpdf.pdf