The RIBA Plan of Work: the eight stages explained

The eight stages

The Plan of Work has eight stages, numbered 0 to 7:

1. Strategic Definition. The client decides what they want to achieve and whether a building is the right answer. They consider the business case and the strategic brief, and may look at options for sites and ways of meeting the need.
2. Preparation and Briefing. The project brief is developed, with objectives, budget, programme, site information and feasibility studies. The project team is assembled.
3. Concept Design. The architect and team prepare concept designs that respond to the brief, and test them against the budget and programme. The client approves a direction.
4. Spatial Coordination. The design is developed with structural and services engineers and others, and coordinated so that spaces, structure and systems fit together. Planning applications are often made around this time.
5. Technical Design. Detailed design, drawings and specifications are prepared, to the level needed for construction and manufacture. Building Regulations information is completed.
6. Manufacturing and Construction. The building is built, and elements are made off site. Designers respond to site queries and check the work.
7. Handover. The building is completed, tested, commissioned and handed over, with the information and training the owner needs. Any defects are resolved.
8. Use. The building is operated, maintained and, where appropriate, assessed to see how it performs. Lessons are learned for future projects. See Post-occupancy evaluation.

How it is used

• Planning the services and fees. Architects often describe the services they will provide in terms of these stages.
• Tracking progress. It helps to know where a project has got to and what decisions are due next.
• Linking to contracts. It sits alongside the procurement route (traditional, design and build, and others), so stages may overlap or be reordered.
• Information. Each stage has a set of information to be produced and shared.

The Plan of Work has eight stages, numbered 0 to 7:

Key ideas

• Early decisions matter most. The ability to influence cost and outcome is greatest at the start, and falls later. See Cost, quality and time.
• Information must be shared and coordinated. That is why clear communication, models and drawing standards matter.
• The plan is a framework, not a straitjacket. Small projects may combine stages, and some work, such as planning and procurement, may happen at different points.
• Sustainability and safety threads run through all the stages.

Other systems

Other countries and industries use different stage models, with different names and boundaries. When working internationally, clarify what each stage means in the contract. See Working across cultures.

In short

The Plan of Work divides a project into eight stages, from strategy to use. It helps everyone to know what happens when, and who decides what. Always agree how your own project will use it.

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