Define establishes what success means before design and capital lock in. We document objectives, constraints, planning realities, and success measures - and structure feasibility so options are comparable.
Objectives and constraints
We facilitate sessions to separate aspirations from constraints: site area, access, services, policy, funding, and timing. Constraints are not obstacles to ignore; they shape viable options. Success measures may include yield, community outcomes, hold periods, or risk thresholds - stated measurably where possible.
Outputs of Define
- Project brief and decision log
- Planning pathway summary and key policy references
- Feasibility scope and consultant briefs
- Comparative options paper with sensitivities
- Gateway recommendation: proceed, refine, or pause
Common failures we correct
Teams sometimes skip Define by adopting a concept plan from a prior project or a consultant’s favourite typology. We test fit to site and policy before spend. Another failure is feasibility that only models upside; we require stated downside cases.
Define completes when an owner can articulate - in one page - what they are building, why, and what would cause them to stop.
Next stage: Align.
Evidence standards
Define outputs cite sources—policy clauses, study conclusions, cost assumptions—so later challenges can be traced. Unreferenced assertions are flagged as assumptions requiring owner acceptance.
Constraint mapping
Constraints are classified: policy, physical, commercial, and stakeholder. Each class has different mitigation paths. Mapping prevents treating a policy limit as if it were only a design preference.
Benchmarking without false comparables
We compare projects cautiously—similar policy context, scale band, and procurement model. Irrelevant benchmarks inflate or deflate expectations unrealistically.
Proceed criteria
Define ends with explicit proceed criteria: what studies must be complete, what agreements signed, and what budget band approved before design procurement proceeds.
Stakeholder workshops
Define workshops use pre-reads so time is spent deciding, not presenting background owners already hold.
Success measures worked examples
Success may be minimum yield, maximum hold period, community floor area, or risk threshold on approval duration. We document measures so later design choices can be tested against them objectively.
Policy triggers
Define identifies planning policy triggers early - heritage, flooding, transport - so feasibility budgets include the right studies first time.
Option discard rules
Options discarded at Define are recorded with reasons to prevent them resurfacing informally during design without re-testing assumptions.
Define workshops
Workshops use pre-reads and time-boxed decisions. We document what was agreed, what was rejected, and what requires further study. Unresolved items carry owners and due dates, not vague actions.
Outputs owners should demand
At minimum: brief, decision log, planning pathway summary, feasibility scope, and proceed criteria. Without those, Define has not finished.
Define is the cheapest phase to correct course. Owners who skip it usually pay in redesign, RFIs, and contractor variations later.