The briefing process for your new fit-out is a chance to put down on paper what your ideal workspace looks like. At this stage of the process you’ve chosen the workplace specialist who will deliver your future fit-out, but how do you go about briefing them on exactly what you want and need?
Chances are your fit-out specialist will be by your side throughout the entire briefing process as this is a highly collaborative stage. So to help you get the most from your briefing process, here are some key considerations to take into your planning sessions.
What type of workplace do you want to create?
This is such an important consideration for so many businesses as they head into a post-covid business environment that has fundamentally changed. When considering the type of workplace you want to create, reflect on your current business, and its future development to ensure what has been planned for takes into consideration the future requirements of your business.
Business objectives and goals of the new design
Having a measurement for success is a great way to underpin your planning process. Without it, we have no true way to analyse the success factor of a new workplace fit-out. Start by looking at what critical factors contribute to a successful workplace in your judgement. This could be a combination of being able to cater for clients/customers onsite or being a workplace that entices staff to come back into the office after working remotely for a long period of time. Lastly, have a think about how you can measure those factors so that when the rollout is complete you can assess the performance of the office space that has been designed.
Workplace Style
A separate category of consideration entirely from look and feel, workplace style prompts you to consider how you want staff, clients and contractors to work in the new fit-out. This can range from open plan office styling to social interaction and engagement, all the way through to sectioned offices that support private consultation.
Overall Style/Look
This is one area where many companies may struggle to describe their style, or at very least understand what styles are available to them. Work with your design and fit-out specialists and draw on their experience from working with other like-minded companies. A design and fit-out partner will make recommendations based on the brief and planning provided, so ensure you remain engaged in the creative process to get the most out of your new workplace fit-out.
Budget and Schedule
Time and money will be highly influential factors when it comes to planning your next office fit-out. Your partnership with a fit-out specialist will be able to assist you to navigate the budget and scheduling process, as the outcomes from these decisions will affect many of the key planning aspects of a roll-out. As a start point, try to estimate your desired level of investment and timeline prior to engaging in the brief process. Whilst it is likely your figures and timeline will be high level, this will cut down on any unnecessary work being done by all parties.
Team collaboration and culture
In a post-covid market, the office in which many staff members return will be just as important as the company that they work for, or what they are paid. The decision-making process for your employees may have changed significantly throughout the lockdown period, and as such, the planning process for team collaboration and culture must reflect that. Reach out to your staff, engage in a poll or speak with them one on one about how much collaboration they need and what kind of culture they would like. By actively sourcing feedback from your staff, you can merge it with your own insights to ensure your decision making is valid from multiple points of view.
The problems you’re facing
This is a chance to look in the mirror and test if the planning for your new work environment tackles the problems facing your business. This process is after all an extremely large investment in time and money, you want to make sure that changing the location, look, feel and base structure of the business is going to give you the best results when it comes to addressing problems in the workplace.
The do not's
Like any good brief, the outline of elements, items and structures that you absolutely do not want in your new fit-out is a must. This must stay away from the list will be of constant reference to the fit-out team as they move to develop your future work environment. Make sure that this list is published as part of your working brief so that it makes up the fabric of the development process and can be checked at each stage.
Choosing the right professional fit-out team for your new office workspace may possibly be one of the most cost and time-efficient decisions that can be made when considering the development of your future workspace.
So, if you are looking for an office fit-out specialist with the industry best design to help you navigate the development of your post-covid work environment, download our brief template and contact us.
NB: Image sourced from Unsplash