Document analysis A good start for a briefing process is to gather and review existing material about the client organization. Analysing such secondary data will provide an initial understanding of the organization, which can then be deepened in the steps that follow. A lot can be learnt by looking at public information that is available on websites and in brochures and annual reports. Such material gives an insight into how the organization presents itself to the outside world and while this is not necessarily in line with reality, it can still reveal a lot about the organizations aspirations. Job advertisements are a good example. The recruitment site of a company may state: We want our employees to be happy and healthy both inside and outside of work. Such a quote will be a good starting point for a discussion with the client about their ambitions on matters such as sports facilities, indoor climate, ergonomics and well-being in general. As well as public statements, it will be useful to look at internal memos and reports that discuss organizational aspects such as headcount, organizational structure, branding and planned change processes. Sometimes such documents are confidential, but they will be useful for positioning the building project in a wider organizational context. If, for example, an organization is planning to rebrand itself, it will be useful to know this because the building may play a supporting role in such a change process.If available, one should also look at the organizations formal real estate strategy and space standards. Such documents can provide very concrete input for the briefing process, although they should mostly be regarded as a reference.In general, it is important to be critical of the status and accuracy of the data that can be found in organizational documents. Headcount data, for example, are notoriously inaccurate because they are often outdated or exclude particular types of users (e.g. external contractors). Document analysis should therefore always be combined with follow-up interviews for validation of the data gathered. Recommendations-Make a list of documents/data that the client should deliver (e.g. headcount, growth projections, an organizational chart).-Beware of possible discrepancies between how things are presented in documents and how they are in everyday practice (e.g. in relation to strategy or culture).-Conduct follow-up interviews to clarify and validate data that seem unclear or unrealistic.-Use the document analysis to get acquainted with the clients vocabulary (department names, trade-specific terminology).-When citing from documents, make a proper reference to the source, noting the author, title and date of publication.