b'Construction briefingKristian Kreiner, Professor Emeritus at Copenhagen Business SchoolKristian Kreiner is professor emeritus at the Copenhagen Business School and one of Denmarks leading academics in the field of construction. Amongst many other things, he has done a lot of research on design competitions and competition briefs. How would you define the concept of a brief? How do you see the future of briefing? In its essence, a brief can be understood as anThe trend towards extensive briefs will probably outline of a task that someone intends to delegatebe strengthened by BIM and digitalisation. Like to others. The idea is to give the potential actorin the case of contractual decisions, the push is a fair idea about what performing the task willto have everything clarified up front, neglecting entail in terms of competence and effort. Thisthe ambiguity, uncertainty and dynamism that can be done in different levels of detail. Theare inherent to construction projects. Neglecting general trend is to make briefs increasinglysuch conditions will make briefs look incomplete extensive and detailed, treating them like aand even wrong in retrospect. The likely learning contractual document. In that case, the brief notwill be to make briefs less brief, less ambiguous, only describes the tasks but also the steps foretc., and therefore also less indicative of the task achieving them. ahead. Is there a difference between a competitionAny recommendations for construction brief and the kinds of briefs that are beingclients?used in construction projects? Allow yourself to learn, not merely prior to As said above, there is a general trend towardsthe task performance but also during the task more elaborate briefs that are intended to serve asperformance. You can write the brief as you wish contractual documents. I see no reason why thereif you do not use it as a success criterion for the should be a systemic difference between differentexecution of the project. Success is more likely if parts of the construction industry since the trendyou adapt to the reality as it emerges rather than reflects societal pressures and changes. insisting on the reality you socially constructed with others when formulating the brief. What makes a good brief?A good brief is a mixture of instructions, indications and inspirations. It should give a picture of the task ahead, but it should also reflect the ambiguity of the situation, the dynamic nature of preferences, and the unknowability of the real economic and technological delimitations of the task. Thus, the brief is an invitation to perform the task but also an invitation to explore and learn what the task entails or might entail. It should elicit the creativity of the task performers in treating the briefs stated requirements as instructions (something taken literally), indications (something taken seriously but not literally), and inspirations (something taken as a metaphor). 181'