The design briefs of public projects are increasingly requiring architects to engage in pre-design planning to fine-tune the programming of the facility. This might involve consulting with stakeholders to define and understand their needs and priorities. This is a great opportunity for architects because there is much intuitive knowledge that can be gleaned from consulting with users and staff at this early stage. Who the stakeholders are will vary depending on the project. Stakeholders for public projects like parks, schools, clinics, and hospitals may include the line ministries, the users and staff of the facility, the funders of the project, the neighborhood, etc. The stakeholders of private projects such as banks, offices, shops, malls, and homes may include employees, customers, business owners, tenants, department heads, or even the client's family members.
Our education and practice as architects may not equip us to undertake this exercise. We may be experts at analyzing our client's needs and developing a program or schedule of accommodation but engaging with stakeholders is a whole different kettle of fish! Here are a few lessons we learned along the way.
Identifying who the stakeholders are is not an academic or abstract exercise. It is best not to approach it by sitting in an office and constructing a list of stakeholders. We found it to be a more organic process that is best done by going into the field and engaging with the first obvious group of stakeholders. By jumping in with both feet, we found that each group of stakeholders provide clues about the others.
Don't assume that stakeholders instinctively understand or even agree with the goals and objectives of the project brief. An organization's goals and objectives may be different from those of the users or staff. Often stakeholders are not clear or unified on their own needs and are articulating their wants as opposed to their needs. It is up to the architect to figure out the difference
When discussing the project with stakeholders it is important to decipher what their motives and preconceived notions are. This is not easy because many of them tend to have preconceived notions about the architect and our role. It may take several engagements to convert stakeholder input into design criteria. Keep detailed notes because you will need them!
Given how unprepared we are to undertake this exercise, architects might be tempted to parcel this work out to a communication expert. This might even be a requirement on some public projects. Even if you do outsource this exercise, do resist the urge to absent yourself from the stakeholder engagement process.
We can't make everyone happy. It's a balancing act and our design will likely not succeed in accommodating everyone's needs or interests. Our job is to ensure that our client is satisfied with the final product and successfully conducting these consultations may be a key to achieving that.
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