The Technological Practice Strand Explanatory Papers Updated May 2010
Brief Development
Key Ideas
A brief in technology is defined as a succinct guiding document that is comprised of a conceptual statement that communicates, via any appropriate means (e.g. through oral, written, graphical means), the focus and justified purpose of the technological practice to be undertaken to develop a technological outcome. That is, an explanation for what is to be done and why it should be done. This statement is based on findings from the exploration, and analysis of the context and issue from which the need or opportunity driving the project has been identified.
A brief also includes specifications that define the requirements of a technological outcome in terms of such things as appearance and performance. This is referred to as the technological outcome's physical and functional nature. Specifications are an explicit set of requirements that need to be satisfied for the outcome to be judged as 'fit for purpose' and can be described as normative standards. That is, they are measurable standards established by, and agreed to, by people to communicate precisely what a technological outcome ought to be and/or what it ought to be able to do. Identifying attributes is a common precursor to specification development. Attributes are not standardised measures, but rather broad descriptors that can be described as relative rather than standardised. That is, they may mean different things to different people.
A brief may also include specifications for the practice that must be adhered to when developing a technological outcome. When these are included the brief can be said to guide the development and allow for an evaluation of fitness for purpose in its broadest sense.
In an acknowledgement of intermediate outcomes of technological practice, (those outcomes that have not been developed through to a fully realised technological outcome), a developing brief will reflect the stage of outcome that the project is aiming for. For example, if the outcome of technological practice is a scale model, the brief will contain guidance in terms of developing a model to scale, and the purpose of the model. The specifications for this brief will relate to the model and its need to communicate and/or test the potential of a developing design, to resolve the need or opportunity should it go on to be realised as a technological outcome.
The development of a brief is an iterative process that reflects the complex interactions within ongoing technological practice. A brief cannot be viewed as a one-off exercise completed at the beginning of any project. Rather, it is developed, refined and/or modified in an ongoing manner throughout the project. This is based on initial research into the context, the developing knowledge and skills of the technologist and changing contextual circumstances, which includes critical feedback from stakeholders.
The identification of an authentic need or opportunity relies on a comprehensive exploration and critical analysis of a context, and any associated issues. It would be expected that such an exploration may result in the identification of a number of needs or opportunities. Selection of one of these will rely on establishing the appropriateness of the need/opportunity, as a justified purpose for undertaking technological development.
Any brief developed is specific to the selected need or opportunity, and should take into account the physical and social environment of both the final outcome and the practices that are undertaken in its development. The social environment includes a range of factors such as the ethical, cultural, political, and economic aspects that work together in complex ways. To develop full understanding of the physical and social environment, it is necessary to explore how historical events have impacted on the relationships between these aspects, and how possible events may be influenced in the future.
As the development work continues, the knowledge and skills of the technologist are increased, particularly through functional modelling. This allows new understandings to be used to reflect on the justification of the purpose, the prioritisation of factors underpinning the specifications, and the feasibility of the developing outcome.
The initial attributes and final specifications of a brief are the result of extensive research, including trialling and testing of design ideas. They reflect the prioritisation of factors that have arisen as part of key and wider community stakeholder consultation, and understandings of the physical and social environmental impacts and influences. The specifications provide guidance for ongoing evaluation during the development of an outcome, as well as serving as an evaluative tool against which the final outcome can be justified as fit for purpose, or not, including where fitness for purpose is conceptualized in its broadest sense.
As the brief is developed, stakeholder feedback is essential, and the media used to communicate the brief should be chosen to gain feedback in the most effective and efficient manner. While the brief is developed in an ongoing manner within any project, it should be finalised prior to the completion of any outcome, so as to serve as the evaluative tool against which the final outcome is judged.
