Clarification details
Updated November 2015. This document has been updated in its entirety to address new issues that have arisen from moderation.
The choice of brief for product/outcome at this level requires students to communicate and seek on-going and in-depth feedback with wider stakeholders. The brief does not require the prioritisation, interactions and key factors.
The final brief
Students are required to establish an issue and identify, explore and explain related context considerations. Students need to determine a need or opportunity that resides within the established issue. On-going reflection of context considerations should be throughout the student's practice and included in the specifications of the final brief.
Stakeholders
The identification of stakeholders, and evidence of ongoing reflection of their views, is integral to the brief development process. These stakeholders should be those that have a vested interest in the need or opportunity (key stakeholders). As part of the enhanced practice required, the views of people who have some level of influence through their association with the context (wider stakeholders) should also be considered.
Fitness for purpose in the broadest sense
The development of a brief that allows for the judgement of an outcome’s fitness for purpose in the broadest sense requires students to refer to the fitness of the outcome itself (the ability of the outcome to serve its purpose in 'doing the job' within the intended location, where the 'job to be done' is clearly defined by the brief), and outcome development practices.
This might include:
- the consideration of the outcome’s technical and social acceptability
- sustainability of resources used
- ethical nature of testing practices
- cultural appropriateness of trialling procedures
- determination of lifecycle, maintenance and ultimate disposal
- health and safety.
At the Excellence level, students should be justifying the specifications based on stakeholder feedback and the nature of the outcome required to address the need or opportunity, along with consideration of the environment in which the outcome will be situated, and resources available.