Construction projects may not be so much about technical limitations as about a lack of clear intent, fragmented communication, and the alignment of the many parties involved, they’re frequently in the wrong alignment. Early project-stage periods, where require-ments, expectations, and responsibilities should be defined, are especially susceptible to gaps. This phase, also known in management as "Performance Phase 0", has a signifi-cant impact on the future direction of the project. It is a stage that does not yet have a well-defined structure on the ground. This thesis aims to solve this issue by designing a workshop concept that provides a practical framework for defining project requirements systematically before planning. This is a synthesis of a review of academic literature and an empirical mixed-methods study. Survey data collected from practitioners in the con-struction and real-estate environment, along with professional perspectives, also high-light issues that appear repeatedly, including missing requirements, divergent stakehold-er involvement, unclear decision trajectories, and the absence of coherent communica-tion channels. Simultaneously, practitioners tend to view agile principles like iterative clarification, transparent communication, and early stakeholder engagement as most applicable for enhancing this early planning phase. Based on these findings, the thesis introduces a structured workshop framework incorporating agile components into the requirement-definition process. The process provides clear goals, roles, and procedures, and shows how these can inform user discussions and need recognition, ultimately lead-ing to design or planning. It also shows how to structure the workshop so it can be placed between Performance Phase 0 and 1 along the HOAI processes and examines whether its results are compatible with subsequent HOAI phases. The thesis provides an overall practice-oriented approach to enhancing alignment at the project start that can improve coordination, minimize uncertainties, and provide a platform for cost-effective and objective-driven planning. The workshop framework presented in this paper helps make the working method more open, transparent, cooperative, and flexible in the early phase of construction.     «

Construction projects may not be so much about technical limitations as about a lack of clear intent, fragmented communication, and the alignment of the many parties involved, they’re frequently in the wrong alignment. Early project-stage periods, where require-ments, expectations, and responsibilities should be defined, are especially susceptible to gaps. This phase, also known in management as "Performance Phase 0", has a signifi-cant impact on the future direction of the project. It is a stag...     »