The RIBA Plan of Work is one of the most useful frameworks in British architecture, but for sole practitioners and small studios, it can feel like it was written for larger firms. Here's what each stage actually means in practice, and how to use them to run a tighter, more profitable studio.
What are RIBA stages and why do they matter?
The RIBA Plan of Work divides an architectural project into eight stages, numbered 0 to 7. Each stage has a defined purpose, a set of deliverables, and a natural decision point where the client confirms whether to proceed.
For small practices, stages matter for two reasons: they give you a shared language with clients (and other consultants), and they give you a logical structure for managing fees. If you know which stage each project is in, you know roughly how much work is outstanding and where your income is coming from.
The eight stages at a glance
Stage 0, Strategic Definition
Before any design work starts, Stage 0 is about establishing whether a project is viable at all. You're helping the client define what they need, what budget they have, and whether a building project is actually the right solution. For small practices this is often handled informally over a few early conversations, but capturing it as a stage helps you track pre-design time and set expectations before fees are agreed.
Stage 1, Preparation and Briefing
Stage 1 is where the brief gets written. You're gathering site information, commissioning surveys, establishing the planning context, and nailing down what the client actually wants. The output is an Initial Project Brief. Getting this stage right saves significant time later, a poorly defined brief is the root cause of most scope creep.
Stage 2, Concept Design
The first design stage. You're developing the concept, spatial arrangement, massing, materials approach, and testing it against the brief. For many small practices, Stage 2 is the most creatively intensive part of a project and often involves the most back-and-forth with clients. By the end, the client should have signed off the concept before you move forward.
Stage 3, Spatial Coordination
Stage 3 was introduced in the 2020 Plan of Work to sit between concept design and technical design. It's where you coordinate with structural engineers, MEP consultants, and other specialists to make sure the design holds together before the detail work starts. Planning applications are typically submitted at the end of Stage 3.
Stage 4, Technical Design
Stage 4 is where the design gets resolved to a level that can be built from. You're producing construction information, coordinating specialist packages, and preparing tender documentation. This is often the most time-intensive stage for small practices, underestimating it is one of the most common reasons projects run over fee.
Stage 5, Manufacturing and Construction
The build stage. Your role shifts from designing to administering the building contract, issuing instructions, reviewing contractor submittals, inspecting works on site, and managing the client–contractor relationship. Whether you're architect of record or have a limited novation role, it's important to be clear with clients exactly what Stage 5 services you're providing.
Stage 6, Handover
Practical completion, the defects period, and close-out. For small practices this stage is often underscoped, the time involved in resolving snagging, chasing the contractor, and preparing the health and safety file is real but easy to forget when you're pricing a project at the start.
Stage 7, Use
Post-occupancy evaluation and in-use services. Most small practices don't include Stage 7 in their standard appointment, but it's worth having a conversation with clients about it, particularly on more complex projects. It's also an opportunity to gather feedback and case study material.
Using RIBA stages for fee management
One of the most practical uses of RIBA stages for small practices is as a framework for structuring fees. Rather than billing by the hour (which can feel adversarial) or a single lump sum (which is hard to manage), many practices allocate a percentage of their total fee to each stage.
A typical percentage split for a full services appointment might look like this:
- Stage 0–1: 10–15% (brief and feasibility)
- Stage 2: 15–20% (concept design)
- Stage 3: 15% (spatial coordination and planning)
- Stage 4: 25–30% (technical design)
- Stage 5: 15–20% (construction administration)
- Stage 6: 5% (handover)
These percentages will vary depending on the project type, procurement route, and your specific appointment. The important thing is to agree the split with the client upfront, so everyone knows when invoices are coming and what they're for.
Common mistakes small practices make with RIBA stages
- Not defining stage boundaries clearly in the appointment, leading to disputes about when a stage ends and the next begins
- Underscoping Stage 4, technical design typically takes longer than expected, especially when coordinating with structural and MEP consultants
- Ignoring Stage 6, the defects period involves real time and effort that needs to be in the fee
- Moving to the next stage before the client has formally signed off the previous one, this is how scope creep starts
- Tracking projects by instinct rather than stage, making it hard to forecast workload or income more than a few weeks ahead
Tip: At the start of every project, create a simple one-page document that maps out the RIBA stages, your fee for each, and the expected programme. Update it at each stage gateway. It takes 20 minutes and prevents most fee disputes.
Tracking RIBA stages in your practice
For a sole practitioner or small studio managing a handful of projects, tracking stages in a spreadsheet is workable, until it isn't. The problem with spreadsheets is that the stage information sits in isolation from your fees, timesheets, and workload. You end up with a fragmented picture that takes time to maintain and never quite tells you what you need to know.
Practice management software like Archject is built around RIBA stages from the ground up. Every project sits in a stage, you can see fee burn against each stage, and your team's time is automatically attributed to the right stage as they log it. When a project moves to the next stage, your fee and workload picture updates automatically.
The goal isn't to make your practice more complex, it's to give you a clear, real-time picture of where every project stands without spending time pulling it together manually.
Ready to track RIBA stages properly?
Archject is built around RIBA stages from the ground up. Every project sits in a stage, and your fees, timesheets, and workload all connect to it automatically.