-What is a diagram?

-It is data organized in such a way that establishes qualitative relations between several items. It is a map that has no direction and place yet. Our diagrams don’t need to have the shape of a diagram. They just contain the basic relationships of our plan.

-What is a plan?

-It is the actions with timing and resources that will help us achieve our goal. It is similar to a strategy, but we are not in a war situation.

-What documents do we produce here?

-In this stage, we draw nothing but thoughts, as diagrams or ideograms. From these first three stages we will obtain a few priorities and a few questions, that form our plan. All important questions that will appear along the way of the project, are implied in this equation. Most of the mistakes made in a project are a consequence of a lack of critical attitude, attention and rigour in these first stages. The answers will not be relevant and pertinent if the questions are incomplete or confused. Too often there is a tendency to eliminate, in an arbitrary or capricious way, some of the questions of the equation. Or prejudiced answers are anticipated, in a static and finished way, so that the project is only a lineal way to build a fixed image. This is due to ignorance, or some egotistic dark ambitions and desires of the architect. We know for hundreds of years now that all this doesn’t work. If we have been rigorous and precise in these first three steps, the resulting plan, displayed in one or more diagrams, will guide us on the sometimes too winding way. We can always come back to them whenever we get lost, or doubt visits us too often.