Facilities
Defining workspace needs before a site visit
Prepare a workspace brief before touring coworking sites, covering attendance, tasks, access, budget limits and questions to verify.
Before touring coworking sites, write a short brief covering the work to be done there, who will attend, when they need the space and what would rule a site out. Use the same brief at every visit to compare offers against your needs.
Map the workweek
Ask team members what they do on site and when. Record attendance by day and time, including days when everyone meets. Add client visits, calls, training and tasks that need a separate area. Mark each need as regular or occasional; headcount alone does not show daily attendance.
| Work need | Record before visiting | Ask the site to show |
|---|---|---|
| Individual work | Who attends, and when? | Suitable work points at those times |
| Team work | How often must people sit or meet together? | An area or room that fits the group |
| Private conversations | When is separation needed? | A suitable space available at the required time |
| Visitors | Who visits, and why? | How guests enter and are hosted |
| Equipment and materials | What arrives, stays or leaves daily? | Power, setup and storage arrangements |
The worksheet is a prompt, not a measured attendance forecast. Leave unknowns marked as unknown rather than filling them with guesses.
Key workspace requirements by task type
- Individual work attendance
- Recorded by day and time
- Team meetings frequency
- Regular or occasional
- Private conversations needed
- Marked by time and space requirement
- Client visits expected
- Scheduled and documented
- Equipment and materials handling
- Power, setup and storage confirmed
Set limits before the tour
Record required work hours and any tasks that depend on staffed help. Note the routes and facilities each person must be able to use, from the entrance through the work area and basic amenities. Invite people to describe access needs privately and in practical terms; a broad label such as “accessible” does not identify which route or facility to check.
Set a budget range and the longest commitment the business can accept. State whether the range covers only workspace fees or also rooms, additional users and other recurring use. This sets a limit for shortlisting; compare detailed costs when written offers arrive.
Separate essentials from preferences
For each need, mark must have, could be solved another way or desirable, and say why. “Private meeting space on our regular team day” can be checked against room access and availability; “good meeting rooms” cannot.
Add rejection conditions based on the business's own work. They might include access hours that miss a required shift, no suitable place for an essential task or a commitment beyond the agreed limit. Keep preferences such as décor or refreshments at the end.
Essentials vs. Preferences: Workspace Requirements
- Private meeting space on our regular team day
- Must have
- Good meeting rooms
- Desirable
- Access hours matching required shift times
- Must have
- Decor style (e.g., modern, minimalist)
- Could be solved another way
- On-site refreshments
- Desirable
Prepare the visit request
Send each operator the likely number of users, the workspace type under consideration, required hours and room or visitor needs. Ask to see the exact available area and the route the team would use. Request written inclusions and access terms so you can compare them with the brief.
During each visit, record what you observed separately from what the operator still needs to confirm. Request written clarification on any essential point. The result should be comparable evidence for a decision, rather than a memory of which tour felt best.
