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How role archetypes describe a proposed transformation, how authors record them, and how citations and successor links support interpretation.
A Role may be classified as legacy, future-ready or hybrid. These archetypes describe its place in a proposed transformation; they do not predict when a profession will change. Some published roles have not yet been classified.
Professional bodies can examine proposed requirements, organisation leaders can compare them with local work, and practitioners can identify topics for discussion and learning.
A role archetype is an author-assigned classification: legacy describes the starting role, future-ready the proposed destination, and hybrid a transitional role. RPF does not infer the classification from the title.
Roles with similar titles can describe different requirements. Read their profiles, sources and successor links to understand the proposed change (e.g. a BIM Manager taking on additional information-management responsibilities).
Today's role — the starting point of a transformation. Legacy roles describe the work as it is being done now in the market. They don't need future-ready citations; they document the current state honestly.
The proposed role being worked towards. Publishing a future-ready role requires its items to meet the citation checks. A citation makes the proposal traceable; it does not by itself establish that the interpretation is correct.
A transitional step between legacy and future-ready. Hybrid roles describe the partial moves a market is making today — the BIM Manager who runs federated models but hasn't yet been asked to author the Exchange Information Requirements. Useful when a clean legacy→future-ready jump is too far for a single phase.
Review the responsibilities proposed for your discipline and jurisdiction, together with their supporting evidence. Contact RPF if your professional body wishes to contribute to developing a reference role.
Compare the proposed requirements with the work your organisation performs. Filter the catalogue by archetype, then check the scope, jurisdiction and status of any role you use as a reference.
Open a relevant role and, where one is recorded, follow its successor link to examine the proposed changes. Use these differences to guide discussion; they do not assess your competence or predict your career.
Reference roles may differ across jurisdictions because of regulation, procurement practices and professional expectations. Check the available catalogue and the sources supporting a role; a suitable reference may not yet be available.
An organisation may adapt a reference role for its own work. When comparing roles, identify which version and jurisdiction each represents and who maintains it. A comparison does not establish the authority of either role.
Citations identify the sources supporting proposed items. For a future-ready role, the publication check requires cited support for its items. Review whether each source supports the particular claim and applies to the intended context.
The future-ready citation check runs when publishing. Drafts can be developed before their citations are complete. Legacy and hybrid roles are not subject to this particular check, but their claims still need appropriate supporting evidence.
The successor link is recorded on the earlier role and points forward. For example, a legacy BIM Manager may point to a hybrid role; that hybrid role may then point to a future-ready role.
A recorded successor supplies the default target for the role comparison. Check both roles before interpreting the differences; the link expresses a proposed sequence rather than proof that the roles are equivalent.
If a suitable reference role is unavailable, contact RPF with the discipline, jurisdiction and purpose you have in mind. Scope, attribution and publication arrangements need to be agreed for that proposal.
