esitéiden

Esitöiden is a Finnish term that refers to preparatory or preliminary works carried out before the main tasks of a project, typically in fields such as construction, engineering, planning, and research. The word is formed from esi- meaning "pre-" and työ meaning "work," with the genitive plural ending -iden, so esitöiden literally translates to "of the preparatory works." The concept encompasses early activities that establish conditions, gather information, and reduce risk for later phases.

In construction and architecture, esitöiden includes site inspections, geotechnical surveys, feasibility studies, environmental impact assessments, permitting and regulatory preparations, and the development of initial design sketches and cost estimates. In project management and research, esitöiden may cover scoping, requirements collection, risk analysis, stakeholder engagement, and preliminary budgeting.

The term is often used in formal planning documents and contracts to designate tasks to be completed before detailed design or execution begins. Phrases such as esitöiden suunnitelma (plan for preparatory works), esitöiden kustannusarvio (preliminary cost estimate), and esitöiden dokumentointi (documentation of preparatory works) are common.

Related concepts include esisuunnitelma (preliminary plan) and esitutkimus (preliminary study). The exact scope of esitöiden varies by sector and project, but the underlying idea is to prepare and de-risk the forthcoming main work.