Architekwiki
  • Home
  • WIKI
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Other
    • Reading List
    • Ochre >
      • Ochre
      • Ochre KB
      • Ochre FAQs
      • Ochre Help
    • Details
    • The 3 Aspects
    • About
    • Subscription FAQs
    • Terms of Use
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • WIKI
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Other
    • Reading List
    • Ochre >
      • Ochre
      • Ochre KB
      • Ochre FAQs
      • Ochre Help
    • Details
    • The 3 Aspects
    • About
    • Subscription FAQs
    • Terms of Use
  • Subscribe

Architekwiki

A Resource For Architects
Click here to get good stuff in your inbox

How To Evaluate A Potential Project

5/25/2015

 
Picture
When you are looking for work, this may seem counter-productive; but it is a good practice to evaluate every job beforehand. 
Your insurance agent, your attorney, and your marketing advisor will all agree that making sure this project is worth pursuing is a good thing. The insurance agent and the attorney are looking at the potential for trouble that working with this type of client, this particular client or this project type can lead to. 

Your marketing advisor is looking at the big picture of where you want to go and whether this opportunity is a step forward, sideways or backwards. The type of work you do and the people you work for speaks volumes to all your clients and potential clients. Choosing the right projects and the right clients is a key element in developing your niche and reaping the rewards that come from not being a commodity. 

From a purely business perspective, a project is like a new product line. You should evaluate both before jumping on board. For a project a detailed evaluation doesn't need to take much time, especially if you have an established method for doing the evaluation. The attached form came from combining several processes that were recommended to us over the years. 

The thrust of the evaluation is to uncover any concerns you have about the project or client beforehand, and then to develop a plan for addressing those concerns or "passing" on the project.
We found it works best with just two or three people involved: the person who found the opportunity and who knows the most about it, a principal of the firm, and perhaps one other senior person.

Once you go through the process a few times you will find that you want to keep the form handy as a kind of questionnaire to use with potential clients.


Read More

MARKETING TOOLS FOR ARCHITECTS

5/18/2015

 
Marketing Tools For Architects

Read More

New Organizational Style On The Way

5/12/2015

 
Fig 1. iBlueSky
Fig 1. iBlueSky
Fig 2. Lucidchart
Fig 2. Lucidchart
Fig 3. Inkflow
Fig 3. Inkflow
I’ve read recently that organizations are starting to recognize that they no longer function like a hierarchy, which comes to us from a military model that is probably 10,000 years old. Instead they recognize that a network is closer to reality. In a network each node (person) is connected to several others. Sometimes there is a client-vendor relationship. I would include boss-employee relationships under client-vendor for the sake of simplicity. Simplicity might be at odds with clarity, though. Other times the relationship is more peer-to-peer or even resource-researcher.

What nodes do you see in a smallish design firm?
  • Owner/client (client-vendor)
  • Principal-in-charge (client-vendor)*
  • Project architect
  • Structural engineer
  • M/E engineer
  • Civil engineer
  • Hardware consultant
  • Bookkeeper
  • CAD tech
  • Resources:
  • AIA Contracts
  • RS Means cost data
  • ARCAT specs
* I tried labeling each node above and quickly learned that many of them will have multiple labels. ’Lesson learned’ is that words aren't a very helpful tool in describing networks. Graphics are needed.

It's kind of odd that you can't easily draw a network because there are very few tools that can handle it. CAD is the handiest (lucky for us), but outside the design field what would you use? Lucidchart, mind mapping, drawing tools like the Inkflow app? Because until you draw the network, it's pretty hard to think about it. That’s one reason hierarchies have worked so well - just assign people to roles: soldier, squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, etc. No need to draw it.

Mind mapping doesn't work unless your program allows interconnections - this one (iBlueSky app) doesn't. Fig 1.

Lucidchart works pretty well. Fig 2. A Lucidchart network diagram lets you use shape, color, line types, and arrow heads to convey information about your network. This might be better than CAD. Lucidchart’s toolbox makes it pretty easy to recognize all the subtle relationships in a network. (In Fig 2 I used their ’Flowchart’ shapes with one of the simple themes.)

I tried Inkflow, too, but I didn't see any benefits of drawing the network by hand, even if you can cut and paste easily to re-arrange nodes. Fig 3.

I think we are in for some really big changes when you combine this management concept, the prevalence of contract workers and the move to embrace more telecommuting. Design firms don't seem to be in a leadership position on these changes except maybe contract workers, thanks to the Great Recession. Not being a leader, though, doesn't mean you won't be affected.

I tried for years to sketch our organization; now I see that I wasn't using the right concept/tool to tackle the job.

Here is an article with an interesting comparison.

http://www.digitalinnovation.pwc.com.au/hierarchy-vs-network-business-models/

ARCHITECTS SUSTAINABLE CASH FLOW

5/11/2015

 
Architect's Sustainable Cash Flow


I didn't learn about Cash Flow until I had screwed up often enough that the lessons became obvious. With a little bit of luck, you might escape that experience by modeling your firm after this infographic. Too often we architects operate on positive cash flow and think we are profitable; but the slightest change in that cash flow stream will rock the boat, often capsizing it.


Here it is - Sustainable Cash Flow for Architects


Read More

A BETTER PAINTING SCHEDULE

5/4/2015

 
Painting Schedule


If you have ever grappled with painting schedules you realize just how complicated this seemingly simple topic can be. What gets painted? Who paints it? Exceptions. Do you need a primer? Do you want any special preparation of the surface? How many coats do you want / can afford? What kind of paint? What gloss?

Oh yeah, what color!


In a small project of just thirty spaces there could easily be 3,500 surfaces to paint.
It is a challenge to keep it straight and to not overlook anything.


THAT IS WHERE THE BETTER PAINTING SCHEDULE COMES IN

Read More
    Resources

    Start Here

    YouTube Channel

    Join The Mailing List

    Picture

    Terms of Use
    Your use of Architekwiki is implicit agreement with the 
    ​
    Terms of Use.
    Thank You for your donation

    x
    Get Good Stuff in Your Inbox
    Picture
    Subscribe

    RSS Feed


    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012

    Categories

    All
    Business Development
    Business Management
    Design
    Detail
    Miscellaneous
    Project Management
    Resources

Picture

Picture
VISIT ARCHITEKWIKI'S RESOURCES
​
START HERE
ABOUT
SIGN UP
TERMS OF USE
Architekwiki | Architect's Resource | Greater Cincinnati 
© 2012-2022   Architekwiki​