Extreme Project Management for Architects.

I’ve been thinking of bringing the agile software development process to architectural project development.  I thought that was a new concept.  Aparrently I was wrong, because somebody already thought of it.

Architectural Practices | Google Groups.

Part of the Extreme Project Management System

WBDG – The Whole Building Design Guide.

The Whole Building Design Approach

The goal of ‘Whole Building’ Design is to create a successful high-performance building. To achieve that goal, we must apply the integrated design approach and the integrated team approach to the project during the planning and programming phases

I spend a lot of my week as a project manager.  I wish I spent more time as a designer.  I think this is common amongst architects.  It is a complicated job.  I believe people who become architects think they will be “sole genius designers” and that they alone will be responsible for the design of their buildings.  The truth that becomes evident from even a small number of years practicing is that an architect spends most of their time on a project in a managerial role.  Just to put a number on it, 15% of an architect’s time is spent on some form of design (construction details included).  The rest of the time is spent managing and coordinating clients, contractors, staff, budget, schedules, and production.

That’s 85% of their time spent being something of a beaurocrat.  Do architecture students understand that this is what they are headed for?

There is nothing wrong with this division of labor.  I enjoy my administrative responsibilities very much.  But there is a problem.  An architect can get distanced from their creative spirit, from being a designer.  From worrying about how things look and are conveyed on the printed page.

I don’t mean to say that they become less talented designers.  My point is that little problems like clarity of graphic communication, and presentation of complicated  ideas often unfamiliar to their audience,  get pushed way to the side because of larger problems like project management an architect has to deal with,  for 34 hours a week.  Two important commodities of architectural service become simply ugly and only rudimentarly figured out.  An architect produces and communicates intellectual property and design intent.  They guide regular people through the complicated process of building.  The  standard of quality applied to these commodities becomes  dependent on how much time is left in the schedule and budget to get  our computer programs to deliver printed versions.  Level 10 ideas get drawn and printed out to look like level 1 products because there is no time or money.

Why isn’t there any time or money?  Because these are graphic design issues, and architects only consider a small percentage of their job to be that of a graphic designer.  And typically, that small percentage of time is infringed by the overruns from other parts of the job.  An architect always spends more time on a project than allotted by the fee estimate.   And since an architect’s intangible services are hard to charge for, they sacrifice the quality of the printed and presented commodity in favor of increasing the amount of time they have to service their clients.   (I understand graphic designers have this problem too.)

Clients and communities who aren’t adjusted to visualizing plans, elevations,or reading contract documents get handed these things by people who visualize and read them every day.  Sometimes an architect doesn’t even realize that the quality of the presentation is being lowered.

The  lineweights, the layout,  and the cognitive process can not be forgotten.  They are part of an architect’s job too.

A: I just discovered Google Books. You should too. B: Applying Graphic Standards: p 105 C: Linetypes and weights: p 135

Here’s the link

Blog of David Koch,  Upper Darby, PA. Architect,  AUGI Wishlist Manager, Facilitator Autodesk Architectural Desktop Discussion Groups