Architectural Practice & Project Management

Before any technique: what architectural practice actually is — a business as well as a calling; how the architect creates and captures value; how architects are paid; and the map of everything practice and project management must hold together.

The frame the architect works inside: the profession and registration (the Council of Architecture and the Architects Act); professional ethics and conduct; the architect's legal duties, duty of care and liability; and the standards, codes and regulations that bind every project.

Founding a firm: business models and legal structure (sole practice, partnership, LLP, company); the practical steps of starting a practice; setting up the studio and its systems; and defining vision, positioning and brand.

Where the next project comes from: finding and winning clients; marketing and business development for a design practice; proposals, pitches and competitions; and setting fees and writing a fee proposal that is fair and sustainable.

The start of every project: understanding the client and their world; developing the brief and agreeing the scope of services; the architect's appointment and agreement; and managing the client relationship through the whole job.

The shape of the work: the work-stages and the plan of work; the design stages and their deliverables; documentation and the tender stage; and the construction stage through to handover and closeout.

Delivering the project: project management fundamentals (scope, time, cost, quality); planning, scheduling and programming; cost management and budgets; and quality, risk and the controls that keep a project on track.

Who builds it and how it is bought: the project team and consultants; coordination and collaboration (information management, BIM and the common data environment); procurement routes; and tendering and bidding.

The rules of construction: construction contracts explained (types and standard forms); the architect as contract administrator; variations, claims and payments; and disputes, delays and their resolution. Explain the principles; defer specifics to a lawyer.

Keeping the practice healthy: practice finance and accounts; people, resourcing and studio culture; risk management and insurance (professional indemnity); and the technology, knowledge and quality systems that make a studio reliable.

The long game: growing and sustaining a practice; leadership and succession; the future of practice (technology, sustainability and new models); and building your own career in practice.