I Have Plans A, B and C

And, if I think about it long enough, I have plans D, E and F! So, there I was, leading my first international seminar. I had been invited by the Alberta Association of Architects to teach 75 people about business development, marketing and proposals. I had three hours to deliver the curriculum, which included a 15-minute break at the hour and forty-five minute mark. My students were experienced firm owners, architect / principals and partners who, at 8:30am, were not yet in the talkative mode for which I had structured the seminar.

Thirty minutes into my presentation, which included a PowerPoint and flip charts, it happened: The blue screen of death. My laptop froze. Without missing a beat, I heeded some of my own advice that I dispense freely in a course on presentations. I briefly apologized for the failed PowerPoint, and kept the presentation moving by switching to my flip charts. I was without electronic media for an hour.

In the back of my head, I kept thinking, "This is bad. My first international audience, and I have failed." I had to block out my thoughts, however, and continue to lecture on roles, responsibilities, competition and value propositioning.

At the break, I rebooted my laptop. The moderator told me to "just wiggle” the mouse, to keep it from timing out. The course resumed at 10:15am and concluded promptly, as scheduled, at 11:45. Despite my dread of poor reviews, I received amazing praise: "You've clearly done this a few times!" to "You rock!" to "You never missed a beat."

I tell my clients all the time: We rely too much on our media to sell or deliver, whether it's a new project, a meet and greet or even a course. The smarter strategy is to rely on ourselves, to know our subject area and to have a backup plan. Technology fails every day, but you don't have to fail with it. The backup plan only helps you. For the record, I've been invited back to Alberta to lecture next year. See you in 2014, Alberta!

Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting (Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.

Up in Arms Over Design Build

I love responding to questions. It is a great way to check the pulse of the industry, and diagnose where "pain points" are developing. No month offered more evidence of this than April (following the webinar!) Design-build questions seemed to be left, right and center. Here are some of the toughest questions, and some of my simplest answers.

Your assumed definition of design-build is too narrow and short changes the potential opportunities that it can bring to design firms. Have you never seen design-build done in a way that actually serves the design community's interest?

I didn't have enough time to cover all design-build methods (in our webinar) so I started with the most basic definition, which is narrow. Perhaps DB-BD could be a topic for a future course, but let me answer your question. I have seen design-build serve the community interest, when the client and the contractor are on the same page. In design-build, the driver isn't (typically) the architect, it is largely the GC. This is where I believe IPD or LEAN make it more interesting, because the interests of the project not the individuals are put forth from the beginning--sacrificing nothing.

Notwithstanding design-build, what can you tell us about the integrated project delivery as a market?

I am a curmudgeon! Integrated project delivery isn't a market, it's a vehicle by which projects are delivered. There are client types that prefer IPD--healthcare, higher education for example. But, it isn't a market sector per say. That said, if that is your interest, you are likely in pursuit of a more sophisticated, collaborative client with resources and the desire to utilize technology as a means of delivering their facility. These transcend a market type.

Got more questions? Send them along to me at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com. And for more information, see the AIA PMKC webinar Wisdom of the Ages: Best Practices in Business Development Part 2. This popular series and other resources are available on A3K Consulting's "Inform" webpage.

Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting (Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.

Cloud Services: Clearing Away the Fog

Editor's Note: The following is an edited excerpt from Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse: Safer Computing Tips for Small Business Managers and Everyday People, slated for release later this year.

I'm more or less a fan of what the cloud can do for a small business. At the same time, I don't think it's wise to hail it as an end-all-be-all replacement for having your own software on your own platforms within your own IT infrastructure. As of this writing, there are too many minefields and unresolved issues. Here are a few:

1. Privacy -- No matter what, the cloud service provider you're paying has access to all of your data. Anyone that works in their company potentially has access to your data, too. And depending on the terms of your service agreement, there's no telling how much data they might collect based on your activities and how they might use (or sell) that information.
2. Local Availability -- if your Internet connection goes down or your cloud service provider goes offline, your business is down, leaving you without access to your information until the service provider is accessible again. And since most cloud services are subscription-based, God forbid if money gets tight and you can't pay your bill.
3. Cloud Access during a Disaster -- Not all cloud services are created equal. How fault tolerant is your cloud service provider? All it takes is a prolonged blackout, network outage, or even a simple unpaid Internet bill and any cloud-dependent part of your business might as well be buried on the dark side of moon.
4. Control over Your Data -- if you decide to cancel the cloud service, there are all kinds of issues to contend with regarding your data. How much of it can you get back? Will you be able to get your data back and, if so, can you import it into something (or somewhere) else to resume business? And since you've decided to go in another direction, how can you be sure that the service provider will not keep your data?
5. Data Security -- some types of cloud service providers have become a magnet for attacks from cyber criminals and Botnets all over the world. For example, back in 2009 there was an incident where cyber criminals had exploited Google's AppEngine and used it to house a Botnet command center that controlled legions of zombie computers. These kinds of incidences aren't isolated.
6. Marketing Hype versus proven substance.

Many industry-specific laws and regulations are rooted in 20th century business concepts. They don't take into consideration the use of third-party cloud computing services as part of a core business model. If your data gets destroyed, how are you compensated for your loss? Could you sue for damages even though there was probably an indemnity clause in your service agreement when you started using the service? And whose laws apply: the laws where you live, the laws where the company is registered, or the laws wherever your data is physically located?

Using offsite freebie cloud services as part of your business workflow is a little like building a room addition onto a house that you're renting and can never own -- you'll become dependent on it although you have little or no contractual control and the landlord ultimately holds all the cards.

Max Nomad is an IT Consultant, Graphic Designer, and author of Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse: Safer Computing Tips for Small Business Managers and Everyday People. His past design and consulting clients include the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, STIHL Inc., Atlantic Video (and ESPN), the United Way of Richmond, TGIFriday’s, the Racing & Gaming Commission of the Northern Territory (Australia), and Spirit Cruises (nationwide). He can be reached at nomad@bgpublishing.com.

Paperless?!.......Really?!

"Is it possible for a design firm to function in a paperless environment?" Absolutely. We all deal with paperless technology whenever we open and view email attachments that are electronic images of what was once a paper version of a document. However, a formal and consistent process used to file, locate, and retrieve that electronic document goes well beyond the "paperless" concept and forms the basis for a Document Management System, or DMS.

"How will my firm use it?" There are essentially two different goals in setting up and utilizing the DMS - one dynamic, the other static. The dynamic side is active, ongoing use for the day-to-day management of current projects. The static side is archive storage for the sole purpose of long-term records retention. An ability to combine the functionality of both facets of document management into a single system provides an extremely valuable tool.

Effective document management involves much more than just purchasing a document scanner and a large hard drive and then creating a file naming system. A bonafide DMS automates the naming and cataloging/filing by allowing the user to respond to a series of data fields using drop-down lists. The system then files the document using a predefined path based on this data. This path should be defined once and for all by the DMS administrator during initial DMS setup. From the very beginning the system will, without user intervention, consistently file each document in the appropriate location and should affix a date and time to the document as well.

Once filed into the system, every document instantly becomes available to the entire staff, or, to only a select few. Most DMS applications provide access based on the user's security settings which are defined by the DMS administrator during initial setup. The ability to quickly locate a document that has been properly and consistently filed into the system yields tremendous paybacks in reduced man-hours.

"How do I get started?" As with any new initiative, implementation of a Document Management System requires a solid and comprehensive plan before embarking on such an endeavor. Firms looking at DMS cite the mountain of existing paper documents in their possession that MUST be scanned. While it is true that a DMS for archival storage is very beneficial, this is not necessarily the best starting point. There is generally much greater value in utilizing the dynamic side of DMS to manage—and perhaps to even create—documents for current projects. In this regard, the most important ingredient is consistency of use. Everyone within the firm should have access to the system and should contribute their own projects' documents to the central database. No one should be allowed to "squirrel away" documents for his or her project outside the DMS.

Not only is the paperless concept feasible, but it truly results in an extremely functional and efficient office. Every firm, regardless of size, should seriously consider implementing a formal Document Management System.

Guest Author J. Michael Leinback, AIA, is Senior Associate at Randall Scott Architects, Dallas, Texas. Contact him at mleinback@rsarchitects.com.

New Tools, New Technology: Why Now?

Large firms, understandably, have advantages in the marketplace. They have extensive networks of associates that can provide them with the “best business advice” to achieve their business objectives. But, small (minority, women-owned, emerging growth) firms don’t have those connections. It’s not for lack of trying...it’s for lack of time. Small businesses are focused on what they do, not the back office functions—legal, marketing, information technology, finance, human resources. Yet without these professionals, our designs, engineering solutions and facilities would be little more than a heap of sketches on a floor. So, how does one close the gap?

The full article on Industry Speaks™ tells why the online portal was created and how it addresses small firm needs. (Reprinted from the 40th Anniversary Magazine Issue of the National Association of Minority Architects, October 2012.)

The Number 10

Just think about it….10 years ago Smartphones®, Facebook®, LinkedIn and YouTube® didn’t even exist.  Yet…in that short period of time these advances in technological communications have changed the world.  In that same 10 year period, our industry has seen change too with the advent of sustainable design, building information modeling, interactive presentation formats such as Prezi® or Keynote® and the merger or acquisition of several prominent architecture, engineering and construction firms.

What the next 10 years will hold is yet to be defined.  But, some things we know are sure. Today’s mid-level project managers and job captains will grow into roles as associates, principals and partners within firms, and clients and owners within organizations.  Why is this important to consider?  The next generation of professional is technology driven.  They communicate indirectly through email, texting, and social media and frequently (i.e., 20+ times/day) as compared to the generation of 40 something plus professionals that communicate directly via phone, over lunch or drinks and infrequently (i.e., 10 times/week).

The big question becomes how will this affect our industry?  More importantly, how will it affect our ability to develop relationships with our clients and find resource professionals to help us grow our businesses?   While I don’t purport to know all of the answers, there is one thing I do know: we must be part of the change we want to see in our industry.  

What changes do you see that may affect the way in which we grow and develop our practices?  How do you see yourself as engaging in that change?