Innovation as Improvisation
by Izzy Gesell

What would you call a person who can take something with a known use and employ it in an entirely new way? How about someone who recognizes a need and designs an effective solution? Most would say “inventor,” “originator,” “innovator,” or “creator.” But how about “improviser?” The skills that make improv-theater participants successful are the same ones that innovators rely on:

• Focus on the present. Improvisers stay in the moment and respond only to what is available to them. They keep their minds open and focus on what is happening instead of on what is expected or desired.
• Accept reality. Accept what is offered without judgment or resistance. The basic rule of improv is "yes . . . and." "Yes" connotes acceptance. "And" allows the improviser to build on what was given and move the idea forward.
• Build on what you have. Once you accept an idea, support it, add to it, and help to move it forward.
• Release the things you can't control. Once an idea moves forward, let the outcome go. Improvisers have high involvement on the process but low attachment to the outcome.

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Drawing Kanbans for a State Revision-Review Process
by Cliff Moser, AIA

Kanbans have been used in "Lean" production since Toyota introduced them as part of its "Just-In-Time" manufacturing process. RTKL Associates used kanbans to manage production quality in the process of revising postapproval documents for California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) review.

Kanban is a Japanese term for signal. In Lean manufacturing, it is a way to track work-in-process production. It signals a cycle of production and materials and is used to maintain an orderly and efficient flow of materials throughout a production process. In this project, when traditional quality-control processes were insufficient, the design team incorporated kanbans into the control of production and inventory of drawings and other construction documents. The success realized by moving quality control from an inspection process to a production process was especially important, as it outlined new methods firms could try in order to integrate quality processes into project development and production.
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Construction Document Delivery: Designing the Way We Work
by Mike Czap, AIA

Many firms today are having difficulty consistently delivering good construction documents. Owners, contractors, and trade publications lament the demise of the quality of construction documents compared with those produced a generation ago.

Reasons abound. There is an increased emphasis on design, while project-delivery demands have increased within a shortened time frame. The profession has become more narrowly focused, specializing by project type. Value is seen in the ability to market, plan, and design but less so in areas of constructability or building systems integration. Meanwhile, while technology offers an increase in productivity, it continues to change rapidly, and advances in communications have only served to increase expectations for quicker project delivery.

Quality construction documents can become the rule—if we’re willing to reexamine the fundamentals of how we work in these four areas of practice:

• Positioning the project. Before agreeing to a detailed timetable, first understand the interdependencies between items to determine whether the timetable is both realistic and achievable.
• Implementing strategic office processes. Develop well-thought-out methods for getting work done rapidly and consistently.
• Emphasizing teamwork and team building. Many firms are experiencing stress resulting from insufficient and/or inexperienced staff. Leverage the experience of senior staff to actively mentor and train interns. Elevate the stature of production work, and recruit individuals skilled in putting buildings together.
• Executing the project. Success in the CD phase entails much more than drawing. Approach CD development with a critical path methodology. Plan your projects: Concurrently design, engineer, and make your buildings constructable.

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Practice Management Problems, Pitfalls, and Predicaments: How to Spot Precursors of a Professional Liability Claim
by Thomas M. Bongi, Esq.

Tradition holds that one’s future can be foretold by examining the arrangement of loose tea leaves at the bottom of a cup. By “reading” these leaves, a trained seer can tell you if you will live in prosperity or face financial ruin. Today’s projects require the design professional to be more than a tea-leaf reader. True rewards will come to those who not only anticipate what might happen but also take steps to change the course of those events.

When the "tea leaves" warn of a potential claim situation, it is incumbent upon you to recognize those warning signs and take appropriate action. The potential project problems, pitfalls, and predicaments are many, covering the gamut of situations before the project begins, during construction, and after project completion. Some of the preventative steps that design professionals can take include

• Performing basic research into  the client's and/or owner's backgrounds before accepting the job.
• Asking pointed questions about funding and ensuring the contract ensures enforceable payment terms—and then staying on top of those fees.
• Documenting discussions and resolutions and responding in a timely manner to RFIs, whether they are reasonable or not. 
• Watching your back by paying close attention to cost overruns and delays

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Reduce Your Risks: Incorporate Key Project Management Guidelines into Contracts
by Michael Strogoff, AIA

When negotiating a contract, you have a golden opportunity to customize your project management plan and obtain your client’s agreement to abide by it. Discussing, setting in motion, and documenting your project management plan may provide as much risk protection—for both you and your client—as all the legal jargon contained elsewhere in your contract.

You can incorporate into your contracts these elements of your project management plan:

• Language that specifies clear lines of communication
• Fees that are not based primarily on costs
• Language that assigns distinct responsibilities
• Requirements for a kickoff meeting, frequent status meetings, and reviews of meeting minutes
• Language that requires the client to carry appropriate contingencies
• Language that encourages early dispute resolutions

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Letter from the Chairs
by Grant Armann Simpson, FAIA, and Andrea Cohen Gehring, AIA

Welcome and thank you for reading the PM Digest.

The AIA Practice Management Advisory Group understands that every firm, regardless of size, project type, or extent of service offering, must be well-managed to be successful. Our programs and content offerings are designed to provide insights into successful practices of all types. Our vision is to have each of our members say: “I am delighted that easy and effective access to and sharing of AIA Practice Management knowledge has improved me, my practice, and my profession.”

The Practice Management annual fall conference, Bridges, was presented jointly by AIA Practice Management and AIA Louisiana at AIA Louisiana's annual convention in Shreveport. Held in late September 2006, it was a wonderful event, presenting powerful lessons in risk management, marketing, construction documents, and project management skills to help members set high goals for improving their project delivery skills.

Speakers included leaders from some of our country’s most successful firms. Some were experienced speakers and some were new speakers with powerful and compelling messages. All were greeted by the Louisiana audiences with a warm welcome and desire to learn from them.

Highlights included engaging preconference workshops and informative breakout sessions and seminars. AIA Practice Management asked RK Stewart, FAIA, the AIA's national president-elect, to present one of two keynote sessions on its behalf. Stewart presented a compelling message on the current issues facing architects today and the AIA’s support of issues ranging from integrated practice and workforce challenges to quality of documentation. Providing a great support structure, the AIA is developing tools and resources to assist its members. For example, an integrated practice forum (which included topics on building information modeling and alternate project delivery models) was developed as a springboard to begin a dialogue with the knowledge communities and their members. A primary resource for knowledge sharing, AIA Practice Management has embraced this topic and  developed programs and conferences with an integrated practice focus.

This issue of the Digest includes articles and resources in support of our fall conference theme.

January brings annual changes to the AIA Practice Management Advisory Group roster. Andrea Cohen Gehring, AIA, will rotate off the advisory group while our newest appointed member, Cliff Moser, AIA, begins his five-year tenure. I have been associated with AIA Practice Management Advisory Group members as a speaker for the past 12 years. It is now my honor to become a lifetime member of the esteemed group of individuals known as past chairs and look forward to my fifth year on the advisory group in the capacity as immediate past chair.

Best wishes to the rest of the 2007 AIA Practice Management Advisory Group, including Jim Sawyer, AIA, 2007 chair; Sara McCann, AIA, 2008 chair; and Michael Strogoff, AIA, and Cliff Moser, AIA, members. Keep in touch with AIA Practice Management, www.aia.org/pm/, and with the advisory group through our AIA staff liaisons (whom we could not do without!), Bruce Bland and Doug Paul.

The Practice Management Project Delivery Skills Conference: New Solutions to Old Problems
by Stuart Shell, Assoc. AIA

In this essay, a recipient of the PMKC scholarship for emerging professionals discusses his experiences and the benefits he gained from the PMKC fall 2006 Project Delivery Skills Conference, held September 13–16 in Shreveport, La. Each conference seminar addressed one or more of these interconnected arenas of practice that are important areas of competency and effectiveness for emerging professionals to develop:

• Construction documents, construction administration, and information processing
• Contract negotiations, contract management, and marketing
• Contribution to a culture of learning within the firm and community

The most informative session for this emerging professional may have been the Practice Management Panel and Open Forum, in which seasoned practitioners shared topics of concern. Panelists acknowledged that in the architectural profession, changes in the production of deliverables and the shape of services has made crafting the next generation of professionals a top priority.
Read the full essay

Contribute to Practice Management Digest

The Practice Management Knowledge Community is committed to providing AIA members with useful, engaging, and provocative information about the practice of architecture. As part of our efforts, we are asking you, our fellow practitioners and strategic partners, to share your knowledge and experience by contributing an article for inclusion in an upcoming issue of Practice Management Digest.

Articles can be of any length and format as long as they provide valuable insights and useful information. The possible practice management topic areas include the following: business practices and trends, delivery methods, financial management, human resources management, innovation management, integrated practice, intern development, leadership development and leadership transition, marketing and business development, operations management, project management, quality management, risk management, social responsibility management, strategic alliances, and strategic planning. Completed articles are preferred; however, we will work with you to help develop an article from even the barest outline of an idea.

In addition to submitting an article, you can also contribute to the Digest by suggesting topics or submitting comments about a recently published article. Most important, get involved and share your knowledge! To submit an article, suggestions, or comments, contact Bruce Bland at bbland@aia.org for further information.