AIA Business Academy
A high-impact, four-part intensive program designed to equip firm leaders with the strategy, leadership, and financial skills to scale their practice and drive long-term success.
Registration for Cohort 2 is now open.
High-impact, strategic bootcamp
Struggling to scale, communicate your value proposition, or implement a sustainable business strategy? Leading an architecture firm takes more than great design—it requires strategic vision, strong leadership, and business acumen to strengthen your value proposition, build a high-performing team, and ensure long-term success.
AIA Business Academy consists of four intensive, hands-on sessions—two virtual and two in-person—kicking off June 9 at AIA26 in San Diego. You’ll learn from top MBA university professors as they guide you in developing a strategic plan that aligns with your firm’s value proposition, adapts to market shifts, and drives measurable long-term success.
Course professors are hosting a free live informational session—open to all—on December 11 at 12pm ET to provide an in-depth program overview and answer all your questions.
Earn up to 22.75 LUs
Through expert-led discussions, cohort collaboration, and real-world case studies, you’ll refine your firm’s value proposition, strengthen your decision-making, and implement high-impact strategies to lead your practice effectively. By the end of the program, you’ll be able to:
- Develop a compelling value proposition
- Evaluate market opportunities
- Create a personalized strategic plan
- Implement negotiation strategies
- Use data-driven decision-making
Program options & pricing
Choose the program option that best fits your goals. Both options provide expert-led training, strategic insights, and AIA Learning Units (LUs), with the Program Plus package offering exclusive extras for deeper engagement.
By registering for this course, you acknowledge and agree to the program's terms and conditions, and the AIA Event Code of Conduct.
Limited grant funding available
Grant funding for Cohort 2 may be available for firms of 10 employees or less. Sign up for updates and be the first to know when funding is available.
Program schedule & overview
The bootcamp consists of four sessions—two virtual and two in-person—over five months with minimal required coursework outside of scheduled sessions, keeping the workload manageable for participants. Assignments are estimated to be less than eight hours outside of scheduled class time.
Each session builds on the last, giving you a complete roadmap to sharpen your strategic thinking, improve execution, and grow a resilient, future-ready firm.
Location: AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2026® in San Diego
6 LUs
This opening session grounds participants in the fundamentals of strategic clarity. Through guided discussion and hands-on exercises, you’ll revisit your firm’s purpose and unique differentiators while identifying the client segments and market opportunities that offer the most promise. Using visual strategy tools such as positioning maps, the value-proposition canvas, and competitive matrices, you’ll analyze where your firm stands and where it can win. The day concludes with drafting the first version of a living document that will evolve throughout the program and guide your growth journey.
- Analyze your firm’s purpose, differentiators, and ideal client segments—and identify the most promising areas for strategic growth.
- Apply visual strategy tools, including positioning maps, value-proposition canvas, and competitive matrices to identify high-potential opportunities.
- Articulate your firm’s value proposition, target clients, and impact.
- Develop an initial strategic blueprint that synthesizes key insights and establishes a foundation for continued refinement.
Location: Virtual
2 LUs
Building a strong strategy requires a culture that supports it. In this session, you’ll assess your current firm culture and explore how it shapes collaboration, accountability, and execution. You’ll identify the leadership behaviors that most influence trust and performance and practice communication habits that link everyday project decisions to long-term strategic priorities. Drawing from real-world examples of firms that successfully evolved their cultures to match new growth ambitions, you’ll learn actionable approaches to aligning people, values, and strategy.
- Evaluate your firm’s current culture to determine how its values, behaviors, and norms influence collaboration, accountability, and execution.
- Identify leadership behaviors that strengthen accountability and trust.
- Apply communication techniques that align project decisions with firm strategy.
- Analyze real-world case studies to determine actionable approaches for aligning people, values, and strategy within your firm.
Location: Virtual
2 LUs
Strategic growth depends on disciplined, transparent decision-making. This session introduces structured frameworks for making better choices about client selection, pricing, and project scope. You’ll examine how your firm’s values, incentives, and cognitive biases influence decision quality and explore the use of key metrics—such as profitability per client, utilization, and pipeline mix—to ensure alignment with strategic goals. The session culminates with tools for building accountability systems that turn good decisions into consistent, measurable results.
- Apply structured decision frameworks to client selection, pricing, and project scope.
- Recognize how firm culture, incentives, and biases influence the quality of strategic decision-making.
- Interpret basic financial and performance metrics, including profitability per client, utilization, and pipeline mix, to inform strategic choices.
- Design accountability systems that reinforce disciplined decision-making and support consistent implementation of strategic priorities.
Location: AIA Global Campus for Architecture & Design™ in Washington, D.C.
6 LUs
The final session focuses on translating insight into action. You’ll refine your firm’s growth roadmap, setting clear priorities, initiatives, owners, and key performance indicators (KPIs). With an emphasis on alignment—across services, clients, and revenue streams—you’ll learn how to sustain strategic momentum and refresh your plans as market conditions evolve. The program concludes with each participant committing to specific next steps and accountability check-ins to ensure progress from vision to execution.
- Develop a refined growth roadmap that defines strategic priorities, initiatives, owners, and measurable KPIs.
- Align services, clients, and revenue streams.
- Apply a structured process for reviewing and updating strategic plans to respond to evolving market conditions.
- Identify specific next steps and establish accountability mechanisms to support consistent execution of your growth roadmap.
Meet your instructors
Learn from top MBA professors with extensive experience in business strategy, leadership, and executive education. With backgrounds in corporate consulting, executive coaching, and academic research, they bring real-world insights and proven frameworks to help you scale your firm.
Doug Bosse is the associate dean for international business programs, professor of strategic management, and the David Meade White Jr. chair in business at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business. With 20+ years of experience in strategic planning and leadership alignment, he has worked with executives across industries, from multinational corporations to small firms. A former corporate strategy consultant, Doug is also an executive coach and board member. His research focuses on stakeholder management and innovation, and he holds a PhD from The Ohio State University.
Richard Coughlan is the faculty director for executive education and associate professor of management at the University of Richmond. An award-winning educator, he specializes in organizational behavior, consulting, and negotiations, teaching leaders at all levels—from emerging professionals to CEOs. With a background in hospitality management at Hyatt and Pebble Beach Resorts, he brings real-world leadership experience to the classroom. Richard earned his MBA and PhD in judgment and decision making from the University of Arizona.
Take the next step
- Register for free live informational sessions with course professors for in-depth overviews and live Q&A:
- December 11 at 12pm ET
- January 22 at 12pm ET
- February 26 at 12pm ET
- Can't attend any of the sessions? Watch this recording from a past session.
- Schedule a 15-minute personal call with the academy ambassador for one-on-one assistance.
- Download the academy toolkit, which includes tips on making the case to your employer.
- Recommend a firm leader who could gain valuable insights and strategies from this intensive learning experience.
Is AIA Business Academy right for you?
Before signing up, you should be able to:
Understand basic business concepts like finance, marketing, and operations
Understand financial statements (profit & loss, balance sheet, cash flow)
Collaborate effectively with teams and make informed decisions
Think strategically with a focus on long-term planning and growth
If you need a refresher course, check out AIAU's business fundamentals courses.
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