Telecommuting for Architects and BIM designers

[rob2218]

I wanted to start this post because I've often considered going back to school, getting my PHD in Architecture on this very same subject matter........."How can Architects Break the Telecommuting Barrier?"

It appears that no matter how easy (or not) we make our design software, BIM server, VPN, etc.. telecommuting seems elusive for the present day designer and/or architect.

I know it has to do a lot with the firm you are engaged with, your very own attitude about work, your scheduling, project deadlines....and on and on...but....it doesn't seem to be "catching on" quickly enough.

You would think that during these VERY hard economic times, design firms would welcome the opportunity to have a labor pool (no offense but I don't mean India or overseas I mean U.S.A. citizens) at their disposal on the ready to do work as projects get planned for.

Yes, I know...simply finding the work is a task all by itself but once the work "IS" in the office, no I don't mean speculative work, I mean actual signed contract work, is in the office.....it seems that the telecommuting option is never really explored.

I'd like your thoughts on what you think could make Design Telecommuting work for our industry.

[Anonymous]

I do a lot of remote work but more for contractors than architects. The design process is very information and communication intensive as well as detail oriented and typically requires a lot of face to face communication.

The remote architectural design work I have done is with firms whose standards I have helped organize and with whom I have developed a good working relationship (ie I know the principles' style and preferences well enough to make decisions they typically approve).

I also do a fair amount of consulting and standards work remotely since this is my primary area of expertise and so the information flow is mostly from me to the client and I can do most of the set up and prep work with limited input from. Even so, setting up the standards is one thing but the implementation is typically intensive on-site work.

I think one of the big barriers to remote work in BIM is that the operator is constantly making architectural design and detail decisions as the model develops. This requires frequent communication between numerous parties which is difficult (though not impossible) when they are all scattered. I have been using GoToMeeting and the like more often lately and these do offer some possible solutions but will probably remain only a partial substitute for in person meetings.

Other issues I see are:

1. There is always way more to do than time available so anything that impedes the process such as communications delays etc are a serious problem.

2. Architecture is a deadline driven process (see above) and it is hard (though not impossible) to set up remote services to ensure timely delivery with sufficient review and revision time built in.

3. The transience in remote work is different than in on-site employment. Sometimes this has advantages (ie my clients of many years can still call on me whenever they need something) but it is still different and requires reorganizing the work flow to suit.

4. Well defined standards and practices are required. While these are a good thing in any case they are much more critical for remote work, but many firms aren't that well standardized. Even well organized firms often have to tighten up and better document their standards to enable effective remote working.

[rob2218]

Thanks Matthew.
You sound like you have been there before and have done it.

Yes, "Standards in BIM". That's the beauty with 'standards', there's so many to choose from.

Please folks. Keep the inputs coming. This is helpful.

[Anonymous]

rob2218 wrote:
That's the beauty with 'standards', there's so many to choose from.

HEY! That's my line. I guess it's kind of an obvious one though. Frankly I like to use left handed Whitworth screw threads.

[Anonymous]

Standards can be a bit like Quality.

Everything is Quality. It's whether something is Good Quality or Poor Quality that makes the difference.

[Steve Jepson]

rob2218 wrote:
I wanted to start this post because I've often considered going back to school, getting my PHD in Architecture on this very same subject matter........."How can Architects Break the Telecommuting Barrier?"....

Don't be silly! Architects have no desire whatsoever to "break the telecommuting barrier" They are the telecommuting barrier!

[Anonymous]

Steve wrote:

rob2218 wrote:
I wanted to start this post because I've often considered going back to school, getting my PHD in Architecture on this very same subject matter........."How can Architects Break the Telecommuting Barrier?"....

Don't be silly! Architects have no desire whatsoever to "break the telecommuting barrier" They are the telecommuting barrier!

...and already broken.

[rob2218]

I see.
It appears the (ahem) optimism for the telecommuting route for architects is dismal, at best.

I tend to agree. So...how can we make it possible for our industry?

What are the steps that need to happen to make "design telecommuting" possible?

Perhaps governmental incentives? If the U.S. Gov gave each private corp an monetary break by promoting a telecommute plan, then that might start the cycle up?

Equipment? Does the equipment need to get better?

This whole theory of real "face time" is an illusion.
You don't need real time face time if those coordinating the work know what they are doing.
99% of the problem is communication and assigning hierarchy and priorities to personnel and tasks.

I had a boss who tried to give me multiple assignments. that's fine I can multi-task (contrary to the female populations belief that men can't multi-task) so....He stated, "Here's task A, task B, and on and on all the way thru task Z to do".

I asked him, "which do you want done first?" A valid question I thought.
His response was (and with a dead serious attitude)...."Well, all of them of course!"

And here in lies the other 99% of the problem.
When bosses have no clue on how to prioritize what they want from you.

Everything can't be "NO.1" on a list of items to do, yet somehow, the suits fail to realize that.

[Anonymous]

As people always say, "I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic."

Seriously though I don't think any of us could be in this business if we weren't optimistic (perhaps to the point of delusional sometimes) which is why a dose of realism is so important. When your job is to make buildings that serve people's need and don't usually kill or injure them you can't just pretend everything is going to be OK and count on the government to bail you out when it all collapses.

Getting back to the original topic, I am seriously dedicated to and optimistic about telecommuting. It presently constitutes over 90% of my work. This is also why I am so aware of all the difficulties and pitfalls. I do think an increase in distance working and collaboration is inevitable. I also think this may be very difficult for the architectural profession to adapt to. Considering the difficulty firms have had (or are still having) adapting to BIM, this represents another major shift in the work process of a practice that is already stretched to meet deadlines and remain profitable.

[Richard Morrison]

From my own point of view (and residential practice type), while I can see a large benefit to consultants like structural or mechanical engineers having access to the model, the concept of "farming out" architectural drafting is something that I haven't quite figured out. Back in the olden days of graphite (not the font), redlining a set of prints was much quicker than drafting revisions by hand. However, nowadays, I find that by the time you electronically tell someone what to do, it's usually almost as easy just to do it yourself. So what type of tasks are usually amenable to telecommuting?