Just throwing this out there...

[Laura Yanoviak]

Our firm decided to move to ArchiCAD 4 years ago now, and implementation started 3 1/2 years ago. Everyone has been trained (50 or so employees -- due to layoffs over the summer, we are now down to 20 users), and 100% of our current projects are on ArchiCAD.

So, the PAs (Project Architects) of my firm were called into the conference room this morning and asked how to improve the inefficiency we've been experiencing over the past 6 months. One solution was to become a 'hybrid office' and leave it up to the PAs whether to use ArchiCAD or AutoCAD for production.

I said this would be a disaster... what do y'all think?

[Erika Epstein]

Laura wrote:
(been a bit emotional lately).

This [lack of] economy is making all of us a bit emotional.

[Laura Yanoviak]

Erika wrote:
This [lack of] economy is making all of us a bit emotional.

Yes. We've all been on reduced salaries since last month and for the foreseeable future...

[Erika Epstein]

When you transitioned the firm, did the partners learn Archicad well enough to work in it or just to oversee?

[Laura Yanoviak]

Erika wrote:
When you transitioned the firm, did the partners learn Archicad well enough to work in it or just to oversee?

I trained 2 (of the 7) partners -- one (the "Director of Design") has since removed AC from his machine. The others have no interest (as you can see from earlier in my post, it's been quite the challenge to get the PAs trained). I offered to give them some cursory training, so that they could at least be aware of the benefits, limitations and impact on work flow -- that offer went ignored.

[Thomas Holm]

Laura wrote:
-- that offer went ignored.

I'm amazed! You mean that it's possible today to run a business without giving the bread and butter more interest than that?
(or maybe it isn't anymore - I guess we'll se who survive the downsurge)

[Da3dalus]

You see this in small firms as well (like mine). The senior architects often get engrossed in the architecture work that doesn't involve drawings or models at all. It's all about meetings, planning, researching, evaluating, scheduling, cost estimating, specifying, communicating, submitting, calling, writing, reporting, and billing. Everything is done in MS Office and on the phone. They hand down the drawing and design tasks to the junior staff, because that's all they're capable of.

It's always seemed backwards to me, letting the least qualified people do the most creative, interesting, fun work, and then promote the experienced talent to do the menial management work that they're not very good at and don't enjoy. But, as many project managers will tell you, no one else has the breadth of knowledge to manage all aspects of construction, even though architects are typically terrible managers. The best design in the world is no good if no one can assemble it into a team construction project. So you end up with mediocre designs by interns, administered by frustrated PMs.

Question: Do any firms out there hire non-architect PM's (perhaps business grads) to track, schedule, manage (and everything else above) to allow the architects to just be architects? Or do all architects eventually end up as managers?

[Anonymous]

You said it exactly right, Chuck!
I am heading down this way though I don't like it at all and I hate managing!

[Laura Yanoviak]

Da3dalus wrote:
Or do all architects eventually end up as managers?

This is one reason why I took a detour into BIM...

Anyway... I promised to update y'all on any developments --
The Partner Retreat happened about a month ago, and all concluded that we should remain on our current path... then...

I was informed Monday that we are interviewing for a project -- a joint venture with another firm that uses Revit -- and was told that our principal partner thinks we should use Revit. So I've spent this week assisting another partner to build an argument for why ArchiCAD would be best for the project (not necessarily the firm). O -- and -- we are the architect of record. HMMPH...

[Anonymous]

Laura wrote:
HMMPH...

Your obvious dissatisfaction doesn't go with your new avatar.

[Laura Yanoviak]

s2art wrote:
Your obvious dissatisfaction doesn't go with your new avatar.

Oh, there's A LOT of cynicism behind that smirk.