7 Ways to Be a More Effective Architect
As every architect knows by now, the profession has a
problem with its work culture. Incubated in universities and perpetuated
once graduates reach practice, the tendency to overwork is currently the subject of much discussion -
but while there may be hints that change is afoot, it's unlikely to
take place overnight. In the meantime, what can a stressed-out architect
do to reduce their work hours to something more reasonable? Originally published by ArchSmarter,
this post explores how to become a more effective architect - allowing
you to win back some of that lost time by maximizing efficiency and
minimizing unnecessary work.
“What’s that smudge in the middle of your drawing? Is that part of your concept?” the juror asked me.
“Um...
” I replied as I squinted at the drawing. “I think that’s from my nose.
I haven’t slept in like... two days. I konked out while I was
coloring,” I answered sheepishly.
“Good for you,”
the juror said. “Nothing like an all-nighter to make you feel alive.
It’s good practice for when you’re out working in the real world.”
Had I been thinking clearly, I probably should have lectured the juror on the detrimental health impacts of all-nighters,
not to mention the inverse relationship between hours worked and actual
productivity. As it was, I was lucky enough to stay on my feet and keep
myself from drooling.
When I was in architecture
school, an all-nighter was a badge of honor. You bragged about it. It
showed you were working hard and were grinding it out to get your
project done. Sacrificing your health, your other school work and your
personal relationships was all part of being an architecture student. Or
so we thought.
That kind of personal sacrifice
might have helped develop our work ethic but did it teach us how to work
effectively? Hardly. There was no room for cleverness or for working
smarter. It was all about putting the hours in. Unfortunately for many
of us, this attitude toward time has carried over into our professional
lives.
What is effectiveness?
Merriam-Webster defines effective as “producing a decided,
decisive, or desired effect.” Everyone wants their work to produce the
desired effect but what makes one person more effective than another? It
comes down to time.
Your comparative effectiveness
is based on how long it takes you to produce that desired effect. If it
takes Mary two hours to review and comment on a set of shop drawings but
it takes Tim four hours to do the same task, Mary is twice as effective
as Tim. Another, more technical way to look at effectiveness is the
amount of value (or desired effect) created per unit of time.
Pulling an all-nighter to get your project done definitely puts you low on the effectiveness chart.
Effectiveness vs efficiency
If
effectiveness is all about producing a desired effect, then efficiency
comprises the steps we take to get to that effect. Fewer steps equals
more efficiency.
It’s possible to be effective but
not efficient. In our example above, Tim achieves the desired effect of
reviewing the shop drawings but it takes him twice as long as Mary. He’s
not efficient in his work.
Likewise, you can be
really efficient but if you’re not producing the desired effect, you’re
not effective. You could draft up a beautiful corner detail in less than
an hour. This drawing is a work of art. The detail is exact. The line
weights are perfect. All the text is aligned. You used every trick in
the book to produce this detail in record time. However, the design is
still evolving and the exterior cladding changed while you were working
away. Yes, it only took you an hour, but now that beautiful detail is
worthless. You need to start over and re-draft the detail using the new
exterior cladding. You were efficient but not that effective.
So how can we make ourselves more effective AND efficient?
Using leverage
Time is our most precious resource. There are only 24 hours in
a day. No one gets any more than that. What we do with that time is up
to us. In order to be more effective, it’s important to fiercely guard
your time and only spend it on what’s really important. One effective
way to get more out of your time is to use leverage.
Leverage lets you get more work done with less effort.
Think
of leverage like a lever. Using a lever, you can move a large amount of
weight with a minimal amount of effort. Leverage is thinking about HOW
you’re going to do something as much, if not more, than WHAT you’re
going to do. Leverage is working smarter, not harder.
Maximizing your leverage yields the highest impact for your efforts. It gets the biggest bang for your time.
How to be a more effective architect
To be a more effective architect, you need to maximize your leverage. So how do you do this? Here are some suggestions:
- Reduce the time required to do your tasks. Break each task into steps and see where you can eliminate steps or reduce friction. This takes more time up-front but will save you tons of time in the long run.
- Automate your most tedious tasks. If you need to do the same thing more than three times, you should definitely automate it. Learn to program so you can create your own tools.
- Determine which of your tasks produces the most value. Work on that task first.
- Leverage other people’s time. If someone else can do something better and faster than you, give the task to them. This frees you up to do the work that produces more value.
- Increase the value of your work. For example, leverage your BIM model to provide additional services to your client. This could include facilities management or data visualization services.
- Keep learning and invest in your skills. If you use Revit four hours a day, learning some new features and getting 10% better will increase your efficiency and your effectiveness in the long run. Take a look at these Revit shortcuts for some quick pointers.
- Use standard libraries. Do you really need to reinvent the wheel for every project? Invest some time developing a library of standard designs and details. Things like restrooms as well as door and wall details should be standardized. Leverage these assets so you have more time to develop the truly unique parts of your project.
Maximizing
your leverage lets you get more done in less time. It’s the lever that
lifts the massive boulder. Approach your work with an eye toward
leverage and you’ll create more value in less time. This will make you a
truly effective architect.
Main image via Shutterstock.com
Cite:Michael Kilkelly. "7 Ways to Be a More Effective Architect" 07 Jul 2015. ArchDaily. Accesed 11 Jul 2015. <http://www.archdaily.com/769797/7-ways-to-be-a-more-effective-architect/>
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