Office management involves overseeing resources like staff, premises, and systems to provide an overall framework for projects. Project management focuses on timelines and budgets from initial design through construction. Together their goal is to ensure work is cost-effective while balancing profitability and design quality. Architectural management emerged in the 1960s as construction grew more complex. It employs both office and project managers, though project managers are often outside consultants. Architects are promoted to general management positions based on experience managing design teams and projects. As managers of operating units, they are expected to not only ensure high professional standards but also contribute to the financial success of the firm overall.
Office management involves overseeing resources like staff, premises, and systems to provide an overall framework for projects. Project management focuses on timelines and budgets from initial design through construction. Together their goal is to ensure work is cost-effective while balancing profitability and design quality. Architectural management emerged in the 1960s as construction grew more complex. It employs both office and project managers, though project managers are often outside consultants. Architects are promoted to general management positions based on experience managing design teams and projects. As managers of operating units, they are expected to not only ensure high professional standards but also contribute to the financial success of the firm overall.
Office management involves overseeing resources like staff, premises, and systems to provide an overall framework for projects. Project management focuses on timelines and budgets from initial design through construction. Together their goal is to ensure work is cost-effective while balancing profitability and design quality. Architectural management emerged in the 1960s as construction grew more complex. It employs both office and project managers, though project managers are often outside consultants. Architects are promoted to general management positions based on experience managing design teams and projects. As managers of operating units, they are expected to not only ensure high professional standards but also contribute to the financial success of the firm overall.
Office management involves overseeing resources like staff, premises, and systems to provide an overall framework for projects. Project management focuses on timelines and budgets from initial design through construction. Together their goal is to ensure work is cost-effective while balancing profitability and design quality. Architectural management emerged in the 1960s as construction grew more complex. It employs both office and project managers, though project managers are often outside consultants. Architects are promoted to general management positions based on experience managing design teams and projects. As managers of operating units, they are expected to not only ensure high professional standards but also contribute to the financial success of the firm overall.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 8
OFFICE MANAGEMENT
A R C H I T E C T U R A L M A N A G E M E N T FA LL S
I N T O T W O D I S TI N C T PA RTS , O F F IC E M A N A GE M E N T A N D P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T. O F F I C E M A N A GE ME N T P R OV I D E S A N OV E R A L L F R A M E W O R K W I TH IN W H I C H I N D I V I D UA L P R O J E C T S A R E C O M M ISS I O N E D , D E S I G N E D A N D COMPLETED. B O T H PA RT S H AV E T H E S A ME O B J E C T I V E S BUT A R E TY P I C A LLY A D D R E SS E D BY S E PA R ATE MA N A G E ME N T
Office management involves the allocation and
financing of resources, principally premises, trained
staff and computer systems, and on establishing and charging appropriate fees for the services rendered. Project management focuses on timescales,
developing a design from initial concept to working
drawings, and managing the construction processThe essence of architectural management is to ensure that work on a project is cost effective, to achieve a balance between profitability and design quality.
Standard management techniques and tools, borrowed
mainly from repetitive industrial processes, have not always
fitted comfortably with the image of the architect as a creative individual, rather than a professional member of a business team. The term architectural management has been in use since the 1960s as building construction became more complex, because of a shift from standard traditional construction details, to innovation and experimentation.
Architectural practices generally employ an office manager
who may have at their disposal an administration assistant
or team of assistants. Project management is increasingly a role played by an independent consultant, especially during the construction phase. Project managers are typically from one of the surveying disciplines, leaving only the architectural elements to be managed in-house by the architects.
Practicing architects typically receive promotions in their
firms to general management positions (GMPs) on the basis
of their track records of professional accomplishments. Most frequently, they become heads of operating subunits, such as studios, disciplines, specialty practices, geographic offices or regions. More often than not, they take on these positions in addition to their professional engagements. As a rule, they are named principal at this career stage with their firms. These practicing architects have gained experience as managers of design teams. In recent years, such teams have grown in size and complexity, comprising not only larger inhouse groups, but also, and often from early conceptual design phases on, members of other firms.
TEAM MANAGEMENT Team management yields management experience.
But presiding over an entire operating subunit of the
firm is different from heading up a design team. This difference is perhaps best exemplified by large firms that place into their operating subunits authority and responsibility not only for unit P&L performance, but also for the formation/reformation of unit business strategy and its implementation.
Solid economic performance joined with great professional
performance by all operating subunits is particularly critical
at a time when, as one observer put it, the business high tides of past decades in the global construction industry, in which nearly any professional service provider to the industry could float, are unlikely to return any time soon. Also critical during times of level or falling primary demand is to have embedded in every operating subunit an ability to win new commissions from existing as well as new clients and to execute such commissions to the delight of clients and at positive operating margins. Such ability requires leaders/managers at these operating levels who combine high professional competence with high managerial capability.
company structuring decentralization, demands of
practicing architects in charge of operating subunits that they
possess a firm grounding in strategic/ organizational/financial management relevant to professional service firms. Nothing less should be acceptable to the leaders of architecture firms than to expect of their operating subunits not only great professional performance in the execution of client commissions, but also solid contributions to firmwide financial results.
