Contract Magazine - June 2017 - 50

Using Your Firm's Internal Knowledge
to Your Advantage
by Evelyn M. Lee, AIA

Evelyn M. Lee, AIA, writes
a regular column for Contract
on business practices in design
and professional development.
Based in San Francisco, Lee
is corporate managing director
for workplace strategy and
analytics at Savills Studley.
She holds graduate degrees
in architecture, public
administration, and business
administration. Currently
a member of the AIA national
board of directors, Lee
received an AIA Young
Architects Award in 2014.
Her website is evelynlee.com.
Visit contractdesign.com/
businesspractice to read all
of her columns for Contract.

Knowledge management, which is distinct from
project management, can be equally critical to
a design firm's success. The majority of architects
and interior designers are not likely dealing with
spreadsheets of data on a daily basis, but that also
means that those same designers may be missing
out on a potential goldmine of information from
current and past projects. Proper knowledge
management will provide a foundation that can
be harnessed to grow business development
and marketing efforts, support existing and future
projects, and empower employees.
In my work, I find it worthwhile to compile
project data into one database to make comparisons
across clients, as well as to see how similar data
sets begin to change over time. Each of my strategy
projects starts with what is essentially a data dump
of all things related to utilization and occupancy of
the workplace. The next step often requires inputting
the information into a database to begin to make
sense of all of the numbers.
Here are three areas in which you may want
to rethink how your firm manages its knowledge
by initiating new internal processes.
Project knowledge
Even if you are not downloading a ton of
numbers from your clients on a regular basis, there
is significant information that is contained in a
project that often does not find itself in a common
repository during closeout. For example, your
firm's programming information-for the project
types that it specializes in-is useful over time.
Rather than quoting a generic number to your new
clients about the average usable square footage
per person in the tech industry, you may be able
to tell a story, depending on your firm's history, about
how the spaces you have designed for similar clients

have evolved over time. The same programmatic
information catalogued from more recent clients
may offer better benchmark comparisons if a client
wants to know what other organizations of a similar
size are doing now.
Leader knowledge
I have a high level of anxiety at the thought of any
of my bosses retiring. The anxiety is not as much
about stepping into their position as it is about losing
their knowledge. When they leave, my opportunity
to continue to learn from them will disappear, along
with access to their wealth of knowledge. This
should be of some concern in our industry overall,
as we look at the population of Baby Boomers who
are approaching retirement age. How do we better
encapsulate the experience and lessons learned
from firm leaders before they leave?
When considering transition planning within
your firm, ensure that there is adequate time for
the passing on of knowledge at all levels. That lesson
is top of mind for me in one of my current projects
at Savills Studley. For the relocation of the MercedesBenz USA headquarters from New Jersey to Atlanta,
only about 200 of the company's 1,000 employees
are choosing to make the move. The response
has required the entire organization to retain nearly
twice as many individuals on the payroll during the
transition so that there is enough time to successfully
transfer knowledge from those in New Jersey
to the many new hires in Georgia.
Experience knowledge
Creating a database of interview experiences
enables an even greater learning opportunity
for the entire firm, including future employees.
Many firms have regular internal discussions
to share lessons learned from a prospective client
meeting or a visit to the job site, but this information
is usually only available to the few who were
in attendance and is not recorded for posterity.
Document the discussion. A repository of information
on meetings with prospective clients, for example,
would be invaluable to your firm in the future.
What questions were asked? What was discussed?
What was the client most concerned about? What
proposed solutions did the client respond positively
to? Collecting this information over time will
be a valuable resource for both you and the next
generation within your firm.
How is your firm capturing and sharing
knowledge, and how can it be done better? c

contractdesign.com

JUNE 2017

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL BOWER

COLUMNIST

http://www.evelynlee.com http://www.contractdesign.com/businesspractice http://www.contractdesign.com/businesspractice http://www.contractdesign.com

Contract Magazine - June 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract Magazine - June 2017