Managing time in practice

Techniques for managing time in an architectural practice are constantly evolving. Trends that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic are changing the way people work, communicate and collaborate. There are many digital platforms that assist architectural practices with managing time, including staff timesheets, shared calendars, project management applications, live chat groups and more. Virtual assistants and artificial intelligence are also adding to the time management tools available.

An example of a useful tool for practice time management is to establish a 24-month program with defined and time-bound activities, tasks or company processes that need to be managed, as well as determining the resources required and the persons responsible for carrying out these activities or following up on processes. While setting up the initial program may seem overwhelming, once started it will develop over time as the different cycles begin to form recognisable patterns. This can be managed in a simple way, such as by using an in-house established spreadsheet, or with more technical software.

A successful practice time manager will generally have prompt and clear communication with all parties involved in the organisation, internal and external, and will have knowledge of, at least, the basic time cycles of taxation, staff remuneration and statutory obligations. Input from market cycles and ongoing project work can inform the organisational program so that efforts can be better predicted and directed for optimised outcomes.

Acknowledging that staff are people with different needs, energy levels, skills, backgrounds, genders and personal commitments, is an important element to successfully navigating the challenges of managing the various time cycles of an organisation. As every staff member has tasks to fulfil within a set period of time, knowing their personal and collective capabilities and limitations will assist a practice manager in planning efficiently and allowing for contingencies and other unexpected situations.

Consider the following time management related suggestions:

• Keeping good timesheets will provide fee estimators with relevant data to determine fees for new projects that share similarities with past projects. This is important when project fee calculations can fall short of actual project work time. See Acumen note Time records.
• Optimising efficiency of the architectural services offered is critical to meet the project budget and allocated resources. Having appropriate tools, clearly defined objectives and reasonably managed expectations from the beginning of a project will assist project staff in achieving better and more timely results.
• Knowing the capabilities of the project staff will allow a successful practice manager to distribute a balanced workload to avoid imposing excessive working hours while meeting delivery deadlines.
• Implementing flexible work hours and flexible work locations can, in some cases, boost morale and increase productivity. However, this may pose additional challenges for practice managers. Refer Acumen note Flexible working arrangements.

In conclusion, the organisational culture and values of the practice will determine the style for managing time, yet regardless of how this is done, effective time management can contribute to the success of a practice.

Further reading:

• Parlour Guide 02: Long-hours culture considers the factors behind long-hours culture in architecture and presents ways to manage workload and workplace arrangements for the advantage of all.
• The Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice look at the benefits of increased flexibility, meaningful part-time work, acceptable career breaks and reasonable hours, noting that ‘flexible workplaces (and employees) report vastly decreased stress and increased productivity’.