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AIA Practice Management Digest - January 2026

By Eva Read-Warden, AIA posted 01-15-2026
Survival Skills: Income and Business Development in the Digital Age Exploring strategies to thrive—and not just survive—in an era of digital disruption and economic uncertainty Letter from the editor By Eva Read-Warden, AIA, Principal, ...
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Passive income for architects

By Jennifer Kretschmer, FAIA posted 01-15-2026
by Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA With the current architect billing index trending downward in some markets and inquiries and backlog decreasing, architects may consider other ways to earn an income. So, what are some possible ways for an architect ...
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Breaking the mold: One firm's journey to becoming a "Design Collaborative" and why it matters

By Eva Read-Warden, AIA posted 01-15-2026
By Richard Friedman, Founder & President at Friedman & Partners AEC firms often re-examine and refine their mission, vision, or core values. Many firms do this during annual strategic planning, making a tweak here, a readjustment ...
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The new currency of brand trust: Why architecture firms must adapt in the digital age

By Eva Read-Warden, AIA posted 01-15-2026
By Judy Sparks Walk into any design firm today, and you’ll hear a familiar refrain: “We’ve built our reputation on relationships and doing great work.” And it’s true. Architecture, at its best, has always been a relationship business built ...
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Change how you think about AI. Change how you think about yourself.

By Eva Read-Warden, AIA posted 01-15-2026
By Kristen Kautz These two shifts are the whole game when it comes to using AI successfully. When I talk about AI, I always start here. My philosophy is that AI creates a “super you.” You are not handing your brain over to a robot. You are ...
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Introduction to an AIA Trust post: Thinking about starting your own design or architecture firm?

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 01-15-2026
Introduction by Rebecca W. E. Edmunds, AIA In the current professional landscape, the architecture and design industries are continually reshaped by forces like corporate mergers, acquisitions, and large-scale restructuring. While these periods ...
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AIA Practice Management Digest - October 2025

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 10-30-2025
Notes from the field Perhaps you’ve noticed that despite market uncertainties, everyone is busy. Pulling together the latest issue of PM Digest relied on tried and true writers who shared insights from the field on the value of client feedback, establishing ...
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Collecting, recording and integrating systems and standards into your firm’s culture

By Matthew Szymanski, AIA posted 10-30-2025
By Matthew Szymanski, AIA AIA North Carolina Small Firm Exchange Representative AIA North Carolina Advanced Leadership Program, Steering Committee “Get things in writing” is classic advice for dealing with customers. Our firm recently ...
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The undeniable value of client feedback

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 10-30-2025
By Richard Friedman, Founder & President at Friedman & Partners Client feedback is one of the most important and underutilized tools an AEC firm can employ. At my March 2025 presentation to AIA’s Large Firm Round Table Marketing ...
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Why AI adoption remains a work in progress

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 10-30-2025
By Rebecca W.E. Edmunds, AIA, MFA, 2026 PMKC Chair, with Google Gemini “ AI is less about automation and more about amplification. Done well, AI does not replace people, it empowers them to do their best work .” – Evelyn Lee, FAIA, ...
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AIA Practice Management Digest - April 2025

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 04-24-2025
Recruiting & Onboarding: What's Critical Now Onboarding is a critical part of recruiting and to creating an outstanding environment for new hires to thrive and for firms of any size to succeed. Leaders from across the country in all types and scales ...
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Recruiting and retaining the talent to take your firm further

By Brian Vitale, AIA posted 04-24-2025
Brian Vitale, AIA. Co-Managing Director & Design Principal, Gensler, Chicago When planning and building a progressive, forward-looking vision for the success of your firm, the first step is bringing together the best industry talent who ...
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Personality assessment tests: Infusing objectivity & insight into AEC firm team building

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 04-24-2025
By Richard Friedman, Founder & President at Friedman & Partners Deloitte reports that 80% of Fortune 500 companies use personality tests for a variety of reasons, including recruiting, career planning, leadership development and team ...
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Virtual onboarding for a distributed practice: Building connection and competency from day one

By Leah Bayer, AIA posted 04-24-2025
By Leah Alissa Bayer, AIA It’s challenging finding great employees to grow with your company for the long term. An increasing labor shortage only complicates the process. So, it’s important to make the right first impression. As more architecture ...
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Small firm onboarding

By Eva Read-Warden, AIA posted 04-24-2025
by Eva Read-Warden, AIA, Principal-In-Charge, Arkitex Studio Intro Small and small-mid-size firm owners wear many hats and often struggle to find the time to develop a plan for acclimating new employees. Many of us wish people could walk ...
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Virtual onboarding: Best practices for virtual work environments & remote staff

By Jennifer Kretschmer, FAIA posted 04-24-2025
By Jennifer Kretschmer , AIA, NCARB, LEED Green Associate; Principal Architect, JK/A The developing landscape of work has made remote staff an asset for architectural firms worldwide. For success with remote work, firms must adopt ...
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Trends, pros & cons in A.I. for recruiting

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 04-24-2025
By Rebecca W.E. Edmunds, AIA, MFA, President, r4 llc A new—or not so new—conversation has emerged on AI in recruiting. An overwhelming chorus of articles tout AI’s potential to improve experience, efficiency, and decision-making. But every ...
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Practice content at AIA25

By Emma Tucker posted 03-20-2025
If you are coming to the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design (AIA25) this year (June 4-7 in Boston), there is an official PMKC event plus many more great sessions to consider! This guide provides you with an inside look at some of the sessions ...
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AIA Practice Management Digest - December 2024

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 12-13-2024
Technology in Practice One year after our 2023 Industry Changing Tech issue, we take an updated look at the ways technology is altering practice, including AI (Artificial Intelligence), robotics, and virtual systems. Letter from the editor ...
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Technology as a competitive edge for AEC firms

By Rebecca Edmunds, AIA posted 12-13-2024
By Rich Friedman , Friedman Partners A developing trend is the rising number of A/E/C firms with technology-based subsidiaries or divisions. This extends beyond the common tools used by architects and engineers, such as 3D modeling, ...
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