Diagrams /
Developing transparent, flexible firm-wide frameworks for ‘Continuous Improvement’ . . .
Emerging out of a 3-year process of firm-wide re-organization, the following is an adaptable framework which I developed for managers, architects, and designers. Creating a firm-wide resource document meant it needed to be designed from all directions. This document would need to be quick enough to prove useful for a time-crunched manager, as well as thorough enough to help on-board the most recent graduate with no prior professional experience. Designing this resource itself became an exercise in not only formatting and graphic design, but also considered multiple timescales, flexibility for expansion and contraction of information and resources over time, and most of all lay out a shared sense of standard firm-wide operating procedures which were adaptable to all disciplines, and were direct and transparent to all.
I’ve included the first 4 pages of this seminar which explains this document’s intent and purpose, a brief how to, as well as a navigation page to walk users through the multiple layers of information contained on each page; featuring an accountability info-graphic identifying roles, while also highlighting individual and group learning opportunities; Identification of project tasks, as well as linking to definitions, firm-resources and shared files, and standards; to “additional notes” which maintains flexibility and space for identifying related disciplines, adjacent practices, and provides the deepest explanation.
In order to produce a document which was intended to 1. expand and contract with information over time ; 2. Be used by multiple project typologies, and separate disciplines without becoming too “prescriptive” ; 3. be used by people who only had 5 minutes to space to people who had 5 hours; each page moves from left to right, beginning with the quickest and highest priority items like who is accountable for which project tasks and at which phase. farther right you’ll find common definitions for the new-recruit or a helpful refresher, also outlining which discipline, typology, or practice is involved while linking to internal resources specific to project and typology specific best practices. This allows a firm to slowly build up their own flexible database for best practices within each unique discipline, but also allows for subtraction and amendment without disturbing and leading to a complete re-working of the entire process. At the far left, you’ll find helpful tips, tricks, deep dives, related but not entirely necessary information, but still useful ideas to cultivate understanding, and spark creativity.
The seminar and its graphics were designed to function similar to the Autobahn. Travelers could experience it at 160mph, as well as at 30mph, taking exits off the project phase ‘arteries’ to explore the beautiful villages and towns-capes of the firm’s separate disciplines - garnering new knowledge, and fostering new connections along the way. This fosters deep and broad understanding among seasoned veterans and new recruits alike, fosters group-defined disciplinary and firm-wide standards that are flexible and evolving, and encourages ownership, leadership, accountability, and a shared sense of continuous improvement for each project and distinct discipline.
