FIUDepartment of Architecture

ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

P2: Architecture Firm Business Plan

The Architecture Firm Business Plan is worth 35% of your grade. Each plan shall be completed by two students.
This project seeks to envision a possible professional future. This plan is both an analysis and envisioning exercise. At
its core, it asks to assess who you are, what is the environment you seek to operate in and what do you want to do for
the future. As a collaborative exercise, it requires that you do it with with a colleague, one that shares your interests,
values and aspirations. (I recommend that this person is someone in the same Master Project studio if applicable) This
colleague will also serve as a “testing ground” for ideas, solutions and feedback.

This plan shall be 8.5” x 11” horizontally formatted PDF.

Submission 1: March 16, 2021 Items 1-7
Submission 2: April 22, 2021 Items 1-8

This Project will cover the following items:

D.3 Business Practices: Understanding of the basic principles of a firm’s business practices, including financial
management and business planning, marketing, organization, and entrepreneurship.

D.4 Legal Responsibilities: Understanding of the architect’s responsibility to the public and the client as determined by
regulations and legal considerations involving the practice of architecture and professional service contracts.

D.5 Professional Conduct: Understanding of the ethical issues involved in the exercise of professional judgment in
architectural design and practice and understanding the role of the NCARB Rules of Conduct and the AIA Code of Ethics
in defining professional conduct.

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Supporting Readings:
Reading, Chapter 1.4: Regulation of Professional Practice
Reading, Chapter 3.1: Firm Identity and Expertise
Reading, Chapter 2.1: Starting and Architecture Firm
Reading, Chapter 2.2: Firm Legal Structure

Contents: Internal Material
This is the material you need to plan and organize your firm

1. SWOT Analysis

2. Vision, Mission and Values Statements

3. Market Analysis

4. Aspirational and Competitor Firm Reports

5. Business Structure

6. Income / Expense projections

7. Promotional Strategy

Contents: External Material
This is the material you need to sell your firm to get work
8. Firm Brochure / Portfolio

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

1. Firm SWOT Analysis

Prior to writing your Firm Vision, Mission and Values Statements, you need to complete a SWOT analysis:

The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis is a tried and true assessment for envisioning
any organization.

Simply put, strengths and weaknesses are internal factors that define the firm while opportunities and threats are
external context in which the firm resides. In the world of an organization things are either helpful or harmful.

Each SWOT analysis shall be composed of summary of bullet points followed by a description of each bullet point.
The format of the SWOT is:

Page One: The four component elements with bullets

Page Two Strengths
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Three Weaknesses

Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Four Opportunities
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

Page Five Threats
Each bullet described 100-250 words each

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Firm SWOT Analysis: Bullets

Strengths: Characteristics of the firm which give it advantages over its competitors
Things your firm does well
Qualities that separate you from your competitors
Internal resources, skills, knowledge
Tangible assets: property, capital, technology

Weaknesses: Characteristics of the firm which give it disadvantages to its competitors
Things your firm lacks
Things your competitors do better than you
Limited resources
Unclear vision and mission

Opportunities: Elements in the external environment that can help the firm
Underserved market
Few competitors
Emerging needs or services
Media coverage

Threats: Elements in the external environment that could harm the firm
Emerging competitors
Changing economic environment
Negative Media
Changing trends

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

2. Firm Vision, Mission and Values Statements

1. Vision
250-word Vision Statement describes the desired future position of the company.

2.Mission
250-word mission statement should address the following: why the organization exists, what its overall goal is,
identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of service it provides, its primary customers or market and its
geographical region of operation.
Who is this for? The target audience
Contribution: what service do you provide
Distinction, place

3. Values
In essence, your company values are the beliefs, philosophies, and principles that drive your firm. They frame the firm’s
attitude internally and externally: to your employees, clients, consultants and partners.

Each value will have a 100-word description

Note all these items shall reflect the AIA ethics NCARB Rules for the profession and your professional, personal and
aspirational goals.

FIU’s Vision, Mission and Values:
https://www.fiu.edu/about/vision-and-mission/index.html

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

3. Market Analysis

Describe national, state, and/or local data that supports your firm. Reference national, state, and/or local plans or
reports that support the need for the type of work you are planning to do. Provide data in a graphic / chart that
supports the decisions you are making.

Below are some starting reference points:

Where are the jobs:
https://www.bls.gov

Housing starts:
https://www.nahb.org

Construction Spending
https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/c30index.html

Construction news

News

AIA Building date:
https://www.aia.org/resources/10046-the-architecture-billings-index

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

4. Aspirational & Competitor Firm Report

Aspirational Firm Report
What is the firm – locally, nationally internationally that you aspire to be like? Who does the work you like? Who is the
person you admire? Think of your vision statement these firms should represent your vision – in 5 years? 10 years 20
years? (1) Firm minimum

Competitor Firm Report
These are the firms in your market. What is the firm in close proximity to your firm? Proximity can be defined in terms of
geography (they are in the same town or city as your) or in terms of skills, specific market building types that you aspire
to grow in. (1) Firm minimum

Each Audit shall have the following items: Firm name, address, website, When was it established?

Types of projects
What is this company’s claim to fame? What kind of building types / sectors does the firm complete? What is the
percentage of each type of work?

Samples of work
Select 2-3 projects that best represent the work of the firm. Include photo, building data, dates
What sort of work and services does your office provide?

Mission Statement
Why the organization exists, what its overall goal is, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of service it
provides, its primary customers or market and its geographical region of operation.

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

Values
Does the firm support adaptive, on-the-job learning and innovative experimental thinking? Or, do they prefer routine
and rote execution?


Office Structure
Which partner owns the majority stake? Is the stake evenly split, or do some partners have larger shares with larger
influence? What are the number of Employees? What is the ownership structure?

Office Operations
How are projects staffed? Are junior employees considered for their individual strengths and professional
development, or are they interchangeable? 


Diversity
Are different backgrounds and perspectives welcome at the firm? Or, is there an adherence to the status quo and an
emphasis on: “This is the way we do things here?” 


Evaluation
What is their competitive advantage in their market?
What products/services do they offer that appeal to you and other customers? 


Clients
Who are their typical clients?

Promotion
How do they market and get new work?

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

5. Business Structure

What form of business ownership will your company be? Why did you choose that form of ownership?

Facilities and Location

What type of facility(ies) will you need?

Where will you be located? Be specific.

Why did you choose that/those locations?

Supporting Readings
Reading, Chapter 4.1: Financial Planning, Financial Management Systems
Reading, Chapter 4.2: Financial Management Systems
Reading, Chapter 4.3: Maintaining Financial Health

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

6. Income / Expense projection

Create an annual Income Projection: See Lecture 5
Chart the following over 12 months:
Existing Projects
New Projects

Create an annual Staffing Plan: See Lecture 5
Chart the salary expenses over 12 months for:
Principals / owners
Registered Architects
Technical employees
Support staff (marketers, business manager, office manager)

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

7. Promotional Strategy

Who is your network?

Outline a marketing strategy that is consistent with your niche (focused customer group).

How will you attract/advertise to your clients?


What media platforms will you use, why, who will see/hear the message.

How regularly will you distribute information advertise

Supporting Readings
Reading, Chapter 3.2: Marketing Strategy and Planning
Reading, Chapter 3.3: How Clients Select Architects

FIU Department of Architecture
ARC 6280 Professional Office Practice

8. Firm Brochure / Portfolio
This is the document that “sums up” all the work of project (items 1-6) for public consumption. As you already have a
personal portfolio of academic and a bit of professional work (this varies case by case) this is an opportunity to critically
look back on your time at FIU and pull out the work you think most anticipates your professional future. Your selection
of Master Project Seminar and Studio should have already begun this inquiry.

1. Firm name and Logo
Create a firm name and design and develop a firm logo

2. Firm Mission and Vision

3. Services
How do you work? What technologies do you use? What is your expertise?

4. Portfolio of work
Select 5-10 projects that “sell” the firm and / or its services

5. Personnel: Partner Bios and Head Shots
250-word biography: Job title, University degree and other qualifications, Hometown or city of residence, Personal or
professional goals, Mission statement and values, Skills and expertise, Interests and hobbies