Focus, Purpose, Clarity: Digital Transformation in Architecture

I often find myself wondering why I like working with architects…

When I talk to them, I realise over and over again that it’s the type of person I enjoy working with, the creative problem solver. The kind of mind that can talk for hours about the details of a bathroom design, but in the same breath, spend only thirty seconds on the heart of the project. Their minds flutter between problems, solutions, and ideas, a constant stream that makes you wonder if they’ve listened.

It’s the same feeling I get when I speak with my six-year-old, curious, jumping between topics, but not always focused on the task at hand.

And that’s when I realise: this is why architects struggle to solve their digital practice needs. They don’t know how to focus on what truly matters.

Challenges

Having spent time with architects, interior designers, project managers, and others in discussing their digital journeys, I’ve observed a few common shortcomings in how most practices approach digital transformation:

1. They mistake digital transformation for just a tech adoption/ upgrade.

2. They adopt tech reactively, not strategically.

3. They lack structured processes for internal change.

At its core, this highlights one thing: there is no focus on purpose, direction, or clarity.

Purpose

Whenever I listen to an architect explain a design, I’m captivated by how clearly they articulate the project’s purpose. They describe the design requirements, the iterations they’ve gone through, and how each decision contributes to fulfilling the project’s intent.

But when they turn inward to their own practice, that clarity disappears. They lose sight of what could take their practice from good to great.

Purpose isn’t just about solving client problems—it’s about how we approach those problems. A well-defined purpose allows us to zoom in and out of challenges, balancing detail and big-picture thinking, just as we do when designing the relationship between a bathroom layout and a building’s facade.

When I founded Digital Reframe, I had one clear purpose: to remove *paper-based workflows from architectural practices and help them digitally transform. This purpose led me to explore seemingly unrelated aspects of architectural practice, discovering how new mindsets could drive broader change.

Direction

Once we have a purpose, we need direction. Our North Star.

A client approaching an architect has a fundamental need: “I want a home for my family.” This simple statement provides direction for the architect’s design. Through clarifying questions, the architect determines the best path forward.

Yet, when I speak with architectural practices, I often find that employees are moving in different directions. They learn new tools based on personal interest rather than what benefits the practice can gain. There’s no alignment, no clear direction guiding digital adoption.

Direction is what unites a practice. It ensures that everyone is working towards the same goals and that digital transformation isn’t just an isolated effort but an integrated strategy. However, direction without clarity can lead to confusion or misalignment. This is why the next step is crucial.

Clarity

Direction alone isn’t enough; we need clarity. Clarity is the refining process that ensures our direction is actionable and achievable - we achieve this through clarifying questions.

When architects explain their designs to clients, there’s a moment when the client’s eyes light up—the design suddenly makes sense. Clarity comes from structured communication, from guiding clients through the stages of plan, design, and build.

The same principle applies to digital transformation. Many firms have “fumbled their way” through adopting new technology. They react to challenges instead of proactively designing their digital future. When asked about their roadmap, many firms can’t provide a clear answer.

Clarity emerges when we ask the right questions:

• What problem are we solving with this technology?

• How does this fit into our broader business strategy?

• What impact will this have on our team’s workflows and culture?

• How will this technology improve our efficiency over the next five years?

Without clarity, digital transformation remains a scattered, reactionary effort rather than a deliberate evolution. Clarity refines our direction, ensuring that every step forward is intentional and meaningful.

Focus

This leads us to our mantra:

We will focus. We will define a purpose that gives us direction and clarity in our pursuit of digital transformation.

Architects, it’s time to apply the same focus we bring to our projects to our own practices. The same intensity we put into perfecting a tiling layout should be directed toward refining our digital strategies. The same curiosity that allows us to zoom in and out of a project should be used to examine our practice’s digital evolution.

We need to focus on what matters—to our practice, our clients, and our future—so we can improve the things that make the greatest impact.

Architects, define your practice’s digital purpose today. Write it down. Share it. Align your team. Because without focus, digital transformation will always remain an afterthought.

*Paper-based refers to any non-relevant workflows that are within a company that don't add value or contribute to the growth of a practice.

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The idea, arguments and writing, with errors, were developed by me. PlaudAI was used to record my thoughts and transcribe, and ChatGPT was used to create a structure for my thoughts to reference in the writing of this article.

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