Systemising the World: How Revit Templates Become Systems
- Machiel Odendaal
- Oct 14
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
At Digital Reframe, we believe that the world should be systemised. That belief runs through our DNA, from the way we structure our business to the way we think about the tools we use.
We see systemisation not as documenting a workflow or a process, but rather a codified way you operate. We define four levels of systemisation: practice, capabilities, process, and task systems. Together, these levels create a hierarchy that allows practices to grow intentionally, operate more effectively and be able to continuously adapt.
Systemised Revit Template
Traditionally, a Revit Template is a starting point for a project, a blank canvas to start off with. But at Digital Reframe, we see it differently. A template shouldn’t just start a project; it should sustain it.
A systemised template is a live template. It evolves with each project, integrating new learnings and improvements as part of a continuous feedback loop to the system. It’s designed to scale, adapt, and evolve. Turning a typical static file into an intelligent, living system.
This philosophy leads to a critical question:
How can we make a Revit template function like a system rather than a file?
The Integrator: Connecting Templates and Projects
The answer for us lives within what we call the Integrator App. A key part of our systemised template ecosystem.
…you can selectively pull in elements from your systemised Revit template
into an active project, only when and where you need them.
The app acts as a connector between projects and templates, allowing users to transfer standards, families, and settings. Think of it as a controlled transfer tool: instead of rebuilding or re-importing templates, you can selectively pull elements from a systemised template into an active project, only when and where you need them. This enables active experimentation. Teams can test a new standard or process within a live project and, if it works, integrate it back into the company template and deploy to other projects. Over time, your template becomes smarter and more aligned with your practices' evolving needs, and more representative of your real-world requirements.
The Hidden Power: Naming Conventions as Systems
A systemised template isn’t just about families and automation. It’s about structure and language.
Every Digital Reframe systemised template includes an integrated naming convention system, a disciplined framework for how information is named.
This convention includes three key factors:
Drawing Package Number (e.g. 31 for General Arrangements)
Plan Type Classification (e.g. 1 for Floor Plans)
Unique Identifiers for sheets and views.
When combined, these factors create a serialised naming logic that drives clarity and automation. Our Integrator App uses this logic to auto-generate and adapt view names based on the project’s structure, ensuring consistency across every deliverable.
Systemisation as an Operating Philosophy
Systemising a Revit template is only the starting point. It’s a proof-of-concept for a functional system and a broader belief: if you systemise every part of your business, you create a more cohesive, efficient, and adaptive operation.
Each process becomes a building block in a larger system of intelligence. Each improvement compounds, and each system reinforces the next while leveraging the previous.
At Digital Refram, this isn’t just about software; it’s about designing the operating system for the digital practices.
Let’s start systemising our operations.
Where to Start
Ready to systemise your projects?
Explore the Digital Reframe Revit Template System and see how it transforms your workflow into a living system.
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.
Comments