How Task Systems in Architecture Drive Practice Efficiency
- Machiel Odendaal
- Oct 31
- 3 min read
Every efficient architectural practice runs on systems. Yet, many overlook the most visible layer — the task system. This is where strategy meets execution and where small inefficiencies compound into major productivity gaps.
In my previous article, I outlined four levels of systems in practice: Practice, Capability, Process, and Task. This piece focuses on the Task System: the operational layer where work actually happens.
What Are Task Systems in Architecture?
In our model of levels for systems, the task system is the operational level of systems - the how to do things. They translate intent into execution and let people focus on the work itself.
A task is an action. A task system is the repeatable structure that makes those actions consistent, measurable, and teachable - it’s also observable.
The systems form the operational backbone of a digital practice. They make everyday actions repeatable, measurable, and teachable. Many architecture firms underestimate the impact of well-defined task systems on efficiency.
Task Systems within a practice
When I speak with clients, their main challenge is almost always efficiency; issues rooted in day-to-day operations. This is the default mode we, as humans, mostly operate within - the tasks and how to complete them.
The practical insight here is that we often jump straight into how to complete the task - what actions are needed - without checking if the talk itself aligns with the right outcome. The ‘why’ gets buried under the ‘how’. This is a generalisation, as we do have the answers and they are normally within someone's head.
The types of Task Systems
As an industry concept, this isn’t anything new; however, let’s differentiate here a bit more about what task systems are.
Task systems focus on translating intent into repeatable steps. They often look like:
How-to guides: simple instructions for repeat tasks.
Workflows: structured technical sequences that link multiple tools.
Templates: pre-configured documents or models for consistency.
Technical Training: structured learning that supports recurring actions.
SOP: step-by-step procedures that standardise recurring work.
Note: SOPs are often a hybrid of templates and workflows.
The Flaws of Task Systems
The biggest limitation of task systems is that they’re often constrained by the tools we use. Software updates, new features, or feature removals can quietly reshape the way tasks work. Practices that haven’t documented their systems don’t notice until efficiency drops.
In short. If you haven’t documented your task systems, you’re operating blind. You don’t know what changed or what it changed.
Rethinking Task Systems
The point of documenting task systems isn’t to capture everything but rather to find the constraints. Knowing where those are helps you focus your effort where it matters most.
Take templates, for example. When we reimagined templates as systems, we stopped seeing them as fixed files and started treating them as evolving frameworks—like apps with incremental version updates. Each revision carried a purpose: to maintain standards while adapting to change.
Observations
After years of designing workflows, templates, and training, I realised that success wasn’t about the artefacts themselves; it was about observing what happened after they were used. Which constraints held? Sometimes, a system didn’t need a new template; it needed better knowledge. Other times, as skills grew, the old template became the constraint.
The observations of the system are critical in understanding what constraints there are, the feedback loops, and the self-correcting nature of a system (how the elements go back to default - yes, people are also elements within the system).
Summary
Task systems are easy to see and easy to change, but they’re only effective when connected to higher-level systems. Start there. Define the practice, capabilities and process systems first — then design your task system in response.
This forms the foundation for the next layer, connecting task systems upward to process systems and outward across teams.
~ Machiel
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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