Effective IT Supports You in Meeting Deadlines
6.2 of the ARB Code of Practice requires
"You should carry out your professional work without undue delay and, so far is reasonably practicable, in accordance with any time-scale and cost limits agreed with your client."
When you miss project deadlines, it may affect other possible projects in the pipeline. As a result, project delivery delays and missed deadlines can eventually have a negative reputational impact on professionals.
Some timeline changes, like scope creep, cannot be prevented. It gets considerably harder to meet deadlines when the project's scope expands and changes. Further issues with suppliers, contractors, and the client may result from this. Missing deadlines incur additional costs that further reduce the project's overall profitability.
The critical concern is whether fee-earning professionals spend too much time on administrative and other non-income producing chores, such as contacting unresponsive IT support desks or attempting to debug IT problems because their IT supplier needs to be more supportive.
A robust IT infrastructure is your safety net and insurance policy. We're talking about:
Backups: Regular data backups can support the recovery of data loss following a hardware failure, natural disasters, or cyber-attacks are also crucial.
Upgrades: Stay informed about new software releases, design tools, and industry trends. Leverage new features, improved performance, and enhanced capabilities, ultimately increasing productivity and meeting deadlines more effectively.
Security and disaster recovery: sensitive client data, proprietary designs, and intellectual property need protection with robust security measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and encryption—plan to prevent data loss following a hardware failure, natural disasters, or cyber-attacks are also crucial.
Efficient hardware and software: With processing capabilities, graphic cards, and RAM to handle complex design software efficiently.
Appropriate network and connectivity: Allowing teams, clients, and contractor collaboration, whether that be in the office or on the move
Fit for purpose data management and storage: Such as cloud storage or on-premises servers, to ensure architects can easily access and share project files while maintaining data security and integrity.
Your Practice will ultimately benefit from being competitive and efficient in using technology the right way.
