Find out where Rena is speaking next and link to on-line educational offerings.
Current Events & Publications
Management Consulting
Helping you run your design firm better. Problem-solving assistance, management coaching and organizational development. Help for start-ups and solo-practitioners.
Educational Programs
Relevant, practical and participatory education for design professionals. Workshops and seminars on design firm practice and small firm management. All are eligible for AIA learning units.
Retreat Facilitation Services
Retreats can be effective and engaging. Open Space Technology method is used to maximize participation and results for design firms, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations.
Architectural Services
Over twenty years experience in residential design and construction. Services offered include: residential design consultation; expert witness services; code consulting and compliance inspection.
Recent blog posts
- Provide Self-Aware Leadership
- Thriving in the New Norm: Strategies for Post-Recession Success
- How Wide Is your Triangle? Business Models for Design Firms
- AIA Trends: A Small Firm Management Expert Introduces" The Architect’s Handbook of Professional Practice"
- Do the Work Quicker and Faster
- Interview in AIArchitect
- The Architect's Guide to Small Firm Management
latest news
Rena to speak at AIA New York’s Center for Architecture on May 13, 2013
Leading Architecture In A Changing World Series – #6
Monday, MAY 13, 2013
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Small Firm Practice in the New Normal: Learning from Chaos Theory
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Rena to present Keynote Address at AIA Continuing Education Providers Conference
Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 8:30AM – 9:30AM at the 2013 AIA National Convention (Program EV101) Innovation in Continuing Education
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The Architect’s Guide to Small Firm Management
by Rena M. Klein, FAIA, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2010
“One of the finest practice books I have encountered. It contains some great information for an aspiring startup architect like me.”
“An outstanding book because it is very complete in addressing all aspects of a firm, especially those topics that no one wants to touch upon, all well organized in a concise book. I’m encouraging all our Principals and Partners to read your book.”
Available at Amazon.com and Wiley.com
Owning and operating a small architectural design firm can be challenging, with tight project deadlines, on-the-fly meetings, rush proposals, and fluctuating workloads as part of the day-to-day. To help small firm owners cope with the chaos and prepare for the unexpected, here is The Architect’s Guide to Small Firm Management, a no-nonsense guide to repurposing daily demands into workable, goal-directed solutions.
Crucial topics such as self-aware leadership, people management, technology, financial health, scenario planning, sustainable practice, and future trends are examined using real life case studies and business model paradigms. This definitive text explores the whole system experience of a small firm practice to deliver organizational strategies proven to keep a firm’s creative mission on a steady, productive path.
Provide Self-Aware Leadership
Submitted by rena on Wed, 05/15/2013 - 19:01
View article at CRAN Chronical, May 2013
Thriving in the New Norm: Strategies for Post-Recession Success
Submitted by rena on Tue, 04/30/2013 - 23:46
View this article at ArchiOffice Blog
How Wide Is your Triangle? Business Models for Design Firms
Submitted by rena on Fri, 04/05/2013 - 20:50
View this article at ArchiOffice Blog
Do the Work Quicker and Faster
Submitted by rena on Sun, 03/31/2013 - 22:40
by Rena M. Klein FAIA
published in the AIA Custom Residential Architects Network, CRAN Chronical, Feb. 2013
Architectural practice can be described as an endless and simultaneous cycle of “get the work, do the work, get the work, do the work, etc.” However, managing the processes of how these tasks are accomplished is also a significant part of the effort, even for a solo-practitioner. This requires tracking of financial results to be sure, but it also includes awareness of work process effectiveness, staff (and personal) satisfaction, and the ongoing need to learn in order to stay relevant in the marketplace.
Interview in AIArchitect
Submitted by rena on Sun, 03/31/2013 - 22:26
SMALL PROJECT PRACTITIONERS
A Q&A with Rena Klein, FAIA: Small Firms Between Recession and Recovery
Strategic planning and the collaborative pooling of design resources are the keys to repositioning small firms and sole practitioners
By Sara Fernandez Cendon
Get Your Firm Ready for Recovery
By Rena M. Klein, FAIA
Many architectural firms grow and shrink along with the economic cycle, never breaking out of the up and down pattern dictated by macro conditions. Firm leaders who see the downturn as an opportunity to re-shape their firms can position themselves for growth and financial success when the economy recovers.
In order to benefit from a downturn, firm leaders must have a vision of what they want their firm to be when the inevitable recovery occurs. Along with optimism, success in a slowdown requires imaginative strategic thinking. And, as the pace of work slows, time becomes available for reflective thought, work process improvement, and overdue professional development.