Business specifics
- Basically, the architectural bureau offers its clients the following services:
- • design project with accompanying documentation;
- • development of a draft proposal, which includes the style concept of the interior;
- • design documentation and engineering drawings;
- • approval of redevelopments in the relevant authorities with subsequent changes in plans;
- • major repairs and supervision of project implementation;
- • furnishing the facility with furniture and various finishing materials.
The business plan of an architectural bureau assumes separate payment for each type of activity.
Today, standard prices have already been formed in companies that work with residential real estate. For example, the development of the entire interior of an apartment today costs about fifty conventional units for each square meter, a design project - about two hundred, and for designer supervision you will need to pay about a thousand. e. per month.
Why is an architectural agency beneficial?
— The main advantage is that the company’s activities do not require the purchase of goods , materials and raw materials. Services to the client are provided only by the mental activity of professionals and their skills.
— High profitability . It is worth mentioning that truly high profitability of 200 percent is achieved only by the development of the company and a high-quality approach to business. This means it must take some time. But, nevertheless, achieving this result is possible.
— Despite numerous competitors, the Russian architectural design market is still emerging . And you can have a hand in these changes.
Creation of a design bureau
— How did you come up with the idea of creating your own design bureau? Surely it would have been easier to become an “engineer at a factory”?
— Actually, I was an engineer at a factory. Since this all started. The idea of creating your own design bureau did not come out of nowhere. It was in the air even at university, when I definitely realized that engineering and design was for me. And, despite the fact that purchasing equipment for an industrial business requires serious capital investments, I am confident that every person can and should do their own thing.
— In simple terms for those who don’t know, what does your company do?
— We bring to life the ideas of the uninitiated.
— Uninitiated in the design business?
- Yes! If people want, but don’t know how, we help transform this “I don’t know how” into something real and quite concrete.
Demonstration stand for aviation instruments
Franchise Description
By becoming part of the team, you guarantee yourself success and profit from 250,000 rubles. monthly. 2 formats of cooperation: “SMART CITY” (for cities with a population of up to 300,000 people) and “BIG CITY” (for cities with a population of over 300,000 people). There is a discount on the lump sum payment for the first buyers.
Franchise "PMK Group", a full range of design, survey, cadastral and geodetic works
Franchise "PMK Group", a full range of design, survey, cadastral and geodetic works
Franchise "PMK Group", a full range of design, survey, cadastral and geodetic works
General concept
Project work involves one-time or periodic implementation of developments in accordance with the customer’s technical specifications. The activities of the design organization are permanent in nature, since they act as a sovereign economic entity with all the ensuing consequences.
The subject of activity of a design firm or design bureau is the development of unique solutions in selected areas in accordance with customer requirements. The result of such development, as a rule, is embodied in an article or report on research, design or project documentation, a layout or technical sample, etc. The main costs when creating a design organization are the costs of paying specialists working in the company. This balance is one of the main features of building this business.
The considered business plan of the design bureau with calculations provides for precisely this approach in which the costs of equipment will be minimal.
We are looking for a partner design institute or design group
Technologies, legislation, financing, design, etc.
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5 messages • Page 1 of 1 Sfor Chief Power Engineer Messages: 160 Registered: 05-May-2006 6:54
We are looking for a partner design institute or design group
Post by Sfor » 27-Oct-2011 8:32
Good afternoon, colleagues. Our company is looking for a design institute (design team) with experience in designing Mini-CHPs based on gas piston power plants Caterpillar, MWM.
How much money do you need to start a business?
Investments can start from 500 thousand rubles. Money will be needed, first of all, for paperwork, renting a business and purchasing office equipment. This should also include staff payments and unforeseen expenses.
Depending on the type of services provided, costs can rise to 2,000,000 rubles.
Results and plans
The bureau carries out tens of large and small orders per year. Turnover in 2020 amounted to 10 million rubles, profit - 3 million. Monthly profit today ranges from 375 to 500 thousand rubles.
Olga dreams of increasing the number of employees and orders. She wants to expand her business and make it famous among large customers throughout Russia.
Sketch of a hotel on Basmannaya Street in Moscow
Income
Those who are interested in the question of how to open a design company are probably also concerned about the profitability of this business. It must be said that experts estimate the profitability of this type of activity, as a rule, at two hundred percent, and in some cases even several times more.
In this case, we are talking specifically about the work of architects and designers. In addition, additional income for those who know how to open a design office comes from working with building materials, which is generated through a thirty percent trade markup on the wholesale price or through intermediary profits received directly from sellers whose products the company recommends to its clients.
Carrying out repair work is also a fairly profitable area of this business. Most architectural and design bureaus have at their disposal several partner construction teams, from which they receive certain fees for intermediation.
An equally profitable aspect of this business is the full provision of the client with various exclusive items for design, which are purchased from famous artists or created by employees.
How to open a design office
The easiest way to start developing a business such as an architectural design bureau is for professionals who are familiar with this type of activity first-hand. Experience and skills are also important, as well as a good reputation and the existence of an already established customer base.
An architectural and urban planning bureau must be registered as a legal entity. This must be done in order to obtain the appropriate license allowing you to carry out design, repair, as well as finishing or construction work.
Before opening a design organization from scratch, you need to draw up a business plan for an architectural office.
If the manager is a professional engineer and already has a license for individual activities, then it is not necessary to obtain another permit for the organization he created.
Architectural bureau: where to start a business
Before drawing up a business plan for an architectural bureau, you need to decide what services you can provide and to whom. Today, only 30% of companies are able to provide clients with any work for any type of real estate. Decide what is preferable for you based on the demand in the market and your own knowledge and experience. It can be:
- architectural design bureau, which can deal with interior design and landscape design;
- architectural and planning bureau, which develops design documents;
- architectural and production bureau specializing in the development of documentation for industrial buildings.
The most common services of any architectural bureau: development of design documents, necessary approvals in the relevant authorities, supervision of the project.
After choosing a direction, you can draw up a business plan and look for office space. You need to take into account that a room somewhere on the outskirts or a residential area will not suit you. It is better to rent an office in the city center or its business part, which is not so easy, since there are strict requirements for the premises.
Direction of the company's activity
First of all, you need to decide what the specialization of the company will be. To do this, you need to first decide on the types of design work that will be performed by the company. It should be taken into account that design is a type of business that requires licensing. If we talk about the specialization of the company, it can be different, but the most popular are organizations that are engaged in work related to oil. When drawing up a business plan, you need to concentrate all your efforts in order to study the specialization of your competitors.
What types of work can a design organization that has the appropriate license engage in? The following types of work are available for such a company:
- carrying out engineering surveys and monitoring the quality of construction work;
- design in the construction sector (construction projects can be very different: residential buildings, offices and much more);
- design in the field of architecture;
- technological design.
Once the direction of the company’s activity has been chosen and a license has been obtained, you can begin to search for suitable premises. It should be noted that such a premises does not have to be located in the city center; it can be rented in one of the large residential areas of the city.
Options for specializations of a design, construction or architectural organization
- Design in the field of construction (the choice here is wide: from designing engineering communications to creating an architectural bureau);
- Development and installation of software of various types (from the creation of anti-virus units to the implementation of operating systems);
- Design bureaus (development of various advertising materials, support and development of company websites, development of logos and advertising concepts for the customer).
The choice of specialization should be based on the skills of those engineers who are planning to open such a business. Future owners of a design business must clearly calculate the profitability and profitability of their services.
Licensing of activities and registration of bureaus
Design activities require licensing. In accordance with the chosen direction, obtaining a license is carried out in accordance with the “Regulations on licensing activities for the design of buildings and structures of levels I and II” (RF Government Regulation No. 174 of March 21, 2002).
This regulatory act establishes that the bureau must employ at least 50% of employees with higher education who have at least 5 years of practical experience in this field. Upon initial application to the State Committee for Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation, a license is issued for 3 years, then the licensing period is 5 years.
To register and obtain a license, the following documents are submitted:
- Application for a license.
- A document indicating the organizational and legal form of the enterprise being created.
- Founder's documents (passport, identity card).
- Copies of the certificate of state registration of the founder as an individual entrepreneur.
- A copy of tax registration documents.
- Receipt of payment of registration and license fees.
- A copy of the document on education and receipt of relevant qualifications.
- Certificate of ownership of the founder.
The decision on issuing a license is expected to be received no later than two months after submitting the application.
What OKVED code should I indicate when registering an architectural bureau?
The activity will need to be registered and indicate the OKVED code. OKVED 71.1 is suitable for an architectural bureau. It includes architectural and engineering activities and activities, as well as consulting in these areas.
What documents are needed to open an architectural office?
It is most convenient to register an architectural bureau as an LLC. The registration process itself is not too complicated and requires a small authorized capital. The most important thing is that to run such a business you need a license.
You will also need a lease agreement, contracts with housing and communal services, and a conclusion from the State Fire Inspectorate.
Which taxation system to choose for registering an architectural office
Many entrepreneurs prefer to switch to a simplified taxation system. But in the case of an architectural bureau, this is not entirely profitable, especially if you have to work with large customers.
Simplification implies some restrictions on the volume of working capital. Therefore, serious bureaus often work for OSNO.
Do I need permission to open an architectural office?
Since an architectural bureau is a serious business, it requires an equally serious approach and certain permitting documents.
For example, if you are creating an architectural design bureau, it is mandatory to obtain SRO permission to carry out design work. Since the safety of various structures and buildings depends on how competently they are executed.
List of work performed
The scope of activities of the design organization includes:
- Carrying out design and survey activities.
- Development of standard and individual projects for the construction of wooden houses, commercial facilities and other structures.
- Design of repair and finishing works on objects for various purposes.
- Design of structures made of reinforced concrete structures.
Experience in performing work in these areas is confirmed by copies of the developments of project participants or employees involved in the work.
Organizational and legal form
At the initial stage of implementing a project to create a design organization, the best option is to register it on behalf of the founder - an individual entrepreneur.
As the business project develops, it is planned to re-register the company into an LLP (limited liability partnership), operating on the basis of a simplified declaration.
This will significantly reduce the cost of opening an office and reduce the organization’s operating expenses.
How to get a license?
Let's consider the option of obtaining a license to carry out repair and finishing work. Such a license is issued only to a legal entity - a registered organization (LLC, CJSC, OJSC) or an individual entrepreneur (IP).
The license is obtained from the State Committee for Municipal Construction of the Russian Federation and is valid for 5 years. This document will indicate all types of work that the organization can carry out.
Not all types of activities can be obtained by a new company with a license - you need to establish yourself well in the market, work in this area for several years, showing the results of your work.
Each type of license implies a number of requirements. If a company receives a license to conduct architectural work (development of engineering projects, creation of technical specifications when developing a project for residential buildings and premises), it is necessary to:
- The presence of several design engineers on staff with specialized education and experience in a similar company for more than three years in their specialty;
- Availability of professional architects with certified education on staff;
- The presence on the balance sheet of the organization of the necessary equipment (computers, scanners, printers) for the development of projects;
- Availability of highly specialized software for the implementation of future projects (all software products must be licensed).
To save time, you can contact a company that assists in collecting documentation for obtaining licenses. This option will be simpler, but also more expensive.
After receiving licenses, future designers will need to find office space. On the real estate rental market you can find an option that suits you - from the most budgetary to an office in an elite business center.
Project implementation timeframe
Registration and practical activities for the creation of a design bureau are carried out directly by the founder of the organization within the following time frames:
| Stage / month, decade | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||
| 1 Dec | 2 Dec | 3 Dec | 1 Dec | 2 Dec | 3 Dec | 1 Dec | 3 Dec | 3 Dec |
| Registration of a company, opening a current account | + | + | + | + | + | + | ||
| Signing a lease agreement | + | + | ||||||
| Purchase of computer equipment, software, necessary tools and instruments for survey work | + | + | + | |||||
| Room renovation | + | + | + | + | + | |||
| Registration of permits and approvals for organizing the activities of the bureau | + | + | + | + | ||||
| Selection of specialists | + | + | + | + | + | |||
| Conclusion of contracts for design work | + | + | + | |||||
| Starting a business | + |
What kind of work can be performed?
Business in design work involves the provision of the following services:
- carrying out design and survey activities;
- development of commercial and individual construction projects;
- development of a project for a specific engineering facility;
- design of repair and finishing works for individual and commercial objects;
- design of reinforced concrete structures.
Depending on the focus of the enterprise, the list of services provided, of course, may vary.
Solving organizational issues
At this stage you need:
- select and arrange the premises;
- recruit staff;
- solve current organizational issues that arise when establishing work processes.
Let's start with the room. For a design organization, the optimal office will be one that meets the following requirements:
- area 60-70 squares;
- preferably the city center, there should be a public transport stop, a metro station, good infrastructure, and a parking space nearby;
- the room can be divided into open space type; the manager can have a separate office, since meetings with clients and employee meetings will also be held there. There should be a separate room for rest, eating, a bathroom with hot water and all necessary accessories;
- There must be good high-speed Internet.
You will need the following equipment:
- modern PCs with good monitors;
- printing equipment;
- telephony;
- projector;
- licensed software;
- business mobile phones, but this is not required.
Additionally, you can organize a corporate library, but this is a matter of time and for the future.
You will also need equipment for the rest room: a refrigerator, a microwave and a kettle.
Additionally, for comfortable work you need:
- conveniently equipped workplaces, do not forget about lighting;
- cooking utensils;
- consumables: paper, organizers, writing instruments.
What equipment should you choose for an architectural office?
Clients who enter the office must understand that they will be working with a reputable organization. Therefore, special attention should be paid not only to the design of the premises, but also to the purchase of equipment. It will be necessary to purchase modern laptops and office equipment, telephones, tables and chairs for office workers, sofas and armchairs for visitors.
But the most important thing is special software and equipment that will need to be purchased depending on the focus of your business. All software must be licensed.
Selection of premises
To organize the normal work of the design office, a room in the city center with an area of at least 50-60 square meters is selected. m. The use of the premises for the needs of the design organization is carried out by signing a lease agreement. The main factors for choosing an office location are:
- Proximity to car parking.
- Availability of public transport stops.
For the convenience of staff work, the rented premises are divided by light partitions according to the “open space” principle into separate work areas for the manager and each employee. The premises are being renovated and the necessary communications are being laid (if necessary), and an area for receiving visitors is being equipped.
Company office
As a rule, before opening a design company, you need to rent at least a small office of up to one hundred square meters, which has a separate entrance and is preferably located in one of the prestigious areas. Naturally, the room should be very bright. The office will need to be equipped with furniture and modern computer equipment that meets the needs of the business.
Recruitment
This is the most important point in organizing a business in project work, since it is the qualifications and experience of your specialists that will be the key to successful projects.
At the start you will need:
- Lead Engineer;
- Lead Architect;
- specialists in project development and design documentation.
It is highly desirable to have:
- lawyer;
- office manager or administrator;
- accountant.
The average salary of key workers is about 50,000 rubles. As for the administrator, the average bill on the market is 30,000 rubles. The functions of an accountant at the initial stage can be outsourced. You will also need a cleaner, but she can also come, about 2-3 times a week, her salary is about 10-15 thousand rubles. The minimum wage fund for a month will be about 200,000 rubles.
Structure
Typically, each design firm consists of:
• Architectural department responsible for the quality and timing of orders received. Its employees must have very high professionalism, as well as a higher education in architecture, design or art.
• Customer service department. It usually includes several managers who will negotiate the services offered by the company and act as intermediaries during the implementation of the project.
• The approval department, which will be responsible for obtaining approvals or permits for the redevelopment of facilities operated by the company and coordinating work with subcontractors.
• The construction department, which carries out repair and construction work and is responsible for the quality and timing of the work.
• Accountant, secretary, programmer, etc.
Attracting clients
For every young company, brand promotion at the first stage is a rather difficult and costly period. It is especially difficult to develop an advertising campaign for a design bureau, because the target audience is non-standard, and the tools of influence differ from the common ones.
To attract clients to a design company, you need to create a website or a one-page landing page. They will present the services of the design office, post customer reviews and share useful information with users.
Flyers or booklets on the streets, obviously, will not give the desired effect. Word of mouth and personal recommendations from clients will help increase your customer base.
This is done in this way: for the first month, work is carried out on the portfolio at affordable prices, guaranteed quality services are offered to the first customers, after which prices rise slightly, and satisfied clients recommend this design bureau to their friends. In addition, it would be appropriate to publish in specialized magazines where the target audience is concentrated.
Registration and obtaining a license
Creating a project business from scratch also involves solving some legal issues - you will need not only to register the enterprise itself, but also to obtain operating licenses.
Please note: according to Government Decree No. 174 of March 21, 2002, at a design institute, at least 50% of employees must have a higher specialized education and practical work experience in the same field for at least 5 years.
The initial license is issued for a period of up to 3 years, all subsequent licenses are issued for 5 years.
In order to register a design organization, you will have to open an LLC or individual entrepreneur. Opening an individual entrepreneur is easier and cheaper, but this will not always be the optimal solution.
The basic package of documents for obtaining a license includes the following:
- Application for registration as an individual entrepreneur or LLC.
- Receipt for payment of state duty. For individual entrepreneurs it is 800 rubles, for LLC 4000.
- A copy of tax registration documents.
- Founder's documents.
- If it is an LLC, then the charter and certificate of state registration.
- Receipt of payment of the license and registration fee.
- A copy of the document confirming receipt of the relevant higher education and degree of qualification.
The decision to issue a license is made no later than 2 months after submitting the application.
As for registering the business itself, you need to contact your territorial branch of the Federal Tax Service for this, although the application itself can be submitted online through State Services.
If you intend to register an individual entrepreneur, then you need to have only 3 documents with you: passport, tax identification number, receipt of payment of the duty.
For an LLC, the package of documents will be a little larger:
- statement;
- copies of the founders’ passports;
- company charter;
- certificate of registration as taxpayers;
- a lease agreement for premises or a title agreement on property;
- receipt of payment of duty.
Let us note that the requirements in the legislation regarding registration of entrepreneurship change quite often, so it is better to clarify the list of documents directly with the Federal Tax Service - on their website or in the branch itself.
Studying competitors
An important condition is to study competing companies in this business segment. It is necessary to understand whether a beginner is capable of this type of activity.
Of course, one of the most profitable options is to conduct geological exploration for coal and oil production. But it’s too difficult for a beginner to get into this market, so let’s look at simpler areas of design organizations, creating a construction or architectural company.
All types of activities of such engineering organizations are licensed.
What defines a Method
Since we have figured out the boundaries of application, I will immediately discuss what the Method determines and what it does not.
The method defines the basic rules of the game:
- The method defines the Rules for planning projects and work in a sprint
- The method determines the rules for setting priorities in the project portfolio
- The method defines the Work Performance Control Rules
- The method determines the Rules for holding meetings and other necessary events
And some other Rules. Rules program the Organization.
Equipping the office of a design company
At the company's office it is necessary to create attractive conditions for visitors. To do this, purchase comfortable modern furniture (chairs, coffee tables), a coffee machine, etc.
Directly for organizing the production process in the design office, the following are purchased:
- Computers.
- Licensed software.
- Projector.
- Copy machine.
- Printers.
- A set of normative and special literature.
- Business mobile phones.
Current expenses will be associated mainly with the purchase of office supplies.
Selecting a room
Even at the stage of obtaining a license, you can take a closer look and choose the premises for the office, and do not forget that there should be enough space here to accommodate all the necessary departments with office equipment and machinery. The latter is purchased, subject to the availability of funds, or rented.
The design office, like any other office, needs to purchase equipment (computers, printers, telephones, faxes, furniture). Space should be allocated in advance for the project archive and storage of the organization’s information and technical archive.
Computer equipment in the design office must meet the technical requirements for working with professional software. It is worth adding that software for working on projects installed on work PCs or laptops must be licensed.
Promotion and advertising
The level of competition in the market for providing design engineering solutions is very high. There are now thousands of companies that provide similar services.
In order not to be like everyone else, you need a wide advertising and marketing campaign.
Important aspects of an advertising company:
- Creation and promotion of a website indicating all services and prices (this always attracts the consumer).
- Creation of groups and communities of interest on social networks.
- Advertising in special periodicals.
It is better to entrust all the work on advertising promotion to a well-established advertising agency, and specialists will quickly bring your site to the top and direct advertising directly to consumers.
Get detailed information:
2019-03-24T18:14:39+03:00 ManagerFranchise catalog PMK Group, franchise business, geodetic work, cadastral work, franchise catalog, design work, construction, franchising, franchise, PMK Group franchiseBy creating a business with the PMK Group franchise, you You not only provide yourself with a stable income and access to a market with a turnover of 6 trillion rubles, but also acquire a reliable partner. Total investment: from RUB 700,000. Lump sum payment: 400,000 rubles, 600,000 rubles. Royalty: 20,000 rub., 35,000 rub. Payback period: 4 months Profit: from...Manager [email protected] BUSINESS INSIGHT
Marketing and advertising
The project business is characterized by high competition. Therefore, special attention is paid to promoting the services of a design organization, because This activity is not in mass demand. As practice shows, standard means of advertising in this type of business are ineffective. Based on this, the main means of promoting services is the development of the company’s own website. It provides for the placement of feature articles, a gallery of completed projects, online consulting options for customers, and a calculator for calculating the cost of services for a specific project.
It is also planned to publish and distribute business cards and booklets describing the services of the design bureau, promotion on social networks, and informing the audience on television and radio.
Services for start-up architectural firms
Before creating a development plan for your architectural agency, you need to have a clear idea of what areas within this niche are worth attention both now and in the future. According to statistical data, in a closer look, the highest priority areas of future work look like this in percentage terms:
- housing stock - 25 percent
— innovative projects of new enterprises – 5 percent
– office real estate – 20 percent
— restaurant business – 10 percent
– service sector – 3 percent
— retail real estate – 5 %
— Comprehensive services in all areas – 30 percent.
Pricing
| № p/p |
Problem
Your employees work hard to relax by listening to Russian radio online, but projects are still rarely completed on time. Surprisingly, no one understands why this happens and where these unexpected delays and cost overruns come from. And what’s worse, each department has its own way of assessing progress; and lack of mutual understanding nullifies all attempts at communication. Obviously, a carefully structured project management methodology is needed, so you decide to implement a Project Office with uniform project management practices. This solution leads to a new problem - with limited time and resources, you need improvements now. Competitive pressure is intense, so you want to focus on product development, not yet another business process improvement. How can you implement a Project Office and improve project management practices while continuing product development and operations?
Promotion of a design organization
The services provided by the design organization are of a specific nature, therefore, when organizing an advertising campaign, you should not place posters and banners in all places.
Advertising of such an organization on the Internet gives a very good effect, but it needs to be placed on websites of the relevant topic, then it will give the desired effect. It should be noted that in such a business, word of mouth and recommendations have a very great effect, so you need to provide especially high-quality services for the first clients, then you can be sure that they will tell their friends about the company’s activities and they will definitely go to the new company.
When drawing up a business plan for such a company, you need to keep in mind that there is very tough competition in this area. Therefore, every effort must be made to prove to potential clients that the services provided by the new company are absolutely not inferior in quality to its competitors.
It should be noted that the most important factor by which clients will be guided is the prices for services. Therefore, when marketing research is carried out, you should definitely find out the pricing policy of your competitors and set lower prices. This will not have the best effect on profits, but the number of clients will be large and as a result the new company will be able to receive a very good income.
Opening a design company is a fairly expensive business, so you need to make every effort to find investors. You can use your own capital, but most aspiring entrepreneurs do not have the necessary funds. It is very good if you can agree on the following conditions: investors finance the project in exchange for a certain share of the profit received. This type of partnership is beneficial for both parties.
Niche analysis
There is quite tough competition in this field of activity. The reason is that there are not so many similar companies even in big cities, but there are also a limited number of clients for this service. Accordingly, the first step is to analyze the niche and activities of competitors, their strengths and weaknesses, pricing policies and advertising campaigns. In order to fight against already established brands in the design sector, it is necessary to create a competitive offer that will at least in some respects be ahead of the existing ones.
Financial plan of the design organization
When a decision is made to open such an organization, it is necessary to draw up a clear financial plan that will allow you to find out how much money will be needed for this.
- premises rental – $3,000 per month;
- personnel search – $4,000 (cost of recruiting agency services);
- staff salaries – $8,000 per month;
- purchase of necessary equipment – $25,000 per month;
- costs for certification, licensing – $10,000;
- conducting an advertising campaign – $4,000.
Thus, to open a design organization you will need $54 per month (if the premises are not purchased but rented). As for profit, the design organization is a highly profitable type of business, therefore, if everything is done correctly, then after 6 months you can count on making a profit. As for the amount of profit, it all depends on how many clients there will be and what the quality of services will be.
When drawing up a business plan for a design organization, it is necessary to emphasize once again that the success of such a company largely depends on the qualifications of the employees working in the company. When recruiting personnel, you need to take into account that most of the good specialists are already employed, so you need to make every effort to lure them to your company.
Early years
For a year, the team worked from home: they spent hours discussing projects on the phone and sometimes went to sites. In 2006, we rented an office on Tverskaya with an area of 100 m². Olga chose it because of the low rental price for the center - 60 thousand rubles per month. The premises were in the basement and required renovation, so the landlords reduced the price. The renovated premises would cost twice as much.
We purchased three more computers for the office that run architectural programs, as well as four hefty printers and a scanner. We found the equipment through friends and also used it - everything came out to 330 thousand rubles.
Printer for A2 and A1 formats - these are used to print architectural drawings
At this time, the guys had 5-6 clients a year. The first orders covered the costs of LLC registration and license.
Afterwards, other orders for public buildings came. There were many enterprises in Moscow that were closed during the collapse of the USSR. Olga met an organization that was engaged in their restoration and conversion into business centers. As a result, the bureau began to prepare projects for the reconstruction of these buildings and their territories for offices and warehouses.
Sketch for the reconstruction of a house in Daevoy Lane in Moscow
Orders came through word of mouth. By 2008, the company had grown to seven people: they hired two more architects, an office manager and a sales manager.
In 2010, design licenses were abolished, and SROs were introduced instead - this is the name of special associations of designers. Architectural bureaus were required to join associations in order to obtain permission to design. Olga collected documents and paid the entrance and insurance fees - 300 thousand rubles.
Control room drawings
Start-up costs
At the start you will have to spend a considerable amount:
- premises rental – about 40,000;
- wage fund - approximately 200,000;
- purchase of furniture, consumables - about 100,000;
- registration activities and obtaining a license - approximately 70,000;
- advertising expenses - about 100,000.
In order to launch a design business from scratch, you will need about 550,000 rubles. It is advisable to take the amount with a reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances.
From scratch
It is quite difficult to create an architectural bureau, so to speak, “from scratch.” Firstly, you need to be prepared for red tape when applying for a license and obtaining certificates. In addition, entering the market itself, which is always highly competitive, will be difficult.
In addition, it is difficult for a young company to attract “strong” and famous architects, whose names are already known in certain circles.
In some cases, this problem is solved by transferring a certain share of the business to a specialist. It is very difficult to get the first order, since the lack of reputation also implies a lack of clients, which at the initial stage somewhat slows down development.
Risk assessment
The profitability of project companies is determined by their high dependence on the risks that exist in this business. For a small design organization, the main ones are:
- Inflationary uncertainty associated with an unexpected increase in the costs of maintaining the functioning of the company.
- Commercial risks caused by customers’ dishonesty in paying for work performed.
- Political, related to the emergence of crisis, force majeure situations in the country, the introduction of restrictions and confiscations.
- Technical related to errors in design or survey work.
- Economic, caused by changes in external economic factors and market conditions.
- Social, accompanied by a sharp drop in the purchasing power of the population and increased tension.
Minimizing the consequences of these risks is achieved by the competent policy of the head of the marketing planning bureau and the ability to quickly diversify the services provided.
Attracting clients
For every young company, brand promotion at the first stage is a rather difficult and costly period. It is especially difficult to develop an advertising campaign for a design bureau, because the target audience is non-standard, and the tools of influence differ from the common ones.
To attract clients to a design company, you need to create a website or a one-page landing page. They will present the services of the design office, post customer reviews and share useful information with users.
Flyers or booklets on the streets, obviously, will not give the desired effect. Word of mouth and personal recommendations from clients will help increase your customer base. This is done in this way: for the first month, work is carried out on the portfolio at affordable prices, guaranteed quality services are offered to the first customers, after which prices rise slightly, and satisfied clients recommend this design bureau to their friends. In addition, it would be appropriate to publish in specialized magazines where the target audience is concentrated.
The bureau's clients are medium and large businesses, but sometimes customers from government agencies also come. Often Unicum works as a subcontractor: it makes orders for other architectural and design bureaus. The price is sometimes equal to or lower than the cost of design work from large competitors.
Read more: How to start a video game publishing business
Now Unicum designs residential, administrative and public buildings of all types. Interiors are taken on only for friends - no more than six per year.
During the crisis, promotion services were abandoned and low-quality links were removed. The site's rankings have increased fivefold. Olga herself understood search engine optimization and contextual advertising, and now she spends 40 thousand rubles a month on advertising.
Restaurant project in St. Petersburg
Purchase of an existing business
Do you have ideas, money, but something is missing? Then consider buying an existing business. Businesses are often sold for various reasons.
By purchasing a ready-made business, you get an already functioning company (sometimes even with staff). One of the frequently sold businesses is a beer store. Many entrepreneurs classify it as a seasonal business, and therefore work it themselves in the summer, and sell it in the winter - during the low trading season.
When purchasing a ready-made operating business, engage an expert and an auditor to evaluate its activities. Only after a complete analysis of the activity, consider the purchase option. And also pay attention to the reputation of this company in the market, work with suppliers and clients. After all, in the future you will work with them.
Sources
- https://seldon2010.ru/biznes-bez-vlozhenij/kak-otkryt-proektno-stroitelnoe-byuro.html
- https://promdevelop.ru/kak-sozdat-uspeshnuyu-inzhenernuyu-kompaniyu-intervyu/
- https://zhazhda.biz/plan/proektnoe-byuro
- https://abcbiznes.ru/biznes-idei/9959-otkryt-arhitekturnoe-byuro.html
- https://novdmt.com/kak-otkryt-proektnuyu-organizatsiyu-s-nulya/
- https://gejzer.ru/idei/proektnoj-organizacii.html
- https://bstyle2.ru/kak-otkryt/svoj-biznes-otkryvaem-proektnuyu-organizatsiyu.html
- https://biznesovo.ru/biznes-plany/proektnyj-biznes-kak-organizovat-i-horosho-zarabotat
- https://p-business.ru/kak-otkryt-proektno-stroitelnoe-byuro/
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Limits of application
The most important thing is to determine the boundaries of application.
If you have ideal conditions and you are making a B2C Product without external restrictions, then the Method will not help you much. But if your conditions correspond to those described, then applying the Method will bring tangible benefits. The Pulse method is intended for organizations based on human capital and in extreme conditions, when it is necessary to meet all obligations on time and in full and there is no opportunity to “pour money” and hire more resources.
How to check if you are in this situation:
- The General Director regularly communicates with Clients apologizing for not meeting expectations (“holding the line”).
- In the rhythm of delivery, Clients do not receive what was promised and it is unknown when they will receive it.
- Project managers are under constant stress
- Manual task management by the manager is required.
- Engineers are constantly running out of time to complete tasks.
Do you recognize yourself? Then let's move on!
Solution - detailed analysis
Stage I - laying the foundation
At this stage, you establish the boundaries of the Project Office and determine current tasks and long-term goals. Typically, you start by assessing your current capabilities, goals, and objectives. Determining your company's project management maturity reveals the place of project management in the company and helps in planning future tasks and activities. Several meetings of key project participants and subject matter experts are held to identify current opportunities, challenges, issues and challenges. Based on these discussions, an overview report is created covering the current state and vision for the future, as well as an improvement plan with recommended short-term actions and long-term solutions.
After developing the overall improvement plan, you define the functions and staffing structure of the Project Office, identify categories of project participants (including key leaders, internal training programs and pilot projects) and prepare an engagement strategy. This stage ends when the Project Office receives the signal to proceed with funding and the necessary personnel have been recruited.
Stage II - Launch of short-term processes
At this stage, you start the work of the Project Office, organize the implementation of short-term activities and launch project support. Launching a Project Office includes recruiting personnel to solve immediate problems, organizing interaction and informing the organization about the Project Office and its responsibilities.
Two activities must demonstrate immediate impact from the Project Office in your company: short-term activities and project support. Short-term activities are solutions to current problems and issues raised by the main participants. They can be completed fairly quickly, and at the same time they address the key issues of the organization. It can be:
- Inventory of your projects (new product development, information technology, business expansion, etc.)
- Implementation of project management methodology
- Reports and calculations
- Project Reviews
- Support for new projects and projects in crisis
- Project Planning and Control Meetings
- Identification and launch of one or more pilot projects
- Templates
Project supervision must also occur alongside such short-term initiatives. Project mentoring is a great way to bring real value to projects that are in their early stages or need support, without waiting for a formal training program to be created or processes to be deployed. Stage II ends when all short-term initiatives and activities have been launched and the team is ready to fully commit to the long-term solutions started in Stage I.
Stage III - Deployment of durable solutions
An organization gains increasing benefits as it improves its project management capabilities. The main goal of Stage III is to improve and speed up processes, train staff and establish a stable support system necessary for successful project management. At this stage, we develop long-term solutions, continue project management activities,, as a rule, conduct additional pilot tests and gradually deploy the full-fledged work of the Project Office. Examples of key success factors include:
- Methodology/process setup and ongoing development
- Development of training programs
- Development of detailed reports/system of indicators
- Resource management
- Implementation of tools
- Career opportunities and certification programs for project managers
- Project Portfolio Management
- Organizational change and development planning.
All of the above require time to develop and deployment must be done incrementally, starting with pilot tests on selected projects. The Assessment and Development Plan created in Stage I outlines the overall long-term goals and objectives for the Project Office, and at this stage methods, standards, training and support programs are developed, tested and disseminated to achieve the overall goals.
Step IV - Maintain and Improve
At this stage, the Project Office functions and supports the organization. He carries out day-to-day tasks, improves project management and increases Project Office involvement where necessary. Training and other processes continue to be managed by the Project Office. Key project participants provide feedback to the Project Office, and the process is constantly being improved.
What does not work
Along with the actions that contribute to the implementation of the Project Office, there are also those that interfere with this. Avoid them. At a minimum, understand what is happening and try to change your actions and approach.
What doesn't work - Top Five
- Do everything at once
- Take your time
- Forget about the main participants
- Demand before you provide
- Work in a vacuum
Do everything at once
There are three main factors in implementing a Project Office: people, process and tools. Obviously, changing all three at the same time is a very difficult task, so try to avoid this. Change the tooling but keep the same process, or change the process but use the old tooling. A step-by-step approach makes this doable. Don't try to do everything at once: you may fail and people will be confused.
Take your time
Once you have decided to create a project office, start promoting it. Don't hesitate or only partially support an idea - you will lose support and the organization will lose faith in the idea. And the more time you need, the stronger the organizational resistance will be. It can influence the level of support from management and key project participants. Priorities may change and your efforts may no longer receive funding and support, without which results will not be achieved.
Forget about key project participants
We mentioned management support above. Managers are not the only participants and clients of the Project Office. There are others including project managers, project teams, functional managers/resource managers and line managers. Like senior management, they need to be involved from the beginning and find out their needs, expectations and goals. Identify these problems at different levels, otherwise you risk overlooking one of the main tasks.
Demand before you provide
The Project Office should be viewed as a unit that assists and facilitates the project administration process and promotes sound business practices. All this leads to improved control over the status of projects. The Project Office should not constantly demand information and rarely provide services. You win not when you demand, but when you give.
Work in a vacuum
When implementing a Project Office, a team approach benefits. The office aims to serve a variety of “clients”, with different personal experiences and different ideas. Use other people's ideas, acknowledge them, and give credit where necessary. Learn from others' experiences—no need to reinvent the wheel. Find out the needs and requirements of people and take them into account. Don't work in a vacuum - you'll miss out on a lot of good things.
Real life experience - “If only we knew about this earlier”
The airline has decided to add a new type of aircraft to its fleet. Part of the project was the introduction of toilet cubicles using new technologies. A subcontractor was selected to build these cabins, with four years planned for development and production. Five years after signing the contract, the subcontractor asked for a delay and additional funds. The technology by this time was already two generations out of date. When analyzing the situation, we found that the functional and technical requirements were insufficient from the very beginning (especially functional ones). The subcontractor was not required to provide reports and results for each stage. The contract included only minor liability for delays and cost overruns. What happened? When negotiating the contract, the airline did not sufficiently detail the functionality requirements. There was no requirement in the contract for the subcontractor to adequately plan and control the development of the project or to report to the airline on the status of the project. Many delays, technical difficulties, and lack of attention to achieving results at each stage led to the failure of the project. Lessons Learned: The airline itself did not undertake sufficient planning for the project, nor did it require the main participant, the subcontractor, to do so. The airline delayed responding until after the damage had already been done - when they decided to get control of the project in order. As a result, no one won; negligible results were achieved, the launch of the new aircraft was delayed, funds were overspent, and a protracted legal battle ensued.
Real Life Experience - "Too Much Too Fast"
An information technology company recognized the need to implement formalized project management processes and units to centrally manage ongoing projects. A significant increase in the project budget was expected, and managers recognized the need for optimal resource management. The organization was trying to move from informal project management to a systematic set of processes and tools. At the same time, both the process and tools had to change, and most project managers did not welcome these changes. The Project Office was running smoothly until project managers were asked to change their tools and be more disciplined in their project planning. The management was busy solving other pressing problems and did not have time to support the actions of the Project Office. On the one hand there was resistance, on the other there was a lack of interest. This initiative was relegated to the background and significantly reduced in scope and importance. Several factors contributed to this situation: organizational changes and shifts, changes in priorities, trying to do everything at once, and lack of management support. Lessons Learned: 1) Strive for simplicity and focus on commitment to maintain initiative during organizational change. 2) Use a robust engagement program to gain acceptance of new ideas by all key stakeholders. 3) Introduce new tools and processes gradually. 4) Secure and continually work to maintain management support.
