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Hi there,
I've been on leave, so this issue is lighter on the usual field notes but heavier on something I don't do often enough: telling you exactly what this newsletter is for, where it's going and what it looks like when it works.
If you're a practice director, digital lead or an architect who keeps getting handed the "sort out our tech" job, this is the reset that explains why you're on this list and what you'll get from staying.
Let's get into it. 👇
One job: help architects adopt technology and grow
Everything in this newsletter points at a single outcome - helping architecture practices adopt the right technology and grow to be more productive, sustainable and profitable. Not tools for the sake of tools. Not transformation theatre. Practical adoption that shows up in how the work gets done and what the practice can win.
That's the lens for every section below. If something doesn't serve that, it doesn't earn a place in your inbox.
What a Technology Blueprint actually delivers
What a Technology Blueprint actually delivers
Rather than tell you it works, here's a practice that lived it. I worked with a large 170 person practice that engaged ADDD for a full discovery across the business and a Technology Blueprint - gap analysis, a phased roadmap and recommendations across software, infrastructure, security and AI.
Testimonial:
"The resulting Technology Blueprint is both rigorous and highly practical. It brings together a detailed gap analysis, a clear and phased technology roadmap, and well-considered recommendations across software, infrastructure, security, and emerging areas such as AI. Importantly, it was not just theoretical but provided an actionable strategy that we can implement with confidence over the coming years. "
Director of Operations
That's the aim in one paragraph: complex technology made clear enough for a leadership team to act on with confidence.
How I help Directly:
Workshops and Technology Blueprints
When a practice wants to move faster than a newsletter allows, there are two ways I work with you directly:
-/ Workshops - focused sessions with your team to cut through the noise, align on priorities, and leave with decisions, not just discussion.
-/ Technology Blueprints - the structured plan: discovery, gap analysis, and a phased roadmap so investment follows strategy rather than the loudest vendor.
Reply to this email if either fits where your practice is right now.
Free Resource
Is your practice technology ready?
Not sure where to start? Start here. The free "Is your practice technology ready?" guide gives you an honest read on where your practice stands - the gaps, the quick wins, and the questions worth asking before you spend a penny on new tools. It's the same thinking behind the Blueprint above, in a form you can run yourself.
What's inside:
- The four phases of a connected technology strategy
- The six things most practices haven't addressed but should
- A self-assessment with a scoring guide and recommended next steps
- Five questions to ask before any technology decision
Built for Practice Directors, Managing Directors, Digital Design Leads and Studio Principals.
Download here: 260615-Is your practice technology Ready?
Workflows move to the front
The biggest shift from here: more focus on workflows. Software choice is the easy part - the value is in how a tool actually threads through your day, who touches it, what it replaces, and where it quietly breaks. That's where practices win or waste money.
So expect more content mapping real workflows end to end, not just naming products. Where the bottleneck sits, what "good" looks like, and how to move a whole team, not just an early adopter.
New this week in the ConTech database
Each week I will continue to share new software added to the ADDD Database and specific categories of software to help you find the right solutions and stay up to date on what is emerging out there. See example from last month:
4 Compliance Software (part 3 of 3)
UPTOCODE - AI-powered compliance checking for construction drawings & BIM models
Upload your drawings and BIM models. Ask anything in plain English. Get full compliance reports in minutes, every check cited against your drawings and the code. AI Building Code Compliance for Drawings & BIM | UptoCode
Kestrel Labs - Check building code compliance as you design
Kestrel runs inside your BIM environment and flags code issues early — before your plans reach the building department. AI Building Code Compliance, Built Into Your BIM Model | Kestrel
Specset - The Trusted AI Platform for
The only AI that reads your project, not just your documents. Specset cross-references specs, drawings, RFIs, submittals and other project docs as one connected system, surfacing conflicts and compliance gaps in hours instead of weeks. Specset — AI Platform for High-Stakes Construction
UpCodes - UpCodes is the AI-native platform for codes, plans and specs, all in one place.
Bring building codes, plans, and specifications into one QA/QC workflow. Every plan, every spec, checked against the code. UpCodes | Searchable Platform for Building Codes, Assemblies, and Building Products
Videos Update
ADDD on YouTube - founders and software, in under 10 minutes
I'm starting a video series, and the rule is simple: nothing over 10 minutes. Two formats to begin with:
-/ Founder interviews - the people building ConTech, on what they're actually solving.
-/ Software overviews - short, honest introductions so you can decide in minutes whether a tool is worth a closer look.
Are you building something for architecture practices? Reply and let's talk about featuring you - a sub-10-minute intro is a low-lift way to reach exactly the buyers who should know you exist.
Coming Soon
A new website is on the way!
A new ADDD website is landing soon - a clearer home for the guides, services, and the software database, so it's easier to find what you need and act on it. More on that when it's live.
One Role Worth Noticing This Week
“We seek an experienced Part-Time Product Manager to guide product strategy as TwinMaster transitions from beta to commercial scale. This role is designed for a senior architect who has delivered complex building projects and understands how architects, engineers, contractors, owners and operators collaborate throughout the project lifecycle. You will translate customer and market needs into engineering priorities while working closely with the executive team.”
→ View role: Here
See all roles here: www.aectechjobs.com/search
What this issue means for you
The through-line from here is simple: less noise, more workflow. You'll still get the weekly view of new tools and roles but the emphasis is shifting to how technology actually lands inside a practice - because that's where the growth is for architects.
If you take one action this week, make it the readiness guide. It tells you which of the above is worth your attention first.
Get in touch - reply to this email or book a call: 30 min with Allister Lewis
Thanks for reading!
Allister
Take is easy this week..
