How to embed an easeful project communication system

Editor’s Note: this article is specifically for architects and designers – although the ideas also apply generally to businesses in other industries like property development, travel/tourism, sustainability, health and wellness.

Whilst the life cycle of a project is a natural part of architecture and design, project communications can often feel unnatural, awkward and forced. 

Whether writing a blurb for your website or social media captions, preparing a pitch or press release for potential media coverage, or putting an awards submission together – it can be difficult (and confusing) trying to figure out what to say, and when. 

There is a science and an art to each of these formats (stay tuned for our detailed how-to series). But first, let’s talk about the life cycle of a project from a communications perspective. 

Because there are some simple actions you can dovetail into your internal workflow to help your project communications become more natural, intuitive and proactive. 

Critical vs. optimum vs. optional communication

Like anything worth doing, building a more easeful project communication system will require some effort in the short-term. So, to understand why we would want to put effort into this, we need to go back a step and clarify – why do we talk about projects? 

Some comms are essential to your work: client interaction, verbal and written presentations, council documents etc. It’s important that these are finely tuned, given that they form the foundation of bringing your projects to life. 

But the rest — website, social media, press release/media pitch, awards submissions — could be considered optional. There might also be a hierarchy. For example, for your practice – website and social media coverage might be non-negotiable; whilst media and awards submissions are more sporadic, ad-hoc (read: last-minute) considerations. 

Defining priorities

With these optional forms of communication, it’s critical to define your priorities according to your business & brand objectives and resources. This will give you a sense of structure around your activity, so that you’re not just throwing paint onto a canvas and hoping for a masterpiece.

(If you’re interested, I can guide you through this process and we can co-create a plan that embeds your mission and goals into your comms)

Acknowledging the intense nature of creative practice, it’s understandable that communications get pushed down the priority list. And, because we’re creatures of habit, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle that feels responsive rather than proactive. So, if you’re forever feeling rushed or pressured to ‘do something’ in a communications sense, but not knowing where to start or how to approach it – you’re not alone. 

You’re also not doomed – take heart; there is a way out and through this stuckness. With a bit of reframing, planning, experimenting and reflecting, a more seamless project communication flow is within reach. 

The benefits of intuitive communications 

Once you know the Why of your project comms, the How, When and Where will become more clear – and over time, intuitive. For example, if you know that you want to be doing more of a certain kind of project, you’ll be motivated to set an intentional plan for its exposure. You may consider where these kinds of projects are usually published – and where potential clients might be looking for them – to define your ideal ‘hit list’ of media and awards. And then you work backwards from there. 

This can be a huge level up. Instead of a burden, your project comms can become a powerful business tool that works for you, and with you, to help reach your goals, enhance your output and fast-track your progress. When your project communications are doing their job – you’re harnessing the full potential of your work.

Think of it as the lighting in your projects. It’s a critical part of how your work will be experienced, showing people where to look and highlighting key elements. You could just ignore it But if you use it as a creative tool, you (and your end-user) will get so much more out of the space.

When building any new perspective, process and muscle – there is always a learning curve that can feel like grinding gears. But with discipline and smart systems (James Clear’s Atomic Habits helps break this down), they will, over time, feel more natural. 

Building communications into your project life cycle

Every practice and project is different. There may be variations and specific circumstances that tweak your processes and approach one way or another. But for the sake of simplicity, let’s say your standard project workflow roughly follows the below, 

• Brief
• Research & analysis
• Concept design & design development
• Documentation – Tender then Construction
• Construction/onsite project management
• Project completion/handover

Now let’s insert the comms actions you could make along the way to make your life (and communications) easier. Many of these are likely part of your existing workflow. However, they might be housed in different files, creating unnecessary double ups (or missed information) when it comes to writing your longer form copy at the end of the project. 

Pro tip: Start a project text document that you can add to throughout the process. Add to this document after meetings, presentations etc. to gather information, reflections and insights in one place. Include social media captions here too – these often describe the project features and process in detail like nowhere else.

Brief
– Define the unique problems
– Define the unique opportunities and challenges of the site

Research & analysis
– Note down high-level, specific or unusual directions of research conducted
– Define insights gained from the process

Concept design & design development
– Articulate how the brief is addressed through design decisions
– Include spatial planning, functionality, aesthetic and material choices
– Note any particular sustainability or heritage approaches

Documentation – Tender & Construction
– Consider creating clean presentation-style drawing versions for media & awards submissions

Construction/onsite project management
– Craft social media captions eg. behind the scenes
– Reflect on how on-site decisions were handled
– Describe how the design adapted, and how core creative concepts were adhered to throughout onsite changes

Project completion/handover
Now you can use that comprehensive project document to craft all the pieces of communication you might need, including:

• Website copy
• Social media captions
• Targeted media pitches
• Awards submissions

These assets, along with other critical post-project actions eg. briefing/directing photography & gathering client testimonials, will cast a strategic spotlight on your work. And putting these processes in place empowers you to curate your project communications, just like the spaces you create.

Wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing? Happy communicating 🙂

Resources & Recommendations
Downloadable checklist
Atomic Habits