Monograph: a software company that is revolutionizing the future of architectural project management

Monograph: a software company that is revolutionizing the future of architectural project management

Providing digital solutions to fundamentally “simplify” the work of architects, Monograph is a management software company that helps AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) industry professionals oversee their projects in an integrated and user-friendly manner. Founded and designed “by architects, for architects”, the San Francisco Cabinet Operations Platform is a scalable digital construction toolkit for projects of all scales.

Created by architects, who had previously faced the challenges and limitations of the field, Monograph is a solution tailored to the needs of architectural firms. Named one of ArchDaily’s Best Practices for Young People last year, it’s a clear example of how architects can extend the reach of their business. In fact, the tech company was founded in 2019 by Robert Yuen, Alex Dixon, and Moe Amaya, three architects who took the plunge and ventured into the digital realm. This week, Monograph introduced its new official web address, Monograph.com.

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Changing the rules of the game, Monograph has so far helped architectural firms around the world manage more than $ 335 million in projects. Indeed, the platform establishes a simple and synchronized workflow in order to optimize productivity and efficiency and minimize losses. By eliminating inefficient tools and integrating components “Intuitively designed for AEC professionals to oversee projects, timesheets and forecasts in a simple, integrated interface to inform decisions about their business and projects in real time”, Monograph has abolished the idea that project management is an activity in its own right. Part of the architect’s daily errands, the cloud-based system empowers employees and drives consistent progress.

The evolving functionalities of Monograph reflect the specifics of the profession as each component is inspired by the experiences of the founders in the field and what they discovered that was missing from the architect’s toolbox.

Not a task manager, but a project manager, the software is accessible daily or weekly, to enter the required data. Kind of a snapshot of ‘where we are with the project’, the dashboard presents a timeline with the work done and the money spent so far. It also highlights tasks, chores divided by project as well as forecasts. The relatively simple interface allows the user to start a new project according to one of the following two criteria: either by phase or by budget. Once established, the second phase assigns roles or people to tasks with the time deemed necessary. By creating a task, the user also defines milestones.

Several new features have been launched over the past year, including an alternative to the “Monday morning meeting”, a schedule that distributes work by week, or plans the week among several team members, digitally, with an estimate of the hours to be put in place in order to respect the budget. Basically, “Resource” is a project planner ensuring that professionals keep pace when it comes to an on-going project. This new set of tools is expected to reduce the time it takes to plan the week by up to 50%, allowing “project teams to get an overview of the week’s work, as well as to manipulate time units in a bottom-up manner so that they can understand the impact of this decision in real time on the allocated budget, in terms of ” to be on the right track, more or less”.

Based on our research, we estimate that between $ 37,500 and $ 165,000 or more of billable time is spent each year on these Monday morning meetings among companies with five or more employees. Through Resource, we’re empowering businesses to ditch spreadsheets and take advantage of a digital tool that simplifies, streamlines and optimizes those weekly planning meetings. – Robert Yuen, CEO of Monograph.

With the pandemic being a catalyst for more growth and the growing needs and dependence of AEC professionals on technology, Monograph on June 2 announced a $ 7.4 million Series A funding round. dollars led by Index Ventures with continued participation from existing investors Homebrew, Parade Ventures, Designer Fund and several angel investors. Bringing Monograph’s total funding to $ 9.3 million, the investment will help the company expand its engineering and design teams to continue to provide valuable tools that advance the architect’s toolbox and support connected workflows. Pursuing an influential future for the design industry’s leading practice operations platform, this company highlights the high demand for software designed specifically for AEC’s needs.

Design professionals are underserved by existing technological solutions. The architecture industry is down and Monograph is strategically positioned to help address it. We’re disrupting the status quo by ridding businesses of inefficient spreadsheets and tools that treat cost, resource and project management as siled activities. Our platform is a modern solution that synchronizes a company’s range of projects and responsibilities holistically so that AEC professionals can deliver a great customer experience and, most importantly, make a profit. – Robert Yuen, co-founder and CEO of Monograph.

Read on for some statements on how Monograph has been successful in helping businesses.

Monograph allowed us to have a more precise idea of ​​the performance of our company’s projects and the distribution of our team. The team forecasting feature helped us make staffing decisions, while the individual project overview page gives us a good overview of pursuing potential projects. – Kris Bradner, director at Traverse Landscape Architects.

The time it would take us to staff our projects was cut in half, if not more, by Monograph, which increased our productivity by 200%. The Resource function alone allowed us to schedule all projects and staff on Fridays. Everyone knows what projects they’ll be working on for the week from a few hour-long meetings. We used to spend four to eight hours on weekends comparing calendars, emails, and timesheets from the previous week. We can now ensure a better work-life balance thanks to Monograph. – Thomas B. Merritt, Design Director at Verdant Studio.

Robert yuen, Assoc. AIA, is the CEO and co-founder of Monograph, a software company that is revolutionizing the future of architectural project management. After working as an architectural designer in his hometown of Chicago and eventually settling in San Francisco, Yuen discovered his passion for designing software solutions for the AEC industry. Serial entrepreneur, trained architect and zealous productive, Yuen is an active member and passionate public speaker within the architecture, design and engineering industries. His experience working with some of the industry’s most renowned companies and designers, including SOM, Holabird & Root, and BluHomes, led him to discover a void for a simple, cloud-based, suitable project management application. to industry. In this capacity, Yuen co-founded Monograph alongside co-founders Alex Dixon and Moe Amaya, to help architects and engineers oversee projects in an integrated, user-friendly and ever-evolving interface. He holds a Masters of Architecture and a Masters of Science in Digital Technologies from the University of Michigan.

This feature is part of the ArchDaily series where we share a general overview of a company or an architectural career and present some of their emblematic projects. Each month we explore new names, highlighting their history and architectural expression. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly appreciate the contribution of our readers. If you think we should feature an unknown studio, company or architect, please submit your suggestions.

This article is part of the ArchDaily topic: Collective design. Each month, we explore a topic in depth through articles, interviews, news and projects. Learn more about our monthly topics. As always, at ArchDaily, we welcome contributions from our readers; if you would like to submit an article or a project to us, please contact us.