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Synthesis 6, our next generation intranet platform for architects and engineers, is now available.
While we have designed Synthesis 6 to continue helping AEC firms find, share, and manage knowledge, we have focused on doing so in a more simplified, intuitive, and cloud-based way.
Read moreWe are very excited to announce Knowledge Architecture is right on schedule with Synthesis 6 and will be launching into beta next week!
Beta will be rolled out in three phases, with a different focus during each phase:
Beta 1: Essential Content and Information Architecture
Beta 2: Internal Communications
Beta 3: Preparing for General Availability
Beta participants and Knowledge Architecture will collaborate to reach general availability in the second half of the year with Synthesis 6 in tip-top shape.
Together we will be focusing on four main goals:
Goal 1: Learn how to create valuable content with Synthesis 6
Goal 2: Validate and refine product design
Goal 3: Fix technical bugs
Goal 4: Improve performance
We will start small and add participants during each beta phase. If you’d like to learn more about the Synthesis 6 beta rollout, please contact your Client Success Manager. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
While we have designed Synthesis 6 to continue helping AEC firms find, share, and manage knowledge, we have focused on doing so in a more simplified, intuitive, and cloud-based way.
This video will show you some of the things about Synthesis 6 we’re most excited about.
Navigating your intranet more easily with the new mega menu, breadcrumb, and navigation block features
Building pages that are beautiful, fun to create, and easy to maintain with new image and document blocks, page templates, and drag-and-drop functionality
Authoring, organizing, and managing essential content with the new content outliner, community layouts, and guides
Managing large collections of knowledge with new grid layouts, saved views, and sorting, filtering, and grouping tools in our reimagined libraries and directories
Providing brand consistency by customizing colors, fonts, and logos with our new style and branding tools
If the term “information architecture” is new to you, think of it as the navigation structure on your intranet. Effective information architecture makes it easy for employees to find what they’re looking for.
This playbook is designed to help you understand your intranet’s current information architecture and make improvements as needed. We’ve broken this process into 5 steps, some of which will be completed by Knowledge Architecture, and others that will be completed by your team. Each step is described in detail below. We look forward to partnering with you on your new information architecture.
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Christine Larsen, Director of Marketing at Ballinger
Kristen Riley, Employee Experience Manager at LMN Architects
Amy Anderson, Marketing Information Systems at Shive-Hattery
In this Synthesis Spotlight, you’ll hear from two intranet champions who are fundamentally reorganizing their firm’s intranet to better support business needs.
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Christopher Parsons, our Founder and CEO, was featured in episode 24 of the Practice Disrupted podcast this week.
Practice Disrupted explores “how technology, cultural shifts, and emerging best practices are prompting firm owners to assess their business models and make adjustments in their studios. Each episode features an industry leader, and together our hosts will explore the new frontier of architectural practice.”
The whole series is great and we hope you check it out.
Hillary Schlehuber, Senior Associate and Marketing Communications Manager at Lochner
Stefnee Trzpuc, Principal and Operations Leader at BWBR
In this Synthesis Spotlight, you’ll hear from two intranet champions who are fundamentally reorganizing their firm’s intranet to better support business needs.
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Kathryn Whitenton, Director of Digital Strategy at Nielsen Norman Group
Page Laubheimer, Senior User Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group
In this month’s Office Hours, Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) and Knowledge Architecture share insights based on our recent study of over 120 Synthesis intranets. We discuss patterns and pitfalls of intranet navigation, share best practices for building effective and intuitive intranet navigation, and introduce you to a process for validating proposed changes to intranet navigation.
Read moreEllen Bensky, CEO of Turner Fleischer Architects
This Office Hours recording features Ellen Bensky, CEO of Turner Fleischer Architects, sharing how their intranet, Newton, supports firmwide learning through Turner Fleischer Academy.
Six years ago, Turner Fleischer recognized it needed a way to accelerate learning in order to bridge knowledge gaps between new graduates and experienced staff.
Three years ago, they launched Newton, their knowledge management platform.
Today, they have a robust firm university program administered through Newton to provide ongoing training and continuing education opportunities.
In this recorded webinar, you’ll learn how Turner Fleischer:
Accelerates learning in a digital age
Supports teachers with instructor resources
Fosters a more collaborative and engaged workforce
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
Transition to Remote Learning (10:00)
Using Synthesis to maintain culture and connection in WFH status (37:50)
Libby Budack, Data Specialist at Schmidt Associates
Matt Richmond, Chief Technology Officer at RCH Studios
Eric Klotz, Principal at ESa
In this month’s Office Hours, team members from Schmidt Associates, RCH Studios, and ESa shared how they are using Synthesis to improve information flow across the firm with online forms.
Schmidt Associates’ Libby Budack shared how they gather internal employee recognition nominations with formstack.
RCH Studios’ Matt Richmond shared how they engage employees in employee & project information maintenance with Microsoft Forms in Office 365.
ESa’s Eric Klotz shared how they use a Smartsheet form to streamline the process of starting up new projects.
In this webinar, you’ll:
Understand several common business processes that can be automated using online forms
Learn about a variety of online form technologies that can integrate with Synthesis
See how forms are displayed on Synthesis
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to three highlights:
The Starfish Award Form (10:13)
Office 365 Forms Tutorial (16:07)
New Project Request Form (28:28)
Ron Heims, Principal and IT Director at RDG Planning & Design
Susan Strom, Director of Client Success at Knowledge Architecture
Twelve years ago, RDG Planning & Design developed an intranet to help employees find firmwide standards, procedures, and company announcements. Over time, their homegrown intranet had become cumbersome to maintain and the content became outdated. As RDG evolved, they needed a knowledge-sharing solution that was more flexible and supportive of user-generated content.
Last year, RDG partnered with Knowledge Architecture to reboot their intranet technology, governance, and team. The result is their new Synthesis intranet, “The Know.”
Today, 100% of employees visit “The Know” monthly, 95% of employees access essential standards and guides monthly, and 80 - 95% of employees open news and announcement posts weekly.
In this webinar Ron and Susan share RDG’s story along with current best practices for launching an awesome intranet, including:
What makes an awesome intranet?
Who makes an awesome intranet?
How to launch your intranet awesomely.
We wrap up with a brief tour of RDG’s awesome intranet!
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to three highlights:
Great Intranet Teams (19:04)
Kübler-Ross Change Curve (29:24)
Brief Tour of RDG’s Awesome Intranet (38:48)
Dawn Moore, Corporate Director of HR at PSC
Using their firm’s recent growth as a catalyst for change, Parkhill, Smith & Cooper (PSC) revamped their employee onboarding experience to be more efficient and to connect more deeply with each new team member.
The new employee onboarding process starts with in-person storytelling on key topics such as firm culture and strategy and continues with just-in-time digital resources hosted on their intranet, RED, throughout the first year. PSC has successfully onboarded 70+ employees in the new program and is seeing improvements to new employee engagement on and off the intranet.
In this office hours, Dawn Moore, Corporate Director of HR at PSC, takes you behind the scenes of their revamped employee onboarding program.
You’ll learn how PSC:
Kicks off employee onboarding with an interactive session using the intranet
Orients new employees into firm culture and builds community from day one
Collects feedback from new employees and integrates this into the onboarding process
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
Onboarding After Red (11:33)
myPSC Community (17:07)
Michael Leckman, Principal, Diamond Schmitt
Sam Horton, Administrative Assistant to the Principals, Diamond Schmitt
Ellen Bensky, Principal, CEO, CFO, Turner Fleischer
Peter Frost, Manager - Marketing + Communications, Turner Fleischer
Marco Marcoccia, Senior Designer/Technologist, Turner Fleischer
This Office Hours featured team members from Diamond Schmitt and Turner Fleischer sharing how they engage their firms in design conversations on their intranets.
Diamond Schmitt's Michael Leckman and Sam Horton shared how they:
Brought offline design conversations online
Achieved 20% growth in Open and Engagement rates within 6 months
Use positive reinforcement to mitigate employee fears about this type of sharing
Turner Fleischer’s Ellen Bensky, Peter Frost, and Marco Marcoccia discussed how they:
Integrated a new Design Director into the firm
Changed the conversation to bring design back to the forefront of their work
Build transparency and understanding through design discussions during a period of change
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
#DesignMatters Within the Office (14:27)
Sharing Design Intent (29:18)
Tony Balistreri, Knowledge Manager, GRAEF
Shelly VandeWege, Marketing, GMB
Stephanie Eiler, Marketing, GMB
This Office Hours features short case studies from GRAEF and GMB, two firms that participated in our Essential Content Review (ECR) Beta program.
Keeping intranet content accurate and current can feel like a daunting task. Following a short introduction of the Essential Content Review (ECR) process by Knowledge Architecture, you will hear how GRAEF’s Knowledge Manager, Tony Balistreri, and GMB’s Intranet Champions, Shelly VandeWege & Stephanie Eiler, adapted this process to meet their needs and create value for their organizations.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how each firm:
Tactically implemented a regular cadence of ECRs
Adjusted Knowledge Architecture’s ECR process to meet their firm’s needs
Identified gaps and launched intranet improvement projects to meet those gaps
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to three highlights:
ECRs Then and Now (18:00)
Discipline Wiki Pages (30:28)
Q: Do you have any advice for other firms to get started? (46:20)
Kimberly McVicker, Communications Manager
We all know that firm leaders have unique and valuable insights to share with the rest of the organization. This is exactly the kind of content you want to see on your intranet! Yet, many leaders are not confident about what to share, how much to share, or where to share.
Last year, Dewberry set out to change the way firm leaders communicate on their intranet, ID. Over the course of 9 months, they increased the number of firm leaders who post on ID by 33% and realized several unplanned benefits along the way.
In this webinar, you’ll learn how Dewberry:
Planned their approach
Delivered sustainable 1:1 coaching
Used analytics to reinforce behavior change
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights:
Prep: Provide Common Topics, Examples, Potential Posts (09:21)
Lessons Learned and Tips (17:05)
Essential Content comprises the policies, procedures, templates, forms, standards, documentation, how-tos, and FAQs you need to run your AEC firm. Your corporate operating system, if you will.
Getting your essential content on the intranet is a huge feat and generally happens during your implementation process. Keeping your essential content up-to-date is just as important. It is critical that your end users can trust that the content on the intranet reflects the way your firm does business today, not how it did business at some point in the past. “Trust” is the operative word here. Building trust in the quality of your essential content will lay the foundation required to leverage the intranet for a multitude of strategic initiatives outlined on the Intranet Maturity Model.
In this Quick Reference Guide, we offer a systematic approach for ensuring your essential content is always relevant and up-to-date.
Read moreKimberly McVicker from Dewberry
Emre Goktay from Diamond Schmitt Architects
Donovan Helminiak from KTGY
This Office Hours webinar features short case studies with three firms who are using Synthesis Native Video to tell their firm’s story, albeit in very different ways.
Kimberly McVicker from Dewberry, Emre Goktay from Diamond Schmitt Architects, and Donovan Helminiak from KTGY each picked a high-performing video from their Synthesis intranet and took us behind the scenes.
You will learn:
What types of video content these firms produce
How a high-performing video is produced and shared
What each firm considers “high-performing” when it comes to video
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to one or all of our three featured stories:
Pancake House @ KTGY (06:23)
Rendering Time Lapse @ Diamond Schmitt (14:30)
7-Minute Speed Talks @ Dewberry (25:00)
Todd Henderson, Principal at Boulder Associates
In Spring of 2016, Todd Henderson attended his first KA Connect conference where he heard a talk given by Jim Martin of Shepley Bulfinch on Shepley’s firmwide Q+A program, #AskFinch.
Todd realized that a Q+A Program on Boulder’s intranet, BiscuitNet, was just the knowledge sharing solution his firm needed. With support from Knowledge Architecture and an idea from the community, Todd and his colleagues successfully implemented a firmwide Q+A program, #AskBA.
Today, Boulder Associates has an average of 8 posts per month to the #AskBA hashtag.
In this recorded webinar, you’ll learn how Boulder Associates:
Established its firmwide Q+A program
Engaged top subject matter experts in knowledge sharing
Adapted a best practice to fit their culture
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Establishing a Firmwide Q+A Program (15:25) and Year One Results (24:39).
Read moreIs improving internal communications by practice area, department, and/or firmwide initiative leaders a priority for your AEC firm? Great! This page is for you.
Our clients told us that firm leaders would like some examples to help visualize the art of the possible. We answered this call by researching three questions:
What are leaders posting about?
What are some best-in-class post examples?
What makes these posts so great?
Our research culminated in the creation of three slide decks. Each slide deck targets a specific type of leader (practice area, department, or firmwide initiative), and shares common topics, along with example posts and tips for creating great posts. You can find each slide deck below.
Of course, there is a lot more to supporting internal communications than sharing a few examples. In fact, our Client Success team has devised an entire playbook that shares best practices that have worked at other AEC firms. If you are not already partnering with your Client Success Manager on your internal communications efforts, we encourage you to reach out by emailing support@knowledge-architecture.com.
Amy Anderson, Marketing Information Coordinator
In 2017, Shive-Hattery’s employee survey turned up an actionable insight: Employees were beginning to feel disconnected from their colleagues due to geographical barriers. Firm leadership saw an opportunity to use Shive-Hattery’s intranet, SHare, to reconnect the offices and help fulfill the firm’s One Firm Vision.
Today, all seven offices are sharing news and announcements on SHare, and 30-60% of employees read 1+ office news post weekly.
In this recorded webinar, you’ll learn how Shive-Hattery:
Created a shared vision for change
Supported change agents with analytics
Incorporated change into firm culture
If you only have a few minutes, we recommend jumping to two highlights: Example Posts that Demonstrate a Range of Office Cultures (6:22) and Communicate the Vision for Buy-In (19:53).
Read more
Our own Founder and CEO, Christopher Parsons, was featured on Episode 119 of the PSM Show podcast this week. The topic of the podcast was the relationship between knowledge management and marketing in professional services.
It was a great discussion and we hope you find a chance to listen to it.