Small Firms: Streamline Operations to Meet Your Business Goals

Effective business and financial planning depend on strong operational execution. How a firm structures its teams, defines roles, and manages day-to-day workflows directly affects project delivery, staffing efficiency, and long-term profitability. This session examines how small firm owners can identify operational bottlenecks, organize project teams effectively, and align staffing decisions with firm performance goals. Participants will also explore practical approaches to financial planning that support better operational decision-making. The session will highlight key financial metrics used to evaluate project and firm performance and provide guidance on when and how frequently to review them. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to connect operational management with financial planning to support informed business decisions and sustainable firm growth.

Speaker:
Erin Murphy, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Management Consultant, AVEC

About the Speaker:
Erin Murphy is a purpose-driven and collaborative leader with a passion for helping architects succeed. She brings broad experience in leadership and staff development, project management, and strategic planning to her Senior Management Consultant role at AVEC. Prior to joining AVEC, Murphy spent a decade at the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In her role as the Senior Director of Workforce Development and Strategy at the AIA, she advocated for emerging and mid-career architects. She also led the team that conceptualized the AIA’s ARE-prep program (ArchiPrep), the association’s first mission-driven product serving emerging professionals. She transformed the AIA’s Women’s Leadership Summit into the largest event for women in architecture while also stabilizing the business model to become revenue-neutral for the first time. Murphy also contributed to the AIA’s Guides for Equitable Practice, an in-depth resource for architecture firms to advance equitable and inclusive policies and behaviors within their businesses. Murphy spent the first half of her nearly 20-year career as a practicing architect in New York City and Washington, DC. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Syracuse University. Murphy is based in Arlington, Virginia.

If you register for a virtual ticket, you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.