Seeing the whole practice at once
The Architecture Practice Model Canvas
When I started running a practice, I thought business strategy meant deciding whether to pay for SketchUp Pro this year or just see how far the free version would take me.
Eventually, I realised I needed a way to see the whole business—not just project pipelines or client meetings, but the bigger picture: what made us distinct, who we were serving, where our revenue was really coming from, and where we might be quietly burning energy with no real return.
So I started tinkering with the Business Model Canvas. If you’ve seen it before, you’ll know it was made for tech startups trying to scale. Useful, yes. But for architecture? It never quite fit.
This is my attempt to reshape it.
The Architecture Practice Model Canvas is a version of the original BMC adapted specifically for small and medium architecture practices. It’s designed to give you a clear view of how your business works—and where it might not be working as well as you think.
What makes it different?
The big shift is perspective. Not just what you do, but how you see. Your canvas should help uncover what you believe that others in your field don’t—and how that perspective shapes your services, your ideal clients, and the way you win work.
I’ve also added prompts that feel more real for practice:
Not “Customer Segments” but Client Types: who are you a good fit for, and who aren’t you?
Not “Revenue Streams” but How do we make money?: what offerings generate income—and which ones generate headaches?
And in place of vague labels like “Key Activities,” prompts like What do we actually do that clients value? and How do we reach them?
We also made space for things architects often overlook:
Your methodology or way of working
The ecosystem of collaborators who help you deliver
The real (and hidden) costs of poor-fit projects or underbaked systems
How to use it
Use this canvas in a way that suits you:
Solo? Fill it out on a quiet Friday with a strong coffee and a slightly anxious sense of curiosity.
Practice leadership team? Use it as a conversation starter at your next planning day.
Consultant or advisor? Walk a client through it and help them see where the gaps or assumptions lie.
The goal isn’t to get it perfect. It’s to surface assumptions, identify blind spots, and get clearer about your strengths, focus, and future direction.
And if you fill it out and realise you don’t like some of the answers? That’s a good thing. That’s where the real work starts.
You can download a copy of it here. I won’t force you to sign up for my newsletter. You can just grab it. But if you you try it out I’d to hear your thoughts. Contact me and say hi.