Two years ago, our digital world at Architype looked more like organised chaos. With three studios across the UK and projects growing in complexity, we were relying on a tangle of tools that didn’t speak to each other. Information was scattered, duplicated, and frequently lost in the shuffle. If you hadn’t created the file yourself, you’d need a digital shovel to dig it out.
We were collaborating across studios—but without a real system to support that collaboration. We used a popular chat app for messages separate to emails, Finder to browse our server, two separate task management apps depending on the team, a distinct digital whiteboard app, and personal notes lived on scraps of paper or scattered programs. None of it was connected.
The breaking point came when we took on projects that required ISO 19650 compliance. Suddenly, all our messy workarounds couldn’t cut it. We needed better version control, reliable file access, consistent workflows, and the ability to shuffle team members without each person needing a guided tour of every folder path.
So, we made the leap. After plenty of research, trial and error, and the occasional moment of “What have we done?”, we transitioned to Microsoft 365, using SharePoint as our central hub. We archived the old server and slowly began building something cleaner, clearer, and—most importantly—collaborative.
It didn’t happen overnight. We were a team of four, working with limited IT support, moving a studio’s entire digital history into a new ecosystem while trying not to break anything in the process. What followed was two years of training, rebuilding, asking questions, and trying not to let the perfect get in the way of progress.
One of our first mistakes? Overcomplicating things. Microsoft offers a dizzying number of apps and features, and we jumped into too many too fast. It was only when we started pairing tools with familiar workflows—like replacing the two task tracking apps with Microsoft Planner—that people began to feel comfortable. We also stopped emailing files around and started sharing links instead. Suddenly, we were working together in real time, not bouncing documents back and forth like digital ping pong balls.
Designing our new intranet taught us another lesson. I originally built something beautiful—full-page imagery, clean tiles, colour-coded buttons. But what looked great on screen didn’t work under pressure. When you’re racing to issue a drawing, you don’t want to admire a nice picture—you want to find the checklist in three clicks or less. So we simplified. Clean layouts. Clear icons. A site map (WIP). It was less impressive, but far more useful.
People are at the centre of any transformation like this, and they will be the measure of success. At first, we made decisions with a small, very technical group, which skewed our thinking. We learned quickly that we needed broader perspectives—designers, support teams, people who were sceptical or unsure. That diversity gave us better questions and better solutions.
We also found ways to make training more engaging. In one session, we asked everyone to upload a photo from a recent studio event and then taught tagging and permissions using those images. It was fun, low pressure, and surprisingly effective. But rollout missteps still happened. Updating half the office at a time? Chaos. Staggering training across teams that worked together? Also chaos. Now we target smaller but whole groups at once.
And then there were the quieter challenges: returning parents, part-time staff, remote workers. We realised quickly that documentation, clarity, and consistent support matter more than big training events. Everyone’s coming at this with a different level of confidence, and your systems need to meet them where they are.
What surprised us was how much our shift unlocked. We’re now building a live, searchable dataset of performance metrics across 160+ projects. That means we can answer design questions with real evidence—fast. It’s not just better collaboration, it’s better design. And it’s laying the groundwork for the next shift we all see coming: AI. But AI is only as good as the data it draws from. If you’re thinking about generative tools, ask yourself—what shape is your data in?
Looking back, we didn’t get everything right. But we moved forward—and that mattered more.
If you’re on the edge of a digital transition, here are a few lessons we’d pass on:
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Start small. Choose the tools that solve real problems first. Build from there.
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Make systems people-shaped. Design them with and for your users—not just the ideal workflow.
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Keep feedback loops alive. Systems improve when users feel heard.
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Build for tomorrow. Structure your data like it’s going to power something bigger—because it probably will.
We’re still refining, still learning. But we’re no longer digging for buried files or repeating work across studios. We’re finally collaborating like we mean it—and now we’ve got the tools to back it up.
About the Author
Raina Armstrong is a Digital Operations Specialist at Architype, a UK architectural practice known for sustainable design and Passivhaus expertise. She works at the intersection of people, systems, and technology—helping teams untangle complexity and build workflows that actually work.