Architectural management: exploring definitions and impacts

Since the emergence of the term "architectural management" nearly 50 years ago in the UK there have been very few attempts to define the term, or indeed, the field of knowledge. Most of the work in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) has been associated with the CIB commission W096 Architectural Management. Parallel to this has been the use of the term architectural management in the field of information technology (IT). With architectural management increasingly conducted in a digital arena the definitions from the field of IT appear to be increasingly pertinent to those working in AEC. By bringing together definitions from both fields a number of questions arose about the term architectural management, the role of the architectural manager and the impact of CIB-W096 on architectural practice. A questionnaire survey was designed and issued to individuals associated with CIB-W096 in an attempt to gather some informed views on these issues. Also, the websites of three well-known recruiting agencies were consulted regarding the architectural manager‟s job description and qualifications. The results were combined with the findings of the literature review to propose a definition of architectural management that is relevant to our current, digital, era.