AIA Business Academy: Program Plus 2026
AIAU26-BBC-S1
3 Courses
Course expires on: 11/20/2028
Description
In today’s competitive market, growing a successful architecture or design firm takes more than technical expertise—you need a clear strategy, strong leadership, and the ability to execute. This four-part blended bootcamp gives you the frameworks, tools, and skills to position your firm for long-term success.
You’ll start by building a solid strategic foundation, refining your firm’s value proposition, and using relationships as a competitive advantage. Then, you’ll explore market positioning, growth strategies, diversification, and vertical integration, applying structured decision-making to justify your strategic choices. Finally, you’ll focus on execution and accountability—ensuring you leave with a clear, actionable plan to drive measurable business success.
This program blends online and in-person learning for flexibility and impact. Virtual sessions provide interactive discussions, while in-person sessions offer hands-on activities and peer collaboration for real-world application.
This series is ideal for firm leaders, aspiring firm leaders, and anyone responsible for strategic decision-making in architecture and design firms. Each session builds on the last, creating a step-by-step roadmap to help you scale your firm, strengthen decision-making, and achieve long-term business success.
The bootcamp consists of four sessions—two virtual and two in-person—over seven months with minimal required coursework outside of scheduled sessions, keeping the workload manageable for participants. Assignments are estimated to be less than eight hours outside of scheduled class time.
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Program Schedule
Course 1: Designing Your Firm’s Strategy & Setting a Clear Direction (6 LUs) | June 9, 2026 | in person @ AIA Conference on Architecture & Design in San Diego
Course 2: Culture & Collaboration to Support Strategic Growth (2 LUs) | July 30, 2026 | 12–2pm ET | online on AIAU
Course 3: Effective Decision-Making to Boost Accountability & Profit (2 LUs) | September 17, 2026 | 12–2pm ET | online on AIAU
Course 4: From Vision to Roadmap (6 LUs) | October 27, 2026 | in person @ AIA Global Campus for Architecture & Design in Washington, D.C.
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Learning Objectives
Develop a compelling value proposition and position your firm for success.
Use proven strategic frameworks to analyze market opportunities and business decisions.
Leverage relationships and collaboration as growth drivers.
Implement diversification and vertical integration strategies effectively.
Foster accountability and track execution using key performance indicators (KPIs).
Doug Bosse is the associate dean for international business programs, professor of strategic management, and the David Meade White Jr. chair in business at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business. With 20+ years of experience in strategic planning and leadership alignment, he has worked with executives across industries, from multinational corporations to small firms. A former corporate strategy consultant, Doug is also an executive coach and board member. His research focuses on stakeholder management and innovation, and he holds a PhD from The Ohio State University.
Richard Coughlan is the faculty director for executive education and associate professor of management at the University of Richmond. An award-winning educator, he specializes in organizational behavior, consulting, and negotiations, teaching leaders at all levels—from emerging professionals to CEOs. With a background in hospitality management at Hyatt and Pebble Beach Resorts, he brings real-world leadership experience to the classroom. Richard earned his MBA and PhD in judgment and decision making from the University of Arizona.
Courses
Building a Winning Marketing Plan for Design Firms
Develop the skills to craft an effective marketing strategy for your architectural practice. We’ll begin by defining the fundamentals of marketing and uncovering the key traits that make services marketable. Then, we’ll dive into the four essential pillars of marketing, learning how to apply them effectively to elevate your practice within the architecture industry.
You’ll learn how to create a marketing plan by first assessing your current market position and setting clear, achievable goals. Then, you’ll learn how to understand and reach your target audience—identifying and analyzing their needs and preferences.
We’ll uncover a range of marketing tactics tailored to architectural services, including how to guide prospective clients through a marketing funnel—from first contact to agreement. Finally, we’ll introduce various analytic tools and metrics to help you track and evaluate your success.
Mastering the Basics of Effective Leadership
Ready to take your leadership skills to the next level? In this interactive course, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the core leadership principles needed to become an effective leader in any organization. Explore various leadership styles, including autocratic, democratic, transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire, and discover the situations when each style is most suitable. You'll also learn the key elements for creating a leadership vision statement that motivates and drives your team and/or organization.
Get actionable insights to enhance your leadership skills with six proven practices to propel you toward becoming a more effective leader. Whether you're a seasoned leader seeking to refine your abilities or an aspiring leader ready to take your first step, this course will empower you to become a more confident leader capable of inspiring, motivating, and driving positive change. Unlock your potential on your path to leadership excellence.
Cultivating Excellence Through Team Leadership and Dynamics
Learn the essential skills and insights needed to develop effective team leadership and cultivate positive team dynamics. Understand the six essential characteristics of team excellence that distinguish high-performing teams from average ones so you can analyze individual roles and nurture the key traits that drive successful teamwork. Plus, dive into the major impact employee engagement can have on team performance—learning actionable strategies to boost engagement and motivation among your team. Assess the influence of team dynamics on productivity and performance and acquire practical techniques to optimize these dynamics, ensuring that your team works cohesively towards shared goals.
Course expires 04/06/2027
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