Building Workshop is a rural Scottish SME operating in the architectural and design sector. The micro-firm has two employees, a husband-and-wife duo, have up-skilled to digitally transform the firm’s business operations and run the firm completely remote.
Architectural SME uses digital tools to overcome challenges related to rural location
Abstract
Background
Based in Kirriemuir in the Northeastern part of Scotland, Building Workshop is an architecture and design practice with a focus on conservation and sustainability. Building Workshop is a micro-firm with two employees, Ben and Rosemary Scrimgeour, who started Building Workshop in 2009.
Challenge
As an SME located in rural Scotland, the Building Workshop has faced challenges related to their isolated location such as difficulties accessing reliable digital infrastructure. While the digital gap between rural and metropolitan areas is narrowing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the inhabitants of metropolitan areas still experience 40% faster internet than people living in regions far from metropolitan areas (OECD, 2022[1]). High speed internet in leveraging the opportunities of digitalisation and Building Workshop reported that limitations to doing and growing their business were related to weak broadband connectivity in the area, sometimes requiring owners to physically relocate to a family home in the neighbourhood during working hours for accessing more reliable and stable broadband connection in order to back up data to the cloud.
Initially, lack of advanced digital skills was a challenge to operating their firm efficiently. When starting their firm, both co-founders only possessed basic digital skills such as navigating emails, Microsoft word etc. Their lack of advanced digital skills was a barrier to scaling up their firm, as the more advanced 3D modelling (BIM architecture software) required up-skilling.
Digitalisation Path
The Building Workshop uses a range of productivity tools and software to facilitate their daily business activities. These include software for effective video communication and cloud-based solutions to automate data entry and manage their finances and invoices. They also automated project and task management and their contract management processes. Alongside these solutions, to assist in managing their firm, the Building Workshop heavily relies on Building Information Modelling (BIM). Before upgrading to 3D architecture design and modelling software, which is more comprehensive and require advanced skills, the Building Workshop was using less advanced layout software tools.
Approach
The adoption of digital technologies has been instrumental into the firm operating completely remote, and overcoming barriers related to its rural location. The use of building information modelling (BIM) software and a 3D model approach, as well as social media, cloud storage and video conferencing have been key to overcome the challenges related to the firm’s rural location. The Building Workshop now works on projects and services clients based in different areas across the United Kingdom, widening its potential customer base and allowing the firm to grow. Following the successful adoption of digital technologies, Building Workshop now operates completely remote. This proved business saving when the firm had to abide to social distancing measures during Covid-19.
In order to strengthen her digital skills, Ms Scrimgeour, co-founder of the Building Workshop, completed an Online Business Program at an Ivy League University in the United States, which has had a transformational effect on her reskilling, enabling her to learn about the capabilities of a firm that operates digitally. The course focussed on the soft skills needed to make such changes to one’s business, such as design thinking, as well as learning up to date business skills. As a result of the skills and knowledge learnt during the course, the Building Workshop has had their systems and processes redesigned. Ms Scrimegeour mapped out the architectural systems and redesigned them to ensure they operated digitally. There has been a digital transformation of the management of organisational workflow, accounting and financial management and storytelling of the firm. These have enabled, for instance, to effectively gain planning consent for difficult projects. Since completing the course, Ms Scrimegeour has seen an increase in turnover of 50%, with a larger number of projects of higher value being accepted. Ms Scrimegeour believes the firm is more effective, there are less mistakes and they are receiving more recognition for their work.
Government Support
The Building Workshop received financial support to complete a course to use Building Information Modelling (BIM) architecture software. One year into starting their business, the Building Workshop won a Shell livewire competition, which assigned GBP 1 000 to spend on the purchase of BIM architecture software. Their local authority in Scotland matched 50% of the cost of the training to learn to use this new software. Skills Development Scotland, the national skills body supporting the development and application of skills within business funded this initiative. This was a one-off grant, there was no ongoing support under this scheme.
Ms Scrimegeour learnt about the Ivy League University course on a rural leadership program to Memphis in 2017 organised by Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency. Ms Scrimegeour was introduced to ‘design thinking’ and became interested in developing these skills, she then discovered the specific programme through her own research. The rural leadership program, Ms Scrimegeour explains, is very well known in rural Scotland as the business community is very connected through initiatives such as the Royal Highland Show.
The cost of the Ivy League University course was a perceived challenge in completing the programme. The course is not part of a government sponsored programme. Ms Scrimegeour tried to receive financial support from her local government in Scotland for funding, but there was no funding available.
To learn more about SMEs digital transformation
OECD (2021), The Digital Transformation of SMEs, OECD Studies on SMEs and Entrepreneurship, https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/bdb9256a-en.
OECD (2021), SME Digitalisation to Build Back Better, https://doi.org/10.1787/f493861e-en
References
[1] OECD (2022), OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance 2022, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/14108660-en.
