Mapping handoffs inside a design studio

Design studios often describe themselves as collaborative. The work, though, still moves through handoffs: concept to developed design, internal review to client presentation, studio pack to structural consultant. Delays hide in those seams.

We start mapping with one recent project, not an ideal process. Staff walk us through what actually happened — who held the files, who waited for comments, which round of revisions arrived late on a Friday. Sticky notes on a wall beat a polished diagram at this stage.

Common stall points in Bangkok studios include waiting on landlord comments, incomplete consultant briefs, and partner reviews that compete with site visits. Naming the stall is more useful than blaming a department.

Once the map is visible, partners choose one change only for the next month. Example: every external consultant brief leaves the studio with a named owner and a reply-by date written on the cover sheet. Small, observable rules stick better than wholesale reorganisations.

Revisit the map after two project cycles. If the same stall reappears, the rule needs tightening — or the capacity assumption behind it was wrong.

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