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Take control of your creative process with practical tools to streamline workflows, eliminate deadline chaos, and deliver exceptional design work every time.
Every successful design project ultimately comes down to one thing: work. Once scope is defined, the challenge shifts to translating ideas and deliverables into structured, manageable units of work that can be planned, estimated, scheduled, and delivered. Without this translation, even well-defined projects can quickly become unclear, uncoordinated, and difficult to control.
This practical course introduces the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) as the central tool for organising project work in a clear and disciplined way. Participants will learn how to decompose project and product scope into deliverables, subdeliverables, and work packages, creating a foundation for effective planning across cost, schedule, resources, communication, and risk. The session focuses on building clarity, structure, and control in design project delivery through simple but powerful project management tools.
Key Topics Discussed:
Architect, B.Arch., MDE, OAA, PMP
Donald Ardiel is an architect, educator, and project manager. Following 30 years in architectural practice, Don assumed the positions of Director of Practice Support and the Director of Syllabus at the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada from 2016 to 2020. Following retirement from the RAIC, Don has provided project management education for design professionals to national and international clients. Don is the editor of A Guide to Determining Appropriate Fees for the Services of an Architect 2nd Edition, and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Handbook of Practice for Architects 3rd Edition. In addition to architectural practice, Don has been an instructor and workshop leader in project and practice management for 30 years. As an education consultant, he has provided curriculum development and instructional design services to post-secondary institutions and professional associations. He continues his commitment to the architectural profession through his active volunteer work with the Ontario Association of Architects, Canadian Architectural Certification Board’s Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect Program, and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Syllabus Program. Don received a Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University in 1987 and a Master of Distance Education from Athabasca University in 2008. Don has been a member of the Project Management Institute since 1992 and certified Project Management Professional since 2008. Don is an active board member of the United Church of Canada’s children’s camp, Camp Kee-Mo-Kee in Komoka, Ontario.