Architectural Accounting & Administration Group
The AAAG (Architectural Accounting and Administration Group) has been in place in Melbourne for over 20 years. In mid-2020 the AAAG and ACA came together to further strengthen ties between practices and the ACA across the Business of Architecture.
The AAAG is a private group for accountants, finance managers, practice managers, HR managers, business managers and general managers of practices to share, collaborate and learn from each other. The group currently has over 50 members from more than 40 practices with average attendance around 20 to 25 for online meetings. Although predominantly larger practices, the group membership has now also extended to a range of practice sizes.
Meetings usually feature a guest speaker/key topic and then follow with discussion and problem solving. Members are encouraged to put forward topics, speakers and issues to discuss, so that we can remain relevant to the needs of the group. Some practices have multiple members in the group and the most appropriate person attends according to the main topic of the presentation or discussion.
The group has also found it useful to keep in touch between meetings to help share information and experiences or discuss solutions for current issues practices may be facing.
Meetings
The Group now meets every two months to discuss a broad range of practice management issues. During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the group benefitted from meeting monthly via Zoom. Meetings generally include invited guest speakers or collaborators for educational or knowledge sharing purposes.
Lunchtime meetings are usually held online with a couple of face-to-face opportunities each year.
Topics covered
The group has hosted presentations and discussions on PI insurance, business strategy, technology and systems, IR issues, recruitment and staff retention, salaries, pay reviews, job satisfaction, accelerated learning and job opportunities, mental wellbeing, EAPs, burnout, flexible working, coaching and mentoring, domestic violence leave, parental leave, cyber security and, of course, the full range of issues that COVID brought to the table.
Membership and key contacts
The AAAG Chair is Kenneth Betts who is an independent consultant with a long history of working in large architectural practices. The ACA lead is VIC/TAS Committee member Matthew Tence.
To express your interest in joining the AAAG or for further information, please contact ACA VIC/TAS Executive Officer Katherine Ygosse at victas@aca.org.au.