Architecture Project App Development for Studios

Q: Our project archive already sits in Drive. Do we have to move all of it?

No. Past projects can stay where they are and simply be linked to the app; the system keeps only the project, sheet code and revision data in its own register. The usual recommendation is to run live projects in the app from the start and link closed jobs as archive. That way the team never has to adopt a new folder structure and existing habits stay intact.

Q: Will we be able to edit DWG files in the app?

No, drawing still happens in desktop CAD or BIM software. The app is not a drawing tool but the layer that manages the state of the project: which sheet is in force, who approved it, which snag is still open on site. On the phone you view the sheet, add notes and pins, and read measurements; the file itself is drawn in the office and published as a new version.

Q: Will the property owner see our internal notes and cost data?

No. The owner app is a separate app and shows only the sheets submitted for approval on their own project, plus stage progress and the payment schedule. Subcontractor correspondence, internal revision discussion, team workload and in-house cost items are never sent to that side. Permissions are granted per project, and if there are several stakeholders, each logs in with their own account.

Q: Does it work on site when there is no internet?

Yes. The project's sheets and open snags are downloaded to the device in advance, and snags, photos and measurements captured on site are queued locally. They upload automatically once a connection returns, with no action needed from the user. Photos go up compressed first so lists update immediately, while the full-resolution originals complete in the background.

Q: Will the app handle progress payments and invoicing too?

The app tracks the contract stages, handover approvals and payment status; the documents themselves are issued through the e-Arşiv or e-SMM integrator. For a self-employed architect a receipt is prepared, for a registered practice an invoice record, and either is transferred to the accounting software. That way you can see on one screen which stage has been handed over but not yet collected.

Q: We are a small studio. What about cost and timeline?

Architecture project tracking sits at the more substantial end of our work, because sheet previews and a revision register need a serious back end. The scope can be phased: revision tracking and site snags in the first release, owner approval and progress payments in the second. Scope and budget are set after a scoping call, once we have talked through your contract stages and project types.

How many separate apps does this need?

01

Field and Team App (iOS + Android)

For architects, project leads and site managers: view the sheet currently in force, drop a positioned snag onto the sheet, attach photos and measurements, and queue work offline for syncing once a connection returns.
02

Property Owner App

Shows the client nothing but their own project: stage progress, sheets and visuals submitted for approval, one-tap approval or revision request, the payment schedule, and the receipt or invoice once issued.
03

Web Admin Panel

For studio management: the project and revision register, stage and progress-payment tracking, the permit document checklist, the closure status of site snags, team workload, and the full history of every archived version.

What the app includes

Sheet number, revision letter and date stamped into the title block automatically
Changed areas highlighted on the sheet when two revisions are compared
Material submittal tracking driven by the room and finish schedule
Photo record of sample, colour and texture approvals
Raising an RFI with a countdown on the response deadline
Missing-document alerts on the building permit checklist (zoning status, site setting-out, soil survey)
Statutory inspection milestone dates (Turkey's yapi denetim stage certificates) logged against the project
Site visit report for architectural supervision produced on one screen
Open defect list and close-out time broken down per subcontractor
Plot set assembled and shared as a single PDF link
Stage handover minutes signed on the device and archived as PDF
Author stamp on every sheet plus a log of who downloaded which drawing

State of the sector

An architecture studio no longer competes only with the practice next door, but with the digital order on the other side of the job. The contractor runs the programme from software, building inspection paperwork moves through a system, and the owner expects photos and a status update every week. A studio working out of WhatsApp groups falls behind in that flow: the cost of work built from an outdated sheet usually comes out of the studio's own pocket, payments slip because stage handovers go unapproved, and when the client asks “where is the project?”, there is no single place to answer from. For studios bidding for tenders or corporate clients, having no reportable project record turns directly into lost work.

Metrics that matter here

Time from revision publication to client approval — Approval notifications and a one-tap approval screen remove rounds of email and phone calls, speeding up stage handover.
Number of items built from an outdated sheet version — The lock on the sheet in force and mandatory revision notifications make wrong versions reaching site both visible and reducible.
Time from opening a site snag to closing it — Snags pinned to the sheet with an assigned owner do not go untracked, and no item closes without a closure photo.
Stage fees delivered but not yet collected — Because stage approval triggers the payment record, the panel shows at a glance which handover has gone uninvoiced.

Common mistakes in this sector

Designing the app as a file store The cloud folder already exists; duplicating it achieves nothing. The value comes from knowing which sheet is in force, who approved it and who is still holding an old version. Without revision status, the app just becomes a second archive.
Taking site photos without context A photo with no floor, room or sheet reference cannot be found two weeks later and carries no weight in a progress-payment dispute. Every photo should be tied to a snag and a point on the sheet the moment it is taken; otherwise you accumulate an album, not a record.
Putting the property owner inside the internal panel Restricting permissions within a single app looks cheaper, but internal correspondence, subcontractor notes and cost items leak sooner or later. The client side should be built from the start as a separate app carrying only content submitted for approval.
Trying to open CAD files natively on mobile Rendering the raw file on a phone both locks up the device and distributes the project without any control. The right approach is to generate previews and tiles on the server, download only the region being viewed to the phone, and gate raw file access behind a separate permission.

Regulation and compliance

Architectural designs count as protected works under Turkish Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works, so keeping a record of authorship, version history and who opened which sheet and when gives the studio a solid basis in any dispute with a client. Sharing of raw files should be permission-gated. The client's identity and title deed documents, along with team and site photos, are personal data under KVKK (Turkey's data protection law, aligned with GDPR); explicit consent, retention periods and access rights must be defined. On the billing side, a self-employed architect is subject to the e-SMM electronic self-employment receipt, while a registered practice falls under the e-Fatura (Turkey's mandatory e-invoicing system) or e-Arşiv obligation; the system is set up to produce these documents through an integrator.

The real challenges in this sector

One single source for the sheet currently in force

In architecture the real risk is not losing a file, it is building from an outdated version. For every sheet code, exactly one version is flagged as in force; earlier versions are locked and open in archive mode only, stamped superseded in the app. Who opened which version and when is recorded, and when a revision is published, everyone who previously downloaded that sheet receives a mandatory notification.
Making DWG and BIM files openable on a phone

A construction-issue sheet means dozens of layers and a file weighing hundreds of megabytes; no mobile device handles that raw. When a file is uploaded to the server, a vector preview and progressive tiles are generated, and the phone downloads only the region being viewed. Layer toggling, measuring and zooming all run on that preview; downloading the raw file is a separate, permission-gated action.
Tying every snag to a point on the sheet

A note saying “waterproofing missing in the wet area” is untraceable two weeks later if nobody wrote down the floor and the room. Each site snag is pinned to a coordinate on the sheet, with the floor plan, room name, photo, date and responsible subcontractor attached to the same record. Adding the closure photo to the same pin closes the snag, so the open-items list stays current on its own.
Working on site with no coverage

In basements, during shell construction and on out-of-town plots there is often no connection at all. The app pre-downloads the selected project's sheets and open snags to the device; snags, photos and measurements captured on site wait in a local queue. Once a connection returns, compressed photos upload first and full-resolution originals follow in the background; if two people wrote to the same snag, the conflict is resolved with a management step.
Matching stage fees to actual delivery

An architecture contract is usually split into stages such as preliminary design, final design, construction documentation and site supervision, with payment tied to each stage handover. The moment the client approves a stage handover, the system triggers the payment item and prepares the record for issuing an e-Arşiv invoice or an e-SMM (Turkey's electronic self-employment receipt). Unapproved stages and uncollected fees appear on the same screen instead of living in two separate ledgers.

Required integrations

Integrator connection to GİB (Turkish Revenue Administration) for issuing e-Arşiv invoices and e-SMM self-employment receipts
Transfer of stage fees and collections to pre-accounting software such as Paraşüt, Logo or Mikro
Sending clients payment links for stage payments and advances via iyzico or PayTR (Turkish payment providers)
Server-side DWG, PDF and IFC conversion service for sheet preview and tile generation
Google Drive, OneDrive or S3-compatible storage connection for the studio's existing project archive
Contract, stage handover minutes and official correspondence flows via KEP (Turkey's registered electronic mail) and e-signature

Who this page is for

A two-to-five person practice producing residential permit drawings

Site load is light; the pain is permit paperwork and revision confusion. Phase 1 alone is enough: drawing register, document checklist, plot set sharing. The site module can wait.
A practice mostly doing interiors and refurbishment

Here the weight sits on the finish schedule, sample approvals and material tracking; work moves fast and the client decides weekly. Schedule-linked submittals and photo sample approvals come first; billing can stay simple.
A practice running turnkey work with a contractor, or heavy on site supervision

Site diary, per-subcontractor defects, RFIs and inspection dates are critical, and cash flow turns on stage handover. Phases 1 and 2 should be built together, with billing and client approval right behind.

A phased plan that splits the budget

1

Phase 1 — Drawing register and plot sets 6-8 hafta

Project, sheet number and revision register; server-side preview generation; mobile drawing viewer, title block stamping and plot set sharing. It stands on its own: the office publishes the current sheet from one place and site and contractor get a link. It comes first because every other module depends on knowing which revision is in force.
2

Phase 2 — Site, defects and RFIs 5-7 hafta

Defects pinned onto the drawing, photos, subcontractor assignment, RFI flow, supervision visit reports and an offline queue. It comes second because a defect needs a sheet and a revision to attach to, and that register is built in Phase 1.
3

Phase 3 — Client approval and stage billing 4-6 hafta

A separate client app, submissions for approval and revision requests, stage handover minutes, payment schedule and integration with Turkey's e-invoicing and self-employed receipt systems (e-Arsiv, e-SMM). Left for last because what gets submitted and what counts as a delivered stage settles during the first two phases, and the accounting link should follow the office's actual document type.

Typical scope and timeline

Typical scope: team mobile app, property owner app and web panel; project-sheet-revision register, server-side sheet conversion and preview, position-pinned site snags on the sheet, offline working and sync, stage approval with progress-payment tracking, e-Arşiv or e-SMM integration, role-based permissions, UI/UX design, store assets, QA and release on both app stores.

Estimated timeline: 12-18 weeks

Off-the-shelf or custom build?

Topic	Off-the-shelf	Custom build
Permit and inspection workflow	Off-the-shelf project tools are mature at generic task and document handling, but Turkish permit steps — zoning status, setting-out, stage inspections, occupancy permit — arrive as free-text lists, not as modelled steps.	The document checklist mirrors the office's real sequence: a missing item blocks the next step and the dates sit on the project record.
Drawing preview and file formats	Established CAD cloud services are strong at DWG and IFC preview; a small practice is better off using one than rebuilding it, there is nothing to win by competing there.	Custom work usually calls such a service underneath and adds the practice-specific layer on top: revision lock, pinned defects, download log.
Monthly licence or one-off build	SaaS is usable on day one and cheap to try; but licences are usually per seat, and the crowd — site manager, subcontractors, the client — is exactly the side that grows.	A custom build front-loads the investment and leaves maintenance and hosting; adding client or subcontractor accounts does not tie cost to headcount.
Authorship archive and data ownership	In a hosted product the project record and revision history live in the vendor's schema; export is usually PDF and spreadsheet level, so pinned defects and the approval chain may not travel intact.	On your own database the author record, version history and approval chain stay together, so a complete file can still be produced years later in an authorship dispute.

Sector glossary

Revision letter: The letter that says which version of a given sheet number you are holding; the site argument is always “is this A or B”, so it is printed in the title block and repeated in every notification.
Room and finish schedule: The line-by-line list of floor, wall, ceiling and door finishes per room; material approvals, samples and quantities all hang off it, so in the app it becomes the address a defect or submittal points to.
Architectural site supervision: The architect checking on site that the work matches the design; distinct from the statutory inspection body, it is a separate contract stage with its own fee, evidenced by visit reports.
Plot set: The bundle of drawings, at fixed revisions, issued to the contractor or an authority on a given date; it is kept with its date and revision list because it answers “which set did you actually give us”.
Stage inspection certificate: The certificate the statutory inspection body issues at defined construction stages; payments and the start of the next trade depend on it, so its dates are tracked on the project calendar.

Run the whole project on one record, from sheet revision to site snag

How many separate apps does this need?

Field and Team App (iOS + Android)

Property Owner App

Web Admin Panel

What the app includes

State of the sector

Metrics that matter here

Common mistakes in this sector

Regulation and compliance

The real challenges in this sector

One single source for the sheet currently in force

Making DWG and BIM files openable on a phone

Tying every snag to a point on the sheet

Working on site with no coverage

Matching stage fees to actual delivery

Required integrations

Who this page is for

A two-to-five person practice producing residential permit drawings

A practice mostly doing interiors and refurbishment

A practice running turnkey work with a contractor, or heavy on site supervision

A phased plan that splits the budget

Phase 1 — Drawing register and plot sets 6-8 hafta

Phase 2 — Site, defects and RFIs 5-7 hafta

Phase 3 — Client approval and stage billing 4-6 hafta

Typical scope and timeline

Off-the-shelf or custom build?

Sector glossary

Frequently asked questions

Our project archive already sits in Drive. Do we have to move all of it?

Will we be able to edit DWG files in the app?

Will the property owner see our internal notes and cost data?

Does it work on site when there is no internet?

Will the app handle progress payments and invoicing too?

We are a small studio. What about cost and timeline?

Let us talk about your project

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