Future-Proof Your Kitchen Design Business: Choosing Software That Scales With Tomorrow's Technology 🚀

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Welcome to Elevated! I'm Brandy Lawson, and today we're talking about something that keeps many business owners up at night - making sure the software you invest in today doesn't become obsolete tomorrow. 

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Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Welcome to Elevated.
I'm Brandy Lawson, and todaywe're talking about something
that keeps many business ownersup at night, making sure the
software you invest in todaydoesn't become obsolete
tomorrow.
It's like choosing cabinets thatwon't look dated in five years
except for.
Higher stakes in fasterevolution.
The pace of software change isrelentless, especially with AI

(00:26):
transforming everything fromrendering to specification
Writing.
The question isn't whether yoursoftware will need to evolve,
but whether it can.
Today we're unpacking how tomake choices that position your
business for where software isheaded, not just where it
stands.
Now, future proofing yoursoftware choices comes down to
evaluating three key dimensions,technical scalability.

(00:47):
Business scalability andadaptability to emerging
technologies.
Let's start with technicalscalability.
This isn't just about handlingmore users, it's about the
software's architecturalfoundation.
It could be that you get thechance to increase your active
projects only to find that yoursoftware is slowing to AC crawl
because it wasn't built tohandle that much data.
Ask these questions.

(01:08):
Can the software handlesignificantly larger data
volume?
Does performance degrade as yourlibrary of designs, materials
and client files?
Gross?
Does it have usage limits thatwill become problematic as you
scale?
Okay, next.
Business scalability is equallycrucial As your firm grows, so
does the need to define andimplement additional processes.

(01:29):
You add specialized roles,increase collaboration
requirements, and need moresophisticated reporting.
You might find yourselfoutgrowing an entry-level
project management tool becauseit doesn't support evolving
approval workflows As the teamgrows, the software you choose
should accommodate your futurebusiness structure.
Not force you to adapt yourgrowth strategy to its
limitations.

(01:50):
Ask, does it offer tieredpermission structures for
different team roles?
Can workflows be customized asyour processes mature?
Does it support cross-functionalcollaboration that may not exist
in your business today?
Now, for the most dynamicfactor, adaptability to emerging
technologies.
Particularly ai, we're seeing anexplosion of AI capabilities in

(02:14):
the design world.
From automated space planning tosmart material recommendations
and instant renderingadjustments, the kitchen design
software that will thrive isn'tnecessarily the one with the
best AI features today.
It's the one designed tocontinuously integrate new
capabilities as they emerge.
Look for software with robustAPIs that stands for application
programming interface that allowconnection to other systems.

(02:37):
Examine the company's trackrecord of integrating new
technologies.
Are they leading or followingthe industry trends?
How frequently do they releasesignificant updates?
A platform that issued onlyminor updates in the past year
might be falling behind in thisrapidly evolving landscape.
The vendors themselves mattertremendously here.
Are they well funded andinvesting in research and

(02:59):
development?
Do they have a clear roadmapthat they're willing to share?
Let me share a practicalframework that you can use to
evaluate software scalability ina three year projection of your
business.
What's your project growth?
Team growth and serviceofferings for each software
option, consider.
One.
Will this handle a projecteddata volume without performance

(03:20):
issues?
Two.
Does it offer the teamstructures we'll need
specifically for role-basedpermissions and the ability to
have specialized approvalchains?
Three, can it support additionalservice offerings?
Four.
Does it have an open API ormarketplace for extensions?
This ensures integration optionsand increased ease if custom

(03:40):
functionality is needed.
Five.
What's the AI strategy thisweek?
You can work on future proofingyour thinking.
Head to fiery effects.com/chooseand download the worksheet.
Pick a software solution you'reconsidering or currently using,
and rate it against the futurescenarios you envision for your
business.
Next week we'll get even morespecific about evaluating AI

(04:02):
readiness in your softwarechoices, what to look for and
what to avoid as these toolstransform businesses.
If this episode helped you thinkmore strategically about your
software decisions, share itwith another design professional
who's planning for growth.