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OPINION
Year-end tech check
Tech becomes a strategic advantage when firms measure real ROI and budget for tools that drive profit, productivity, and long-term capability.
Technology update brought to you by
A s 2025 winds down, firm leaders in architecture and engineering are setting budgets, approving tech upgrades, and deciding where their next-year bets will land. Too often technology and software is treated as a cost center rather than a business driver. But the firms that will pull ahead in 2026 will use tech not just for automation but for measurable value.
Lucas Gray
Here is a fresh way to think about technology ROI: not in profit and loss spreadsheets as expenses and subscription fees, but in terms of real impacts on profitability, productivity, and strategic advantage. When you view tech through that lens, the questions are not “Should we buy this?” or “How much will this cost?” but rather “How will this move the levers that matter?” FINANCIAL ROI: THE PROFIT IMPACT THAT EVERYONE NOTICES. When a firm invests in technology, it should expect more than smoother workflows. It should expect
results that show up on the bottom line. A concrete example: INC Architecture & Design moved to a modern firm-management system and saw a 6% increase in firm-wide profitability in just over a year. That gain did not come from cost-cutting. It came from clearer forecasting, tighter billing, and stronger project accountability. For a 40+ person firm, a 6% boost in profitability could equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The investment in software had an incredible return on investment. That kind of shift in profitability boosts compensation,
See LUCAS GRAY, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER DECEMBER 15, 2025, ISSUE 1613
ELEVATE THE INDUSTRY®
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