Shepley Bulfinch is a 200-person architecture, planning, and interior design firm with offices in Boston, Hartford, Houston, and Phoenix. Like every AEC firm, they face the same universal challenge:
How do you give new hires the right amount of information—without overwhelming them or leaving them stranded?
The tension is familiar. Too much information, too early, and it becomes a blur. Too little, too late, and new employees are left guessing. But Shepley has found a way to strike a better balance—one that goes beyond orientation and delivers support when it’s needed most.
In this 8-minute clip from my “KM 3.0” webinar, I share how Shepley is reimagining onboarding not as a one-time event, but as an ongoing knowledge experience.
They’ve built a rich onboarding ecosystem within Finch, their Synthesis intranet, including:
An “I’m New Here” page that puts all key resources in one place: office groups, firm standards, tech setup, and more.
A Benefits Guide and Shepley Standards manual that go beyond policies to explain the thinking and philosophy behind how the firm works.
A Ropes Course Guide—a seven-part series of discussion prompts introducing new hires to Shepley’s approach to design, project phases, client engagement, and team roles.
A Working Groups directory so employees can join voluntary communities around Revit, interiors, sustainability, and more.
A course catalog for BirdFeeder, their internal learning and development program covering project management, technical skills, professional development, and more.
All of this forms a powerful foundation. But Shepley didn’t stop there.
They’ve paired great onboarding content with intelligent AI Search—so employees can find the right answers not just in week one, but in week twenty or week fifty.
Need to know if gym memberships are covered? Just ask.
Wondering about the work-from-home policy after a life change? Ask.
First time submitting expenses? Ask.
Trying to understand how project assignments work—or who decides them? Ask.
Even more impressive, AI Search surfaces precise responses, citing the source and often pointing directly to relevant documents, videos, or even the person responsible. For example:
“Who’s on the staffing responsible body?” returns the current roster, filtered from the employee directory.
“Who knows Affinity Photo in Houston?” surfaces a colleague you can reach out to directly for help.
This is where KM 3.0 shines.
Shepley isn’t just onboarding people more thoughtfully—they’re extending the learning journey into daily work. They’ve built a system where the right information (or the right person) is always within reach, long after the orientation ends.
It’s onboarding designed not just for day one, but for year one.