Made with Programa

Smooth Operator

Sydney, AustraliaOctober 31, 2025

Explore our latest Made with Programa feature as Smac Studio Interior Architecture discusses Smooth Operator - a study in creative growth, operational clarity, and what it takes to scale a small studio into a structured, confident practice.

Studio Smac Studio
Photographer Anson Smart
Stylist Jack Milenkovic

“If you're an interior design studio and you're not on Programa, what are you doing actually? Like, are you on Excel? How are you going?”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

From three to six people might not sound like much - until you’re managing thousands of design decisions across multiple projects.

When Smac Studio doubled its team, the challenge wasn’t about space or headcount. It was about structure. The Sydney-based practice needed a system to support rapid growth without losing the precision and creativity that define its work.

“It'll come to project fruition, and they're like, 'Oh, I didn't know that was there.' And you're like, really? You paid like two grand for it?”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

Before Programa, project tracking relied on Excel and email chains. Clients would forget approvals, invoices lagged behind, and cost discrepancies surfaced at the end. The Client Dashboard changed this entirely. Specifications - from $2,000 tapware to upholstery - are visible anytime. Clients approve selections directly, creating a record that removes doubt and back-and-forth.

“I would have never been comfortable to bring procurement into the business, but Programa, honest to god, makes it so easy.”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

Each product entry includes RRP, trade price, and Smac’s markup - visible and structured. The system auto-calculates totals and generates purchase orders. Junior designers can now process orders confidently without constant senior oversight. What once felt too complex has become a stable revenue stream.

“We charge on an hourly basis. It's important to track our time in house, understand how much each project is costing us.”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

Growth demanded accountability. Programa’s time tracking links every logged hour to a project phase, producing live profitability reports. Smac now quotes with data, not guesswork - referencing real hours from past projects to protect margins and forecast workload with accuracy.

“The bigger we grow, the more mistakes happen. More people to keep track of, more clients to keep track of.”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

With six designers across multiple jobs, Smac relies on flagging and comments for clear internal communication. Every decision and change is documented. Miscommunication drops, timelines hold, and project flow remains steady even as team capacity expands.

“Having doubled in size and onboarded a few staff now, Programa is super intuitive, super easy to use.”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

New designers receive access on day one. Within a week, they're creating their own schedules and specifications. The standardized templates ensure consistent quality whether it's a senior designer or recent graduate managing the project.

“Now we're getting to the end of our projects, and everyone knows exactly what's going on. There's literally no surprises.”
Shona McElroyPrincipal

What once required weeks of post-project reconciliation now runs cleanly. Clients see every cost, every approval, every selection as it happens. Smac’s expansion has moved in lockstep with its systems - proof that sustainable growth isn’t just about adding people, but building processes that support them.

The studio’s transformation shows what happens when creative ambition meets operational discipline: a small team growing into a structured, confident practice built for the long run.

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