Stop Guessing. Start Building.
Our fixed-price discovery process eliminates the risk of your smart building project. We deliver the blueprint for success—a clear plan that aligns stakeholders and guarantees your tech investment delivers, whether you continue with PlaceOS or not.
I’m Jon McFarlane. You don’t run projects like this every day, and you shouldn't have to navigate them alone.
I do. I have, every single day, since 2011.
In that time, I’ve seen the hype, navigated the pitfalls, and learned what it truly takes to get a smart infrastructure project from a big idea to a seamless reality. This is why I co-founded PlaceOS. We built it to break down the silos I saw in building after building—connecting everything from AV and IT to lighting and access control so they work as one.
My approach combines deep technical knowledge with a background in user experience, a focus I honed while completing my Master of Design Science at the University of Sydney. It’s a combination that allows me to see both the architectural complexity and the human outcome.
Ultimately, my job is to bring that clarity and foresight to your team. So you can move forward, eliminate the guesswork, and build with absolute confidence.
An Exclusive Partnership
To ensure dedicated, high-impact collaboration, we limit our discovery engagements to 12 clients per year.
Current Availability for 2025
Big plans, bigger questions.
You know a smarter campus or workplace is the future. But the path to get there is filled with complexity, competing priorities, and risk.
Siloed Departments
Facilities, IT, and HR have different goals. How do you unite them behind a single vision?
Complex Technology
You have systems that don't talk to each other. How do you integrate them without starting from scratch?
Uncertain ROI
You can't afford a costly investment that doesn't deliver clear value. How do you prove the business case?
Undefined Needs
Your teams struggle to articulate what they need. How do you turn vague ideas into a concrete plan?
Your Blueprint for Success.
We've refined a structured, sprint-based process that moves you from ambiguity to an actionable plan. We facilitate the tough conversations and do the technical diligence so you can move forward with confidence.
Discovery & Stakeholder Alignment
We run collaborative workshops with your key stakeholders across Facilities, IT, AV, HR, and Operations to unify objectives and define what success looks like for everyone.
User-Centric Design
We go beyond features to capture the real-world user stories and journeys of your employees and operators. This ensures the solution is adopted because it solves problems people actually have.
Technical Scoping & Audit
We dive into your existing infrastructure. We audit your systems, sensors, and data sources to map out what can be leveraged, what needs to be connected, and how it all fits together.
Prototyping & Validation
We make the vision tangible. Through high-fidelity mockups and workflow diagrams, we validate the most critical user experiences with your team before a single line of code is written.
"A poorly defined scope will derail your project and your procurement. Teams get stuck debating: slow custom solutions or ill-fitting off-the-shelf software. We establish clarity upfront to save millions later. Using application prototypes, we embed the adoption process now, before a high-stakes event leaves no room for error. Ultimately, you get a custom-fit solution that plugs into your standard platforms, solving the debate once and for all."— Jon McFarlane
An Asset, Not Just a Report.
Our engagement provides a comprehensive set of documents that deliver immediate value. This is your project's foundation—a blueprint you can use to brief any vendor, guide your internal teams, and make informed investment decisions.
Discovery Blueprint
A comprehensive strategic package to de-risk your project.
- ✅The Stakeholder Map
- ✅Prioritized User Stories
- ✅Technology & Systems Audit
- ✅Integration Requirements Document
- ✅Project Statement of Works (SOW)
- ✅High-Fidelity UX Mockups
Blueprint + UI Prototype
The complete Blueprint plus a tangible, interactive prototype.
- ➕Everything in the Discovery Blueprint
- ✅Working UI Prototype: A clickable, interactive front-end application built with web-standard technologies.
- ✅Ready to Connect: Designed for seamless integration with your backend systems and APIs.
For PlaceOS Customers
SPECIAL OFFERThe complete Blueprint plus a tangible, interactive prototype.
- ➕Everything in the Discovery Blueprint
- ✅Working UI Prototype: A clickable, interactive front-end application built with web-standard technologies.
This 30% discount is available to all current PlaceOS customers, or as a credit for new customers.