---
title: "Architect mode in the Structure module"
description: "Architect mode lets administrators edit your organisation's structure directly in the Structure module, applying each change to the live chart with no proposal"
category: structure-governance
section: governance-basics
tags: [admin]
type: Reference
lastUpdated: 2026-09-01
locale: en
canonical: https://support.talkspirit.com/en/structure-governance/architect-mode-overview
---

# Architect mode in the Structure module


Architect mode is an editing layer in the Structure module that lets administrators change your organisation's structure directly, without raising a proposal. Adding, editing, moving, or deleting a circle or role applies to the live chart the moment you save it. It is available only to administrators who hold structure administration rights, and it starts off every time you open the page.

## Prerequisites

You need administrator rights with structure administration on your organisation. Members without them never see Architect mode, and the mode switches off by itself if those rights are removed.

> **Warning:** an edit made in Architect mode applies to the live structure at once, for everyone, with no proposal and no adoption step. A deletion made this way is immediate and cannot be undone.

## Who can use Architect mode?

Only administrators with structure administration rights can use Architect mode. The button that turns it on is hidden for every other member. This matches the direct-editing route described across the Structure articles: it is a route reserved for administrators, and it skips the proposal workflow that circles and members use.

## Turn Architect mode on and off

Open the Structure module and select **Explore organisation**. Select **Architect mode** in the header, next to the page title. A warning banner appears across the top of the chart to show that the mode is active. To leave, select **Disable architect mode** in that banner.

Architect mode is never remembered. Reloading the page, or returning to **Explore organisation**, starts you in the ordinary read-only view again, so you switch it on for each editing session.

![Explore organisation with Architect mode enabled: an orange banner across the top of the chart carrying the Architect mode label, the Live edition menu, import and export buttons and the close control that disables the mode, with a notice explaining that changes skip the proposal workflow.](/images/structure-governance/architect-mode-overview/01-architect-mode-banner.png)

## What Architect mode changes

In Architect mode your edits apply to the live structure straight away, with no proposal and no adoption step. You work from the chart: open a circle or role as a panel (a peek) and add, edit, move, delete, or invite roles and circles directly from it.

The mode is paused on the full role and circle pages. When you open a role or circle as its own page rather than a panel, editing there still opens a proposal, even with Architect mode on. Invited cross-circle roles are also left out: their fields are never editable in place.

## Live and Draft editing

Architect mode offers two ways to edit, chosen from the edition menu in the banner:

- **Live** applies every change to the organisation immediately. This is the default.
- **Draft** stages your changes on a named draft instead. You build them up over time, then select **Apply to organisation** to apply the whole draft at once, or discard it. Nothing reaches the live chart until you apply the draft.

Custom fields can be edited in Live editing only, not in a draft.

## Architect mode versus the proposal workflow

Use a proposal when a change should be discussed and adopted by the circle: the proposal workflow records the reasoning and gives decision makers their say. Use Architect mode when an administrator needs to set up or correct the structure directly, such as building the first chart or fixing a mistake, and a review step would only slow the work.

Architect mode is a per-session choice for one administrator. It is separate from the organisation-wide **Require proposals for governance changes** setting, which changes the route for everyone. Your organisation may use different words for proposal, circle, and role.

## What's next

- [Governance in the Structure module](/structure-governance/governance-overview)
- [Adding a role or a circle](/structure-governance/how-to-add-a-role-or-a-circle)
- [Navigating your organisation chart](/structure-governance/how-to-navigate-your-chart)
- [Proposals Overview](/structure-governance/proposals-overview)