"The architect is slowing me down!" Or...you're not good at project managing and/or don't understand what architects do. "The developer isn't decisive!" Or...you're not asking the right questions to get the answers you need to move forward. Biggest differentiator skill? No matter what your project role is? Project management. Whether it's the overall project [developer], the construction [GC], or approvals/design/drawings [architect], everyone's got teams and processes to manage. The difference between a project running on time, on budget, and in a more or less orderly fashion is not how much you yell, how much you push, or how smart you are...it's your management chops. Put together teams who value strong management skills, and reap the rewards!

Maturity in your profession: on a project or running a team, knowing when to push hard and go fast, and when to slow down and pull back on the reins. Mixing those up is a recipe for wasting time and money, and crushing your team's morale. Even in a dire emergency, taking a second or two to think through something before acting is well worth it, and saves time in the end. Conversely, plodding along through stuff that doesn't matter for the goal and problem at hand burns everyone out. I'm suspicious of anyone who always wants to "move fast and break things" or who always wants to "slow down, we need to evaluate that again and again and again."

Shortsighted: nickel and diming your architect/beating them up on fees, only to have the GC chalk up change order after change order and blast away your "savings" many times over. Smart: paying your architect enough so they can create killer drawings and be fully present during construction, finding you savings and preventing mistakes/GC grift, more than making up for their fee Shortsighted: hiring a shitty/cheap architect to "save money," only to frustrate and slow down your GC, and make them deal with things that shouldn't be on their plate Smart: hiring a good architect who supports the GC and allows them to focus fully on their job Shortsighted: hiring a shitty/cheap GC to "save money," even after you've been warned many, many times, because you think you're magically different than every other project since the beginning of time Smart: hiring a solid GC, paying them appropriately tl;dr: you aren't special. You will not "save" your way into a well-performing project by cutting everyone off at the knees. - Pay properly [but don't overpay]. - Negotiate solid contracts [but make sure you understand industry norms]. - Know that just bc you're an expert in another field [ahem, tech/finance/etc] doesn't mean you know jackshit about construction and buildings [but you can learn!]

One thing I've learned about architectural drawings: they can look really good, and be complete sh!t. Don't be fooled by what fancy software spits out. The devil is in the details, and can cost you millions. It's stupid, bc it's entirely preventable. How to tell if your set is sh!tty? If I see these things, I know the set is likely not good: - dimensions for the owner, not for the builder. Rooms shouldn't be dimensioned, framing/structure should be dimensioned. The drawings aren't for the owner, they're for the GC. - fails the "circulation squint test." If I squint and see lots of snaky hallways, it's a bad sign. - push/pull clearances. Of all the ADA req'ts, this one is often hardest to keep in mind, so junior people miss it all the time. If I see lots of busts here, that gives me the hint that a junior person is drawing w/o much oversight. Bad news. - fails the "structural squint test." If I turn to the structural pages and squint, and I see more black than white, and no clear grid or pattern emerges, it's going to be an expensive project. It also indicates that there wasn't adequate time to coordinate, and/or that lots of decisions are being made reactively, rather than rationally. - doors without adequate space for jack/king studs. A tiny thing that reveals a lot - again, that a junior person is drawing unsupervised, and/or that there are other, harder-to-spot issues that are cans of worms - stuff that "we'll figure out later/in the field." Bad sign. - "virgin" Revit stairs. Stairs in Revit are notoriously difficult, so in early stages, some folks just plunk in a stair and don't figure out stuff like handrails...if I see a stock Revit stair with no handrail extensions and/or doors swinging into clear floor space, etc, it's bad news. Egress circulation should be nailed down at the absolute beginning. There are more, of course - little tells that indicate the design team hasn't had enough time/adequate resources to put together a good set [which takes REAL TIME, you guys, it's not easy, even if you've done a ton of em], or, they simply don't have the chops to do it right. Get an experienced team, spend more time/money in drawings, and you'll save tons and tons of money and time. I see it every day - mostly because many people make the opposite decision. Also, remember that as an Owner, it's ok that you don't know all this stuff!! The idea is to surround yourself with a team that does - and to know where your knowledge limits are. Good pros are all over the place, as are consultants, owners' reps, etc - make sure you've got them in your court.