Betting the schedule on one architect's authority
The fast path depended on one architect's self-certification, so I named that architect in writing and settled the base file first.
Darkness inside the building left LiDAR as the only workable scan method. The quickest way to start building ran through a two-month permit window, and that depended on one architect using self-certification authority. Our base files were spread across several versions, and no one clearly held the permitting role.
Before anyone drew another line, I named a single architect of record for the self-certification path and merged the scattered files into one canonical base. Three parties had been circling that question, and I ended it.
Choosing the scan method took care of itself, because of the lighting. That was never the danger. The danger sat upstream, in the missing owner and the scattered files, and either could sink the timeline however clean the scan came out. One architect of record and one base file moved the two-month window from wishful to real.
That same day I sent the partners a directive: a full recap of who does what, the permitting plan, and which base file to start from.
If the fast path depends on one person's authority, put that person and their scope in writing before the schedule rides on it. I handed one person clear authority, because ambiguity among three capable people would have quietly eaten the timeline.
Story details
| Project | 301 W Osborn |
|---|---|
| Type | High-stakes save |
| Year | 2026-05 |
| Firm telling | on the Common Ground wiki |