During the recent construction boom, almost every project seemed urgent. Fast-tracking and design-build ruled, and it looked like there was no end of the work in sight. Our clients were flush with cash and willing to pay a premium to get work done quickly. When things were good, many architects didn’t feel they had time for work plans for new projects. They stopped making the critical up-front assessments of the steps needed to figure how much it would cost the firm to do a project, to make schedules, and to properly allocate resources. Times have changed. Firms are competing