I focus on the early stage of projects because if we can get the deepest, most meaningful questions answered properly, then everything that follows has a clear reference point, and we already know where we are going. We achieve clarity, and have a goal to aim for, which gets us through a lot of uncertainty that can be present in projects.

We do this with test fits, feasibility studies, looking at new concepts, reimagining or examining existing concepts, or just imagining and visualizing what’s possible.

These deliverables however, are just the tactics we use to achieve our higher goals and to see impactful results.

These are results like funding your business and getting investment support or community buy-in. Being able to open faster. Or validating and demonstrating a business model by combining numbers and visualizations that just make sense and knock people over.

Those are meaningful results, and it all starts with answering the deeper questions at the beginning, and getting the script and the initial design of a project written correctly.

This sets you up to move forward confidently, with more clarity around what it is that you’re trying to achieve, and what steps are needed to get there.

This is only possible to discuss our ideas in the most broad terms, because I’m bringing the technical qualifications and experience into the conversation, so we don’t start with design theory, constructability, and EBITA, but that’s the underlying base that we’re working from when we talk about our goals and results.

A lot of my commercial clients have similar questions, so I’ve been putting together a variety of material that is intended to help them connect the dots.

For some clients, this is new material, and for some it’s really just a refresher, but the intent is to boil down some high level considerations into very simple and digestible material.

This is a 12 point checklist, that’s organized by topic, and provides a simple way to make sure that everything is being addressed, or at least being acknowledged in the development process.  

This isn’t exhaustive, but it is a good reference for anyone from a new business developer to a seasoned pro.

These documents, and more like them that we are building, come directly from my own work as a development executive, my experiences, and from other smart folks that I’ve pulled in to use as models.

These materials are intended to be concise references, that have other supporting worksheets, spreadsheets, and interfaces that get you further ahead, faster.

This covers topics like;

Budgeting

Planning and design

Scheduling

Cash and financing

Legal and insurance considerations

Project team structure

Permits and licenses

Hiring contractors, with things like an A305, and other questions to ask

Payment procedures

Change orders

Inspections

Close-out

There’s also some red flags I’ve seen over the years, and an index of terms, both of which I’ll continue to build out.

These are living documents that will continue to evolve, and I hope you find them helpful!

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-Chris Ryan

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