Vellum & Razor Blades
Helping AECO firms deliver predictably with confident coordination. V&RB's Razor Method cuts ambiguity from project starts so design intent
02/06/2026
Most projects don't start with a real plan. They just get started ASAP.
The kickoff feels productive and everyone leaves energized, but how often does the team actually leave aligned on how they will support one another to reach success?
Over decades I have recognised that the same gaps appear late, even though they were created early. They stay well hidden while the work 'moves smoothly,' then surface later as rework as the project has been running on hidden assumptions rather than a shared plan.
A clean start requires attention to detail, and that work can begin before the project is even conceived.
I am currently building the Project Delivery Health Check. It will take two to three minutes, and it is the first step toward guiding your next project to start, and end, in control.
Let us know in the comments if you would like to hear when the Health Check goes live.
Most projects do not run out of time at the end. They miss the clarity at the start that would have prevented much of the reactive firefighting we see across the industry.
The kickoff meeting is treated as the beginning, but the real work should have happened well before anyone sits at that table.
Site surveys, building surveys, as-builts, true north, geodetic elevation, geotechnical, utilities, zoning, and other existing elements introduce the guardrails the design must respect. They are not background documents. They are critical to starting the project with clarity.
When iterative design processes start without them, assumptions get made, embedded in the design, and often not uncovered until late in design or in construction, when correcting issues is at its most costly in complexity and effort.
This is where owners need to be aware of what their design teams will need to start in a clean and composed manner. The most useful thing an owner can do is not push for design to begin with haste. It is making sure the existing conditions of the site or asset are verified, packaged, and ready when the team is expected to start real design coordination.
The future of this is clear: owners handing across a coordinated, three-dimensional record of their assets at the start of every project, instead of one being rebuilt from scratch. This is the world of digital twins providing the starting point. We are not there yet across the industry, but the direction is set.
When existing conditions arrive late, assumptions get embedded into drawings, cost plans, and procurement decisions. They often stay hidden until construction, when the team pays by losing evenings and weekends to unwind them.
Preparation of your projects cannot start too early.
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