Today is one of those days where I have to make a fairly big decision regarding the design and construction of a new building. Its a big decision that will potentially either cost my client a lot of money or save him and me a great deal of hassle and time. It will also influence an infinite number of other decisions flowing from this one.
Back when I was working in a large office it was very easy to either hide from these decisions or spread the liability around by getting everyone's input. Now I am the only one in the decision chair and it all falls down to me.
I have not really spent too much time over the past few years considering these situations as they arise quite frequently but I was asked at the weekend, when inspecting a new house I designed that is nearing completion "what would I have done differently?" It occurred to me I do not seem to be wired to think like that. Once a decision is made the consequences thereof flow in a single linear direction - there is no rewind button just the learning of lessons and the development of ideas and techniques based on experience.
That may seem contradictory; is learning lessons from consequences of decisions not the same as thinking what you would have done differently? Ultimately I do not believe it is because in the timeline that is the conception, design and construction of a building every decision leads to another and the effect compounds and varies exponentially. Leading to the ultimate cliché; "We are where we are" which is the perfect response when confronted with questions such as "what would you do differently"
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