You might think that most project risks are caused by what teams do.

But really they’re often caused by what teams never see coming.

At the early stages of a development, there are technical decisions made based on assumptions: how systems will interact, what loads will be required, what space is available, what can be coordinated later.

Those assumptions can feel harmless at concept stage… until they’re not.

Ty Seifeddine, P.Eng, our VP, puts it plainly:

“You don't know what you don't know.”

This is where budgets can fall apart: in the gaps between what everyone thinks will work and what the engineering realities reveal later.
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- A missed coordination issue.
- A system sized on outdated information.
- A structural/mechanical conflict no one spotted early.

Those blind spots don’t stay small for long. And as Ty says, the timing can change everything.

“If you catch it early, it can be tens of thousands of dollars, but if you catch it late, then it is a significant impact."

The difference between a manageable adjustment and a six-figure correction usually comes down to one thing:

How soon your engineering team is involved, and how deeply they challenge the assumptions the project starts with.

That’s why our process is built around early engagement, cross-discipline coordination, and asking the questions that surface issues before they become expensive ones.

Because in this industry, it’s not just what you know that matters—it’s what you catch early enough that determines the outcome.

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