One of the hardest skills to learn is “seeing the future”.

Well, yes, it’s true that no one can actually  see the future, but we can make educated guesses.

Perhaps one of the most valuable skills an architect can bring is the ability to make an educated guess; after all, architecture is a practice. Like many other “practices” (medical, legal, accounting, etc.), architects are building their understanding of the practical application  of their work throughout their career.

I was fortunate to spend a few years early on in my career learning from an architect who was a bit of an expert at making these educated guesses. An experienced, technically-strong practitioner who was always thinking a few steps ahead of every design decision.

It was incredible how well-developed, innovative, and achievable his ideas were. He would use materials in new ways, make big moves in design that made the product inherently interesting, or make a slight adjustment to something common to make it special.

He shared the desire to create something memorable, while maintaining a realist approach that got the job finished.

I call it “thinking in consequences” because most any good design decision should be followed with one or more steps of the question, “And then?”

Regardless of the type of project, we should consider if our choice will deliver value greater than its cost. That is, whether deciding to add a curved wall to the front entry will really  add more value than keeping the design orthogonal. If the answer is no, it’s likely the wrong choice.

Because, we can design whatever we dream of, but without grounding our process in achievability and realism: we risk falling short of expectations.

What I think stuck with me most about my colleague’s approach was his commitment to keeping the “realistic” consideration front of mind throughout the process. He filled a critical role in a responsible project team: the one that keeps the process in line with expectations.

After all, every client’s expectation is a quality, usable final product.

Without expectations guardians, one of two things happens:

1. We Lose Sight of Expectations

We drift further and further from reality until finally we realize how far we’ve gone. The consequence is a dance party, stamping out figurative fires left and right until the work is completed.

2. We Force the Role on the Client

Worse yet, when we  don’t fill the role of expectations guardian, our clients might have to step in. There’s a difference between bringing out-of-the-box ideas and bringing fantasies to our partners. We have a service to provide, and it includes helping figure out how ideas can be completed.

So, no, it’s not about seeing the future. It’s about learning from our past experience and translating it into valuable advice for this one. That’s how we deliver our value; that’s where we start to deliver beyond  expectations.

When we can answer our own question of, “And then?” we avoid so many encounters with the question, “Now what?”

Original Post Date: June 18th, 2026