This book is a tribute to many people who have worked to achieve better collaboration between design partners, owners, and contractors, and tried to manage design.

• Literati: This book would not have been possible without the seed planted by Margaret Cummins, Editorial Director at Wiley Publishing. Her nurturing of the idea shaped its form and made it better. The expertise and support of Associate Editor Kalli Schultea and Project Editor Blesy Regulas were enabling forces. Rebecca W. E. Edmunds, your coaching, passion for collaboration and keen editorial skills were a serendipity. Your suggestion to broaden the group was game changing. Bob Fisher at DesignIntelligence offered timely guidance. Longtime collaborator Thomas Powers's first read, frank advice, and IPA-fueled edits were invaluable. Talented ubermensch friends Susan Liebeskind, Jeffrey Donnell, and Marcy Louza championed valuable final edits.
• Holder Associates: To Tommy Holder, who, in 1997, was willing to take a leap of faith on my idea to join the company to create a new position, thanks for bringing me aboard, and putting up with me for twenty-plus years. To Dave Miller, who supported my right-brained creative approach and balanced it with stellar left-brained operational leadership. Thanks to Mike Kenig, who helped blaze the trail, kicking open doors and clearing obstacles so I could walk in and do my thing. His passion was exhausting. His energy and level of care were contagious. To Wayne Wadsworth, who provided counsel, guidance, and support for the crazy ideas and tools I had over the years, you were an extraordinary mentor, helping to guide me the through the hazards of the constructor's culture when I was ready to leap off the edge. You taught me there are no limits to optimism, positive attitude, and forward thinking. To Beth Lowry, who supported the contrarian creative view I brought, and supported and me and my writing. To Doug Hunter and the preconstruction leadership, thanks for learning to become design managers in your own right and spreading the word. To Jon Lewis, for his field-based, forward-focused superintendent's perspective. To Mike Burnett, David J. Miller, Christina Byrnes, Janie Mills, and other architectural brethren and members of the Holder Planning & Design Support Services department, and Jonathan Platz and the Creative Services team, thanks for helping to share these ideas and being a part of the collaboration cadre. Carry the effort forward nobly!

  To Holder Operations leadership, for helping create tools and processes to better our projects. To hundreds of Holder associates who have used these ideas to collaborate with design partners better, thanks! To more who will follow in the footsteps of these teachings and wonder: who was that crazy old fool of an architect, working within a CM firm, who left cryptic scriptures behind on the ancient art and science of collaboration? Use the force! You're fortunate to work for a great company. Make it better!

• Mentors and Mentees: To my architectural mentors, Larry Lord, Tony Aeck, Terry Sargent, and Tivadar Balogh, who got out on the limb with me, for showing me the way to leadership potential and supporting my research as a student of the game. To Al Balta, Rick Herrmann, and Woody Holman, thanks for giving me plenty of rope.

To the next generation leaders who followed in my footsteps to lead Lord, Aeck & Sargent, John Starr, Joe Greco, and Scott O'Brien, for making me look good.

To longtime Heery colleagues, architect pals who shaped ideas through years of projects and beach-walk industry analysis: Mike Holleman, Scott Dreas, Mike Miller.

Thanks to all interviewees. You gave your time, experience, and wisdom for the same reason: you saw issues and wanted to do something about them. I learned much talking with you. I hope I gave something back and that our work will endure. Thanks for sharing your ideas in our collective quest to improve our industry. Chuck Thomsen, you are an inspiration, still going at 85. Your 1989 books on Managing Brainpower were precedents. Randy Deutsch, you influence many. Beverly Willis and Jim Cramer, you are exemplars. Thank you Thom Penney and John Busby, past AIA presidents, and Bob Carnegie, Peter Styx, Marc L'Italien, Jeffrey Paine, Allison Williams, Phil Freelon, Matthew Dumich, Chad Roberson, Renee Cheng, Scott Marble, Phil Bernstein, Dan Nall, Kurt Swensson, John Rapaport, John Lord, David Scognamiglio, Jeremy Moskovitz, Jeff Giglio and Don Davidson, Arol Wolford, David Fano, Josh Kanner, Dave Gilmore, Margaret Serrato, Bruce Cousins, Agatha Kessler, Barbara White Bryson, John Moebes, Art Frazier, Simon Joaquin Clopton, and Emily Grandstaff-Rice.

No end of thanks goes to the many customers who have embraced Holder's approach to design and construction collaboration while entrusting us to build their buildings over the years. Without trusted partners like you there would be no stories or case studies to share. Design partners welcomed our involvement and shaped these practices. Thank you all for your friendship and business.

Thanks to new friends made during these interviews and architectural colleagues from great firms across the country who tolerated attempts to “enable” their design processes and bridge the architect/contractor gap – your willingness to listen and try new things made our projects better. Go forth and collaborate!

To my wife, Anita, who has put up with my idiosyncrasies for five decades of being an architect. This despite her engineer father telling her, “Oh God, honey, all those guys are fruitcakes!” To Danielle, Char, Mom, and Dad, thanks for the support only a family can give.

Finally, to practice what I preach, a heartfelt thank you to all readers who have given time and attention in joining me on this journey – one that has been far more sociological, inclusive, and rewarding than ever I imagined.