Why does nobody talk about the time a client's blueprint got ruined by a coffee spill?

I was at a client meeting in their downtown office, presenting the final draft for a big warehouse layout. The project lead had the only printed copy of the 24x36 sheet spread out on the conference table. Someone bumped their mug and a full cup of black coffee went right over the main elevation view. The ink ran, the paper warped, and we all just stared at it for a solid minute. I had the digital file, sure, but that physical copy was the one with all the handwritten markups and sign-offs from three different departments. It set us back almost a week while we tracked everyone down again. Now I never bring just one print to a review, and I keep a clear plastic sleeve in my tube for the 'master copy'. Has anyone else had a simple accident derail a project timeline like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookes3712d ago

My old boss once spilled his entire thermos of tea on a set of permit drawings the day they were due to the city. The stain made the fire marshal's wet stamp look like it was crying. We had to explain it was Earl Grey, not a plumbing leak.

lucas_jenkins11d ago

That plastic sleeve is a smart move. Honestly though, the real problem was having just one master copy with all the sign-offs. That's a single point of failure before the coffee even shows up.