The way the project managers dealt with the unexpected and the uncertain was by making sure the experts spoke to one another - on X date regarding Y process. The experts could make their individual judgments, but they had to do so as part of a team that took one another's concerns into account, discussed unplanned developments, and agreed on the way forward. While no one could anticipate all the problems, they could foresee where and when they might occur. The checklist therefore detailed who had to talk to whom, by which date, and about what aspect of construction - who had to share (or 'submit') particular kinds of information before the next steps could proceed.

In the face of the unknown - the always nagging uncertainty about whether, under complex circumstances, things will really be okay - the builders trusted in the power of communication. They didn't believe in the wisdom of the single individual, of even an experienced engineer. They believed in the wisdom of the group, the wisdom of making sure that multiple pairs of eyes were on a problem and then letting the watchers decide what to do. Man is fallible, but maybe men are less so.