Case Histories are among the most popular resources in the GBA library, offering real-world lessons in risk management, technical practice, and professional responsibility. Here are the top 10 most-downloaded case histories of 2025—each one a must-read for geoprofessional consultants seeking to learn from the experiences of their peers. 1. Case History #1: Beware! A Friend's Small Project Can Be Hazardous to Your Firm's Health A cautionary tale about the risks of preliminary geotechnical studies and the importance of clearly communicating limitations—especially when reports may be relied upon by third parties. This case highlights the need for clear labeling, effective communication, and prudent claims management. 2. Case History #110: Suspiciously Variable Test Results? Take a ...

GBA has a tradition of collaborating on issues that impact the geoprofessions. One of the ways we work together is by providing lessons learned through GBA Case Histories. GBA Case Histories provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management. By reading the most downloaded Case Histories of 2024 (and sharing them with fellow GBA member firm employees!) you can see where others went wrong and avoid making the same mistakes. We’ll begin with number 10 and count down to the number one most downloaded of this popular risk management series of publications. #10: If The Bus Driver Doesn’t Have a License, Get Off the Bus – Case History No. 5 A firm performed a limited geotechnical study for a church project, but budget constraints and sub...

GBA has a tradition of collaborating on issues that impact the geoprofessions. One of the ways we work together is by providing lessons learned through GBA Case Histories. GBA Case Histories provide unprecedented real-world learning examples related to project and business management. Here is your chance to share with others what went wrong, how you handled the problems, and how others can learn from your experiences so everyone can avoid the same problems in the future. Here is how to get started:                                                                  Step 1. Share your idea for a Case History using one of the appropriate GBA template(s): • Case History Project Management • Case History Practice Management Step 2. Send your i...

GBA Publications Committee   Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes  of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. GBA CASE HISTORY # 96 (download): A Member Firm made the mistake of agreeing to work for both the owner (a school board) and its retained architect. Complicating matters, the architect refused to sign the Member Firm’s contract and the Member Firm refused to sign the architect’s. Ultimately, $1.7M changed hands. GBA CASE HISTORY # 97 (download): A con...

GBA Publications Committee    Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA Case Histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. GBA CASE HISTORY 91 (download): An assisted-living facility owner accepted the general contractor’s ill-advised “value-engineering” suggestions that led to a serious and costly mold infestation. The owner retained an environmental consultant to identify whom the owner could sue. Not the architect: He had disavowed further involvement after the owner authorized the value-engineering recommendations. Not t...

GBA Publications Committee                                                           Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. GBA CASE HISTORY 86 (download): A “dream home” built on expansive soil and nonexpansive sandstone began to move about eight months after construction. The original geotechnical-engineering report warned of that risk, noted that a slope-stability analysis had intentionally been...

GBA Publications Committee Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. CASE HISTORY NO.81: Download Here Not knowing your client’s preferences and expectations can be expensive, as one member learned on a nuclear power plant project. The client orally authorized the Member Firm to begin construction materials engineering and testing (CoMET) services and dictated the format for test reporting. The project manager complied, but learned the ...

GBA Publications Committee . Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. GBA CASE HISTORY 76 (download): “No good deed goes unpunished” was the lesson learned by this Member Firm, whose project manager did a favor for a friend. When the friend failed to follow the project manager’s recommendations, the friend forgot that the project manager had ever made them and filed suit. GBA CASE HISTORY 77 (download): What happens when a d...

GBA Publications Committee Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. Case History #71 (download) A geotechnical engineer submitted its flawless subsurface exploration report which referenced an ASTM standard on soil classification. When a cost overrun occurred on the project, because a buried foundation was discovered, the assistant state’s attorney general handling the case read the report. He interpreted ASTM “references” in the...

GBA Publications Committee Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss preventiondiscussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. CASE HISTORY NO. 66 (download) By attaching the word “standard” to a recommended practice it had developed, a local contractors group gave the document a status it did not merit: it was not developed using ANSI methods; it was not generally followed; and it was not incorporated into any local codes. Nonetheless, its existence gave an attorney the ability to confuse...

Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories  are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. Five more Case Histories have been re-issued. CASE HISTORY NO. 61 (download) The owner of a gasoline station retained an environmental consultant to perform a Phase II ESA at the request of prospective purchasers, acting through an intermediary. When problems were discovered later, the consultant wound up as a target in a maze of litigation. CASE HISTORY NO. 62 (download) The GBA member was retained by a general contractor for a...

GBA Publications Committee Learn from others. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the past! GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring. That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. We are more than halfway done as five more case histories have been re-issued. CASE HISTORY NO. 56 (download) After a field representative failed to note that organic material had been buried instead of taken off site, the Member Firm that employed him submitted a form noting that grading had proceeded according to plans. The grading subcontractor relied on an outdated site map, which resulted in unsuitable organic fill beneath 100 of 250 housing lots. ...

Effort to refresh Case Histories launched Present day context for historical best lessons learned

First Case Histories published Over 100 geoprofessional accounts of lessons learned

GBA Releases Five More Case Histories:  51-55 GBA Publications Committee Learn from others.  Don’t repeat  the mistakes of the past!  GBA Case Histories are being used by our members for loss prevention discussions in support of professional development and mentoring.That is why GBA case histories are so valuable, and why GBA is updating them all, while adding new ones, too. We are halfway there as five more case histories have been re-issued. CASE HISTORY NO. 51 (download) A complicated 70-acre riverside project with “Bay mud”, became more challenging when the excavation contractor and project civil engineer ignored the advice of the Member Firm and the client sued the Member Firm for negligence that caused $2.5 million in da...