Drawing board

Posted by R. Berg February 18, 2005In reply to Get back to the drawing board posted by Sachin on February 18, 2005

Hi

I would like to know the meaning and usage of the phrase "get back to the drawing board".

Please can someone help me on this?

Regards

Before computers, industrial designers used handmade drawings, on drawing boards, for the early stages of a new product. If a project fails (e.g., the product proves not to be useful), it's "back to the drawing board," meaning that the work invested to this point is wasted and we have to start over.