Cart Before The Horse? Transactions Dictate Financial Modeling

I'm working on a joint venture involving the acquisition of hospitals. The principals involved in identifying the first target hospital described a lease-purchase transaction. Spent a good deal of time creating financial pro formas reflecting what operating results would look like post-transaction. Then, an investor was identified and he's contemplating a totally different scenario. Guess who calls the shots? Now, we're trying to nail down just exactly what the transaction will be, so we can re-do the projections based on reality. Lots of time and resources wasted. The lesson learned? Getting busy with analysis before understanding where the project is ultimately heading is a supreme waste of time.
Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation?