CSI: January 2012 Archives

No would be architect enters college hoping to someday be a spec writer.  No intern studies to take their architectural registration exam yearning of the day they will be able to write specifications on their own. No newly registered architect longs for a client who will let he or she write the set of specs they have dreamed of doing.

Architects are designers not writers.  Doing sketches on napkins comes naturally.  However, getting an architect to write specs is like trying to get a cat to take a bath and like it.  It is just not in their nature.

Despite this innate aversion to writing specifications, there are a few architects who have overcome their revulsion and will reluctantly write specs.  There are even a small number who have mastered spec writing and LIKE it!  (It is definitely an acquired taste.)

So, if there are already some architects who write specs and even some who enjoy it, why should other architects consider getting involved with the Construction Specifications Institute's (CSI) Certification Program?

For one thing, CSI's Certification program is not just about specification writing.  It is about the entire Contract Document and Construction process.

Even so, why bother with all that technical legal and procedural stuff when there are others who can deal with it?

There are lots of noble and altruistic reasons for getting a CDT (Construction Document Technologist) followed by a CCS (Certified Construction Specifier) or a CCCA (Certified Construction Contract Administrator) Certificate - to further your professional education, to learn to conduct your business in a more professional manner, and to provide a better service to your clients are some examples -, but what about the purely selfish motives?

How does obtaining POWER and CONTROL sound as good, egocentric rationales?

Whether you draft, write specs, administer contracts, manage an office or Design (with a capital D); the knowledge gained by studying for the CDT, CCS, or CCCA gives you more CONTROL over the quality of your project's construction and the POWER to ensure your Design is fully realized.

It will also give you more POWER and CONTROL over your career.  A CDT, CCS, or CCCA after your name provides a definite advantage in a tight market place whether it is landing a project or finding a new employer.  These initials will get you noticed.  No one ever asks me about the AIA behind my name; occasionally, I am asked about the CSI and LEED; but I am always asked about the CCS.  (SCIP gets some questions too, but that I will save for another blog entry.)

Oh, and if you think you already have all the POWER and CONTROL you need because you have been in the architectural profession for 20 years or more and already know it all, guess again.  Doing it wrong for 20 years or more doesn't make it right.  Furthermore, times change.  You will be amazed at the misconceptions you have been working under.  Your experience may actually be a handicap.  Younger certification candidates have a much higher passing percentage than older candidates with lots of experience.

If you are interested in gaining more POWER and CONTROL over your projects and career and would like to learn more about the CSI Certification program, contact your local CSI Chapter's Education or Certification Chair or go to the CSI Certification web page.

Information about your local CSI Chapter and committee chairs can be found at http://www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Communities-2109-14280/Chapter-Locator.aspx

CSI Certification web page:  http://www.csinet.org/certification

Randal J. Reifsnider, AIA, CSI, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP

What was my first project after graduating college with an architectural degree? A prominent design? No, measuring and documenting 65 existing buildings at Letterkenny Army Depot; calculating energy savings; estimating construction costs; and finally writing the project specifications using the Corps of Engineers master specs.

Did school prepare me for this assignment? YES and NO. I could certainly measure and document the existing buildings. Thanks to 4 years of MEP engineering in school, I could do the calculations. Estimating was a joint effort with the project manager, so I got by.

The Specs, Oh the Specs!
I heard specs mentioned once in school. It was in one class of the professional practice course - the 30 hour course to teach students everything they need to know about running an architecture business, including writing specs. Still I had never seen a spec and had no clue what it was.

Career Lessons
Joe Shatto, the project manager, guided me while I wrote my first spec. Joe was a great help. He was a long term CSI member and the president of the Central Penn Chapter of CSI at the time. He taught me what would become the content of CSI's Certified Document Technologist (CDT) program. Invaluable lessons early in my career.

Today, it is easier for many to learn the CDT concepts. There is no need for one-on-one teaching as for me. CSI has a well established program. CSI chapters help students prepare for the exam with local classes. Even on-line help is available.

Important Dates
Early Registration (discounted) February 2, 2012
Final Registration March 2, 2012
Test Dates April 2 to April 28, 2012

Registration
www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Events_1/CSI-Exam--2012-Spring-National-Exam-4212--42812.aspx

Basic Information
CDT - Certified Document Technologist www.csinet.org/cdt
CCS - Certified Construction Specifier www.csinet.org/ccs
CCCA - Certified Construction Contract Administrator www.csinet.org/ccca
CCPR - Certified Construction Product Representative www.csinet.org/ccpr

Choose Your Battles; Win the War
I must admit that I completed my CCS certification before CDT was conceived. But I must tell you that the certification gave me credibility as an architect specifier in an engineering company. When I challenged the engineers' specifications, there was a sense of authority. I could cite the CSI Manual of Practice. The engineers could not. I could provide reasons for writing as I did. The engineers could not. Did I win every battle? Certainly not. But the war was mine with a studious determination to make the specifications better.

The Challenge
Now I pass the challenge to you, as I have to my staff, to earn your certification and to bring the same credibility and respect to your work in construction. Begin with the CDT, the basis for all other certifications.