I was working on completing a specification for a window replacement project in the Bahamas. Our client is the owner's representative, also in the Bahamas. I found myself in an unusual position. As I was writing, I asked questions. No sooner did I..

When owners determine a capital project is needed, it is a business purpose driving the decision. Therefore, the purpose of designing and constructing a project is to satisfy the business need - expand capacity, introduce a new product, or a host of..

What do you do when a repeat client calls you and says "I have the need, the need for speed!"? Meaning, he needs a specification in less than a week to meet its milestone commitment. Our valued client, SOSH architects, needed specifications for..

One great way to make sure project specifications and master guide specifications are technically correct is to review them with manufacturers' (or independent) representatives for the specified products.  As knowledgeable as most specifiers are about..

Saving time is great. Improving firm profitability may mean a promotion. Is it worth a try?

It is ironic that architects write Division 01 requirements for detailed construction activity schedules but when it comes to their design work, the schedules consist only of a list of dates for deliverables instead of activity planning. Construction..

Specifiers often struggle to come up with ways to make specifying simpler, to eliminate unwanted language, and to make specifications more correct.  At this year's CONSTRUCT AEC Education and Expo, Beth Stroshane posited that the way we write..

Recently, Conspectus participated in two conferences: Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) and Lean Construction Institute's Lean in Design Forum. Both groups are searching for a means to improve construction project delivery with some..

In my recent post, When Specifiers Engage in Magical Thinking, I described what happens when aspecifier believes that putting more instructions into a specification willmake for a better outcome.  Never mindwhether or not those instructions were..

One of the hallmarks of magical thinking is the notion that if you think a thing, you can make it happen, simply by thinking it.  This is often reinforced by our tendency to see connections between events and our propensity to interpret those..