Capital projects require thousands of decisions before the owner takes occupancy and begins meaningful operations. Every decision affects compliance with the owner's objectives - program, performance, and cost. How can project teams record and manage..
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!
by David Stutzman | Mar 22, 2022 | UniFormat, design decisions, conspectus cloud, System Product Descriptions, Decision Management, construction project management software
PPD is customizable, eh? Updating Canadian Masters
by Tina Montone | Apr 12, 2021 | PPDFormat, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), standards, UniFormat
In early 2017 David Stutzman met Jason Urquhart of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada at Construction Specifications Canada national conference in Kalowna, BC, and a new friendship was established with our neighbor to the north. Jason is a..
The Specifier and The Big Bad Wolf
by David Stutzman | Dec 8, 2020 | UniFormat, System Product Descriptions, SPD
In the children's story of "The Big Bad Wolf", he huffs and puffs and blows each house down, except for the brick house. The other houses were built of other materials which were destroyed. However, what if the little pigs worked with a specifier before..
Simplifying Specifications
by Elias Saltz | Oct 21, 2019 | CSI, Drawings, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Architecture, Specifications, UniFormat
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..
Want to Improve Project Delivery? Communicate!
by David Stutzman | Jun 3, 2019 | COAA, Communication, Conspectus approach, LCI, Professional Practice, Specifications, transparency, UniFormat
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..
UniFormat is a Design Decision Tool
by David Stutzman | Dec 4, 2018 | MasterFormat, PPDFormat, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Specifications, UniFormat
When starting a new design project, what is actually known? Very little. The relevant design decisions must be made as the project progresses. So how can projects be effectively documented before all decisions are made? UniFormat™!
Eliminate Asymmetric Project Information
by Elias Saltz | Sep 17, 2018 | contract documents, PPD, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Specifications, UniFormat
Successful construction projects rely on complete, accurate, timely, and understandable communication; maximizing all of these reduces the likelihood for disputes to arise. Unfortunately, many project teams fall short of proper communication, and that's..
Evolving Specifications 2018
by David Stutzman | Jun 18, 2018 | MasterFormat, outline spec, PPD, PPDFormat, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Specifications, UniFormat
First published at Young Architects Forum Connection 16.01.
Evolving Specifications Construct 2014 presentation
by David Stutzman | Mar 30, 2015 | B2010, BIM, contract documents, Contractor, Design Considerations, Division 08, Estimate, PPD, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Quality Assurance, Specifications, subcontractor, UniFormat
Specifiers may be one of the best kept secrets on the design team. Specifiers, especially independent specifiers, typically interact with the architectural team, only. Even then, the interaction may be limited to project architects and project managers...
Connection: BIM, Spec, Estimate
by David Stutzman | Dec 1, 2014 | BIM, CSI, Estimate, Links, PPD, PPDFormat, Preliminary Project Descriptions (PPD), Professional Practice, Specifications, UniFormat
Have you made the connection yourself? Connecting data to make it available and useable for each team will improve efficiency and reduce risk for every construction project. The focus has been on inserting data into BIM to describe the objects the design..