What do you need to know to be a spec...

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 12:53 am:    I am starting on the 6th edition of Construction Specifications Writing: Principles and Procedures. Obviously, there will be revisions for the updates of Masterformat 2004 and the new SectionFormat / PageFormat. And much could be added about BIM ... but I'm going to resist that and focus on the basics of specifications writing, for design-bid-build projects. I'm asking for thoughts about what does someone need to know in order to properly prepare construction specifications? Think not only of the architect-specialist spec writer but also the consulting engineer and product rep. Comments/criticisms are welcome either here or in email directly to me (see my email address in the CSI member directory). Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 736 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 09:49 am:    Mr. Regener-- is that you? David J. Wyatt Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_csi_ccs_ccca Post Number: 83 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 09:53 am:    Google this: ISBN:1428318615 It is a recently-published attempt to address some of the concerns you have. As with anything it is a snapshot that begins its journey to obsolescence the day it hits the air. For example, it was published before the appearance of the new AIA documents. Your revisions to your book could address this as well as other developments. Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 737 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 10:24 am:    OK, I'll be my usually blunt self. I think early-on education remains a valid and important issue-- you MUST create interest and curiosity, if nothing else, FIRST. My attempt-- www.lulu.com/content/1089865 Christopher E. Grimm, CSI, CCS, LEED®-AP, MAI, RLA Senior Member Username: tsugaguy Post Number: 109 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 06:00 pm:    My 2¢: They need to know what they don't know -- in other words, develop a deep curiosity for why things work they way they do, or don't. A quick look through the MF04 book ought to reveal that there are an immense number of subjects out there to know more about. Couple that with the recognition that for each one of them, there is a manufacturing or trade specialty where one could spend the majority of a life's work. Now add to that the realization that in a short time we as specifiers must help select, collaboratively edit, and assemble a project-specific work of "literature" regarding an assortment of these subjects... those who aren't somehow intrigued by all this might run away as fast as they can. But those of us regulars here, and other specifiers too busy to post here, find it at least a secure living, but perhaps also one of the most interesting opportunities for lifelong learning. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 350 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 10:28 pm:    It is I, John Regener, who started this discussion thread. My username and log-in pasword somehow got lost, so I came up "anonymous." The intent of the book is to teach construction specifications at colleges and universities. Knowledge of construction technologies is minimal for these students. Plus, there is a desire to make the book relevent to many design disciplines and not just architecture. So, the content is focused on formats, language, contractual relationships and production procedures. I'm seeking the perspective of others. Leaving technical knowledge of the subject of a specification Section aside, what does the specifier need to write or edit the content. A few thoughts I have already: - The specifier needs to know the sources of information about the subject and how to access them. - The specifier needs to know the recognized formats standardized by The Construction Specificatoins Institute (CSI), including SectionFormat and PageFormat. - A specifier needs to know the four methods of specifying: Descriptive, Reference Standard, Proprietary (Open and Closed) and Performance. - A specifier needs to understand the Conditions of the Contract and how they govern all work under the Contract. - A specifier needs to understand and properly use Division 1 - General Requirements. - A specifier needs to know and properly use specifications language, including "streamlining." - Practically speaking, a specifier or the specifier's clerical support needs to know how to use a word processing program to create and edit construction specification Sections. - Practically speaking, a specifier needs an editing draft for each specification Section, usually in the form of a commercial guide specification or a manufacturer-produced specification. Often, an office master or prototype specification has been developed and is used as the basis of project-specific specifications. Please --- I know there is more than just this. What else does the specifier need? An inquisitive mind that is capable of sifting and organizing information? Tomas Mejia, CCS, CCCA, LEED Senior Member Username: tmejia Post Number: 36 Registered: 09-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:08 am:    - A Specifier needs verbal communication skills. - A Specifier needs discipline and commitment. - A Specifier needs to focus on the details without losing sight of the Project in general. - A Specifier needs to understand the role of all the parties involved. Oh, patience and the ability to hold ones tongue wouldn't be bad either. Melissa J. Aguiar, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: melissaaguiar Post Number: 60 Registered: 12-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:32 am:    A specifier needs to know a good doctor for the mental breakdowns! A specifier needs a good family who understands that you will be working long hours for a FAT paycheck. Hmmmm..well..maybe just an understanding family is what you need. Marc C Chavez Senior Member Username: mchavez Post Number: 247 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:33 am:    Oh Damn! Patience! Not one of my strengths. Tongue holding? Eeeeoooouuuu it’s slimy! I can’t do that either, as you can tell from this e-mail. Sentance fragments - those I'm good at! Ron Beard CCS Senior Member Username: rm_beard_ccs Post Number: 234 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:39 am:    Understand the full impact of the saying: "The check is in the mail." Melissa J. Aguiar, CSI, CCS, SCIP Senior Member Username: melissaaguiar Post Number: 61 Registered: 12-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:44 am:    Ron, That is so true! George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 375 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 10:59 am:    - A specifier needs muddy boots (in the words of one of my mentors) He was suggesting that specifiers need the practical experience of having seen construction in the field, and that specifiers need to "keep their boots muddy" by staying in touch with the construction administrators who witness the results of the specifications. John, my class this semester wraps up the first week of December, and I plan to spend some time during the last class discussing with my students how they reacted to your book. I'll send you an email with their comments, and probably do a short summary here. For now, I can give you one quick opinion, and that is that your book would probably work better with a two-semester specification course (if there is such an animal out there). I find it very difficult to cover what needs to be covered in one semester, whether or not your textbook is used. That is an issue that has less to do with what is covered in a text book, and more to do with how schools view the importance of specifications in the curriculum. Marc C Chavez Senior Member Username: mchavez Post Number: 248 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 11:02 am:    Seriously, I feel that the need to ask why and have a detail oriented (or trained) mind If someone asks a “why” question about building practices and your response is something like “Whatever” then you should not be doing this. Also, I was trained as a scientist, systematic detailed investigation is a big part of it. What do you need to KNOW? You need to know what you don’t know AND have the courage to ask others or go digging to find the answer. Anne Whitacre, FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: awhitacre Post Number: 671 Registered: 07-2002 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 01:09 pm:    Frankly, John, I think the whole formats "importance" is just crap. that's the presentation of the information and we all know that the actual information is what's really important. the fact that there is a "standard" way of presenting information is probably the last thing a specifier needs to know. the "deep curiosity" is the big thing. A specifier needs to be able to recognize why "this instance" is different -- or not different -- from every other instance. why is a system or product working on THIS job? and not THAT job? What is the Contractor's motivation for this price and not that price? what are the advantages of this contract and not that contract? how do things fit together and what would happen if one of them changes? why does the installer do it this way and not that way? Who can give you an accurate read on the construction market in New York or Kansas City or ... wherever your project is? A specifier has to know how to make distinctions. we all know specifiers who are so tracked into their way of doing things that they get stuck if their tracks... get blocked. you have to not be embarassed to ask what may be a "silly question". and then you may have to ask it again. You have to be able to understand that the sealant you specified in 2003 isn't the same sealant that is showing up on your project today.. and why that matters (or if it does). You have to have some basic understanding of chemistry, physics, labor law, cost estimating, biology, and human behavior. And you have to be willing to check your work and check it again after the drawings are revised. I think the formats and systems is the least important, and the easiest to learn. its the mind-set that takes time to develop. Richard Baxter, AIA, CSI Senior Member Username: rbaxter Post Number: 64 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 01:44 pm:    Here’s a few things that came to mind: Reading skills that allow you to take in whole paragraphs at a time so that you can meet the irrational deadlines thrown at you at the last minute. Divining skills that allow you to differentiate between what product reps tells you and what is most likely the truth. Visual skills that allow you to compare a spec to the master spec documents and find the information that has to be re-inserted into the spec because someone told you to take it out. A vast collection of resources (books and web-based). I always tell people that it isn’t that I know so much. It is just that I know where to find most things. An ability to see things from different levels of understanding. You have to be able to state what the contractor needs to know to bid the work, what the Owner needs specified to ensure that their best interests are served, and what the architect needs specified if they are to have any force behind their demands for quality workmanship. Humility that can allow you to remain cheerful when you hear an architect tell you, for the thousandth time, that no one reads the specs. J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 255 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 02:58 pm:    I have developed a model that divides the domains of knowledge for a specifier into 3 areas: forms and formats (includes not only CSI stuffs, but basic writing organization and grammar), legal issues (most specifically contract issues), and construction technology (code issues tend to be some blending of mostly technology with a little legal stuff thrown in). Where I find some specifiers stronger (and more interested in) certain of domains that they are in other, but mostly a lot of what you need to know to be a good specifier lies in one or more of these domains. Someone who has strengths in only one of these domains will be helpful to a specifier, but not really ready to be an independent specification writer. What people are also addressing in the postings above is what you need in order to master enough of these three domains to be a good specifier. A good 3-part (or trinitarian) diagram is always a good theological approach. Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 144 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Wednesday, November 07, 2007 - 03:33 pm:    Peter, Spoken like a good Presbyterian! Margaret John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 351 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 02:06 pm:    Another ability for specifiers: - Knowing the appropriate level of detail for (a) the specification Section (Level 3 vs Level 4) and (b) the text within the Section (broadscope, mediumscope and narrowscope). John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 352 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 02:43 pm:    Still another ability for specifiers: - Know proper terminology for construction products and processes. (Is it "sheetrock", "gypsum wallboard" or simply "gypsum board"? Is concrete "poured" or "placed"? What are "poured-in-place concrete" and "g.i. flashing"?) George A. Everding, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: geverding Post Number: 376 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 02:55 pm:    Anne- I think formats are fundamentally important to what we do in this sense: the formats are the alphabet and the rules of spelling for the language of specification writing. For all of us here, this is so fundamental that it doesn’t need much, if any, emphasis. But for the beginning student who knows nothing about specifications, I find it essential to teach the alphabet, the rules of spelling. And you are right, it doesn’t take them long to learn it, like you are right that it probably is the least important skill. Still, for the beginners, I would argue formats are the first thing to learn, so that they understand how things are organized, then let them move on to the thought process of specifying once they know the alphabet. Randy Cox Senior Member Username: randy_cox Post Number: 48 Registered: 04-2004 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 06:27 pm:    I think that everyone involved in building design needs to know 1) how to research products and processes, 2) how construction contracts work, 3) how to organize information in a logical manner, and 4) the products and processes required to create each building. In addition to the above, spec writers also need to understand 1) the unique (and evolving) formats used in spec writing, and 2) how to write. In my opinion, knowledge of specification formats are an important, but relatively minor item in the huge list of what a spec writer needs to know. Randy Nathan Woods, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: nwoods Post Number: 223 Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 06:30 pm:    Randy, you've just disqualified a huge number of talented architectural designers :-) Margaret G. Chewning FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: presbspec Post Number: 145 Registered: 01-2003 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 06:57 pm:    It's interesting that with the many qualities and skills that are listed above we seem to have forgotten one. Being able to read the drawings and build the job in your mind. Often it seems that I'm the only QC on some of the drawing details in relation to the plans and sections. Tomas Mejia, CCS, CCCA, LEED Senior Member Username: tmejia Post Number: 37 Registered: 09-2003 Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 07:02 pm:    If formats are not important, as in knowing what number to use; then why are specifiers constantly asking on this forum" Where do I put ......? David J. Wyatt Senior Member Username: david_j_wyatt_csi_ccs_ccca Post Number: 84 Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 08:49 am:    Tomas: I think Anne Whitacre means we need to cultivate a vast number of skills and knowledge before we can focus on the format. Substance before form(at). I don't mean to speak for her, but that is what I derived from reading her post. Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 739 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 10:14 am:    What a list all leading to the "perfect" specifier, no doubt-- but.........wait, playing off Mr. Jordan, how about this Can't print my matrix so, use Columns with categories of attributes like; GENERAL FORMATTING/ LANGUAGE TECHNICAL LEGAL Rows of skill levels, like: INTRODUCTORY ENTRY LEVEL INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED Make your own tic-tac-toe "thing" and then fill in the blanks with course titles, work items, information required, etc. Film at 11; quiz at 8:00 Monday morning!!! {see that is an element of discipline that is also necessary] John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 353 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 10:45 am:    Another ability specifiers need: - Know how to coordinate a specification Section internally. PART 1 "Summary" or "Section Includes" Article needs to coordinate with products specified in PART 2. Specified products in PART 2 need to coordinate with installation, application, finishing, cleaning, protection, etc. specified in PART 3. Kenneth C. Crocco Senior Member Username: kcrocco Post Number: 118 Registered: 04-2003 Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 11:24 am:    John, you have listed: - Sources of information - Recognized formats - Methods of specifying - Conditions of the Contract - Division 1 - General Requirements - Specifications language - Word processing program - An editing draft for each specification These are all essential to current state of the art specification writing from a production point of view. But these are all things that change. You may want to consider what we do from the skills associated with how we as specifiers think about things. Consider this article: http://www.insightassessment.com/articles.html Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 740 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 09:12 am:    THE BOOK OF WHAT AND HOW by Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI Cincinnati, OH Hold on a minute! In our zeal and passion [and the most apparent need] we really need to step back from the precipice and look at fundamental issues,-- not at what we are or want others to be-- immediately. For that can’t and shouldn’t happen Where were you when you first learned of specifications for construction projects? How were you taught, trained or instructed? Who taught you? Well, maybe it is better to be perfectly clear from the get-go-- education is not cloning! Education is informing, and allowing others [those being trained] to learn principles, adapt them to their situations, and apply the fundamental principles to their work. Think about that. True many of us “learned” through memorization, and still rival “Jeopardy” contestants for remote answers. Quick recall is wonderful, but it is one thing; lasting education is another. Education and training is a true progression of information, starting with basics [think bare boned skeleton] to which there is a progressive addition of more detailed information, leading to a whole entity [think human body with flesh, muscles, etc. It is unrealistic to think that starting a “student specifier” at some elevated level, with little or no foundation instruction. Even a highly educated person will struggle with that because they have no understanding of the need and purpose of specifications-- no frame of reference or goal for their new work. Context-- the rightful place of construction specifications-- is a crucial but absolute necessity as the first increment of educating or training specifiers. We see this in the number of specifiers who are not trained as architect and engineers, and yet are highly successful and part of the very best. They obviously have been party to correct educational efforts, and the process of training with understanding. Seems just a little off-beat to list attributes that one “must have or know” in order to be a specifier. The goal we are seeking is that of a person who understands what needs to be done, why, and with some insight into how to achieve the required end. It’s a “duh!” that education and training starts at the proverbial “square one”. It is a process of “baby steps”; it is crawling as a prelude to walking. We must be careful not to let our zeal and passion overcome or out-strip the process of being good educators. We need to switch gears and take on the new student perspective-- where are they, knowledge wise in regard to specifications? How do we best “bring them along”, adding pieces upon piece to create the whole specifier? How do get them to that point where they both function as a specifier AND continue their education on their own? We are, I suggest at the point of “teaching a person to fish, and they will be satisfied for life” [in lieu of giving them fish enough for just today]. Come on, its the same process as building a building-- good idea to start with a foundation ! Even MF04 shows us the progression-- concrete [foundation] in Division 03; then upper wall in masonry Division 04, or structural framing in Division 05 or wood in 06. And Openings in 08 logically come after the walls! Get my drift? Wow! Ain’t that neat? Hey-- how about this? Use the MF04 principle and set up 50 Increments [i.e. Divisions] for the education and training process for specificers? Well, GO ON!!!!! I’m not gonna do all the work J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 259 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 10:18 am:    This thread started with the topic of "what a specifier needs to know?" and has morphed into the topic "how does a specifier get to know what he/she needs to know?" While related, these are different questions. Once we can identify where we need to go, we can see where we are, and develop a road map to get to the destination. Not everyone starts at the same place, and not everyone has the same context for practice or access to the same tools. While formal education may be critical for some, others will need solid, reflective practical experience. Most of us will need some combination of both as we develop professionally. Christopher E. Grimm, CSI, CCS, LEED®-AP, MAI, RLA Senior Member Username: tsugaguy Post Number: 110 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 09:50 pm:    A specifier needs to know how to help make sure buildings don't leak; how to identify / interview to find out owner's project requirements either directly or in many cases through the project architect; how to use subscription and office masters, other forms of corporate knowledge, and use/develop checklists to help ensure the bases are covered; how to compile a manual in collaboration with a team of consultants to document all this; how to facilitate apples to apples bidding, also throw in negotiated, design/build, owner/build, CM and other types of teams; how to keep an eye out for possible misunderstandings that lead to construction claims; how to give consideration to initial as well as life cycle costs and encourage other team members to do the same, and to collaborate on strategies especially as we become more conscious of sustainability; don't leave out aesthetics, and for most offices, move that closer to the top of the list; how to use fasteners that don't corrode in a variety of circumstances that are unique to each project, location, and combination of materials; while meeting or exceeding codes, also throw in state and local authorities and architectural review boards; and how to avoid long, run-on sentences. Generally need to be thorough, be a good listener, and be able to ask provoking questions. Now multiply that by 10 or more projects at once, with overlapping schedules. To put it more positively, there is absolutely no better way to have a piece of the action with a large number of projects and learn a tremendous amount in the process.