Welcome to The 51 st Annual CSI Show ™ and Convention

1. Welcome to The 51st Annual CSI Show™ and Convention Specifications and Corporate Memory Robert Paul Dean, AIA, CSI, CCS Building Systems Design, Inc. Booth #221 Baltimore, MD June 20-22, 2007

2. The Construction Specifications Institute is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members available on request. This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

3. This program is a registered educational program with the Construction Specifications Institute of Alexandria, VA. The content within this program is not created or endorsed by CSI nor should the content be construed as an approval of any product, building method, or service. Information on the specific content can be addressed at the conclusion of this program, by the Registered Provider. • Credit earned for completing this program will automatically be submitted to the CSI CEN. Completion certificates can be obtained by contacting the Provider directly. • This logo and statement identify Provider programs registered with the CSI CEN and are limited to the educational program content.

4. Learning Objectives • Basic principles of preserving corporate memory through creation & maintenance of an office master specification • Techniques for incorporating project experiences in an office master • Techniques for updating your office master without losing corporate memory • Resources available

5. Office Master Specifications • What is an office master? • Essentially, it is any set of specification sections that is intended for re-use on multiple projects • In larger firms, an office master is typically used by a number of people and is used to establish/enforce office quality standards • An office master may be intended for use without modification, but more typically is the starting point for individual projects • An office master can serve as a repository for corporate memory and therefore should change over time with project experience

6. Office Master Specifications • Why is an office master a reasonable way to preserve corporate memory? • Specs are text documents • Master text can be modified to reflect lessons learned • Notes can be added to record specifics of project experience – pro and con. • Separate documents, including drawings and photos, can be easily appended and retrieved with hyperlinks

7. Office Master Specifications To be really useful, an office master must be carefully maintained • Single point responsibility is critical • There must be reasonable allowance for indirect time • Feedback from project architects is important and should be encouraged

8. Office Master Specifications • What are the major problems associated with an office master? • balancing need for standardization with need for keeping valid options • figuring out how to present lessons learned in a way that’s beneficial • maximizing usefulness while minimizing effort spent in maintenance • keeping it updated

9. Office Master Specifications • What’s wrong with simply reusing the last project spec? • It really depends… • word processing or relational database? • similarity of projects • time elapsed • Editing by deletion is riskier than editing by selection • It’s important to actually read each section – regardless

10. Office Master Specifications • Some common problems with reuse of specs produced by word processing • errors tend to accumulate • updating can be spotty or nonexistent • options and alternatives relevant to new projects tend to be overlooked because they have been deleted for earlier projects • specific references to older project data are frequently not deleted

11. Office Master Specifications • So… what’s the right way to go about creating & maintaining a set of office master specifications? • select the basic approach – word processing or relational database • assign overall responsibility to one person • subscribe to a commercial guide spec system as a starting point • merge whatever you have that’s unique or otherwise valuable with the commercial master into one system

12. Office Master Specifications • Organization of an Office Master Depends on Type of System: • Word processing system: • typically one file for each spec section • occasionally multiple files for specific sections • rarely multiple sets for different bldg. types • Relational database system: • typically one file for entire project • occasionally one file for each project type • occasionally single section masters

13. Office Master Specifications • Commercial Guide Specifications: • MASTERSPEC®, owned by AIA and managed by ARCOM • BSD SpecLink®, owned and managed by Building Systems Design, Inc. • SPECTEXT®, owned and managed by the Construction Sciences Research Foundation • Unified Facilities Guide Specification (UFGS) and SpecsIntact, administered by USACE, NAVFAC, and NASA

14. Office Master Specifications • Commercial Guide Specifications: • MASTERSPEC® word processing system with relational database add-ons • BSD SpecLink® pure relational database system by Building Systems Design, Inc. • SPECTEXT® word processing system with macro add-ons • Unified Facilities Guide Specification (UFGS) and SpecsIntact word processing system with customized macro add-ons

15. Office Master Specifications • Commercial Guide Specifications: • MASTERSPEC® word processing system with relational database add-ons • BSD SpecLink® pure relational databasesystem by Building Systems Design, Inc. • SPECTEXT® word processing system with macro add-ons • Unified Facilities Guide Specification (UFGS) and SpecsIntact word processing system with customized macro add-ons

16. e-SPECS Designer by Interspec

17. Incorporating Project Experience in Office Master Specifications • All Systems: • Modifying commercial master to: • eliminate options that should never be used • add valid alternatives • indicate mutually exclusive options • Adding notes to: • explain when alternatives should be used • provide background and history • incorporate specific project experience • Adding “intelligence” to expedite choices

18. Incorporating Project Experience in Office Master Specifications • Customizing a Commercial Master: • Word processing systems: • eliminate undesirable options by deleting text • add valid alternatives by inserting: • Choices within a paragraph • Alternative paragraphs • indicate mutually exclusive options (use color or insert notes) • Relational database system: • eliminate undesirable options by excluding text or adding note • add valid alternatives by inserting choices or adding paragraphs • automate related new text by adding intelligent links • indicate mutually exclusive options by adding intelligent links

19. Incorporating Project Experience in Office Master Specifications • Customizing a Commercial Master: • Word processing systems: • add notes by using: • hidden text • notes feature • graphic device to differentiate notes from text (asterisks, text box, change in font, etc.) • Relational database system: • add notes by using project notes feature • hyperlinks to separate documents

20. Incorporating Project Experience in Office Master Specifications • Customizing a Commercial Master: • Word processing systems: • add “intelligence” by: • inserting instructional notes • using color coding to visually connect related text • Relational database system: • add “intelligence” by: • linking text to turn on or highlight related text or exclude incompatible options • using project notes to provide detailed instructions

21. Office Master Specifications Tactics for Establishing an Office Master: • After obtaining a subscription to a commercial master guide specification system… • Make a conscientious effort to incorporate the commercial updates into your office master on an ongoing basis • Make changes to your office master learned from actual project experience • Treat the office master as a valuable resource for the entire firm

22. Office Master Specifications Tactics for Establishing an Office Master: • Use the specs developed for a specific project as the starting point, and make modifications on an ongoing, as-needed basis • Advantage: Easiest way to get started • Disadvantage: Modifications evolve slowly • Create a specific set of project specs (or multiple sets) that are intended from the outset to be the office master(s) • Advantage: Most likely to produce consistent specs • Disadvantage: Requires initial overhead investment

23. Establishing an Office Master in Word Processing • Augment commercial master by: • creating a master template for format, appearance of final sections • applying format to master sections • modifying sections as needed to meet office needs, standards • add unique sections to match format of modified commercial master sections

24. Establishing an Office Master in Word Processing • Add valid alternatives: • insert options within a paragraph by using brackets • provide mutually exclusive alternative paragraphs • if new products are added, verify that Part 1 and Part 3 text is still appropriate • if necessary, add corresponding text in other parts of the section • Consider marking inappropriate alternatives, rather than deleting them, using: • notes • text boxes • color

25. Establishing an Office Master in Word Processing • Add notes that: • Explain alternatives • Provide history of use • Instruct on how to edit the document • Distinguish the notes from master text by: • using hidden text • separating notes from text by characters • using color

26. Set off notes by using distinctive characters

27. Set off notes by using distinctive color

28. Set options to display hidden text

29. Establishing an Office Master in a Relational Database System • Basic Concepts: • Only one file per project • Edit by selection, not deletion • Links multiply productivity & improve coordination • Overlay structure avoids interference between data in commercial master and data in separate office master file • Updating never affects office master data

30. Relational Database Concepts

31. Establishing an Office Master in a Relational Database System • Add valid alternatives: • insert options within a paragraph by using choice fields • provide mutually exclusive alternative paragraphs with interactive links • if new products are added, verify that Part 1 and Part 3 text is still appropriate • if necessary, add corresponding text in other parts of the section and build links for selection • Exclude inappropriate alternatives, rather than deleting them, and then add: • explanatory notes • excluding links

34. Establishing an Office Master in a Relational Database System • Add project notes that: • Explain alternatives • Provide history of use • Instruct on how to edit the document • Distinguishing the notes from master text is unnecessary

36. Office Master Specifications • Making use of updates from commercial master: • Word processing systems: • compare each updated section with edited version in office master specification • select and import changes needed for office master • modify notes as necessary to reflect changes • Relational database system: • install update • open office master • answer yes or no to update query • yes: updates without affecting custom edits • no: makes no changes, allows for subsequent review Tactics for Maintaining an Office Master:

37. Relational Database Updating Yes: The project is updated automatically (but user edits and additions are not affected) No: Project is not updated, but sections and paragraphs that would be changed are marked for later consideration

38. Other Options for Office Masters • Adding an intelligent checklist: • Insert options in logical, decision-making order • Tag checklist paragraphs for non-printing status and selectability • Add links to achieve automatic editing • Test for desired results

43. Other Options for Office Masters • Adding hyperlinks to related Word documents • Importing whole sections from word processing • Assure that source document is formatted cleanly and consistently, then convert to .rtf • Add any codes desired for automated choice creation, notes insertion; then import • Add tags for administrative reports • Add links as required for automated reference standards, cross references, TOC, etc.

44. Learning Objectives • Basic principles of preserving corporate memory through creation & maintenance of an office master specification • Techniques for incorporating project experiences in an office master • Techniques for updating your office master without losing corporate memory • Resources available

45. Building Systems Design, Inc. 888-BSD-SOFT (888-273-7638) www.bsdsoftlink.com For more information, please contact. . . Or visit us in Booth 221 at the CSI Show This concludes the educational portion of this presentation