Construction specifications are an important element of construction projects. They provide critical information about the project’s scope, workmanship, material schedule in construction, and much more to keep all stakeholders aligned about how the operation is supposed to be carried out.
Knowing how essential and challenging communication has become on a job site, having an organized foundation from which the whole team can reference the methods, materials, and standards to follow is a vital asset. It prevents mistakes and misunderstandings that can lead to delays, and it aids in planning to ensure that the project is completed on budget, on time, and in compliance with safety and building regulations.
Understanding this specification preparation is not easy. It requires enormous detail and communication skills to guarantee the information is conveyed understandably.
To help you succeed in the endeavor, we’ve put together this guide that outlines common difficulties of specification preparation and tips on how to tackle them with ease.
What Is Specification Preparation?
Spec preparation is the process of generating technical information for a project. Specs include construction information about materials, testing, performance, warranty, and more to ensure the project’s result meets quality and regulatory requirements.
Generally, spec preparation was done manually, consolidating documentation and information from the various teams through different methods. In the current times, the process is more accurate and much faster thanks to digital construction technologies such as BIM, which provides a 3D model of the construction design with valuable data to support different construction crew scheduling and processes, including estimating, specifications, and more.
What Is A Specification Writer?
A spec writer, sometimes called a specifier, is a professional who develops specifications of a certain project to complement the project drawings. Construction specification writers are usually independent consultants for a project or work in architectural firms.
Hiring a spec writer for your project is critical to its overall success. These professionals collaborate with the design and technical team to ensure that all pertinent requirements and information are properly consolidated into a detailed document that can be referenced throughout the project’s lifecycle.
Specifiers must be detail-oriented and have great communication and collaboration skills, which allow them to convey construction jargon in a way that is understandable to anyone who reads it. It is also vital to know that a specifier is not responsible for checking if the different processes in the project are compliant with regulations and codes; this is the responsibility of whoever is managing the operations, like the architect for the design or the project manager for the construction works.
Specifiers can recommend materials, products, or methods that they know can make an infrastructure more efficient, but the project owner and design team make the final decision. In the end, a specifier helps the decision-makers make well-informed decisions for the project’s benefit.
Common Difficulties In Specification Preparation And How To Overcome Them
Like many other construction processes, specification preparation can face challenges that make a document less efficient than it should be. Understanding these challenges and how to overcome them is a great way to ensure your process is successful from the start.
1. Wordiness and ambiguity
Wordiness and ambiguity are some of the biggest difficulties of spec preparation, as using too-wordy and unclear language can lead to misinterpretation of the details and costly mistakes in the project. There are a lot of reasons why professional specifiers decide to use lengthy and unclear writing, like wanting to avoid litigation with the general contractor or because the project owner wants to make sure that every detail is specified so they have control over the outcome.
The truth is this: the secret to construction specification success is being clear, concise, and direct to the point. It is not about instructing the contractor how to do their job with a lengthy and complex sentence; it is about showing them the expectations for the outcome. In life, most products already come with detailed installation instructions that you can include in the specifications. Focus on using simple delivery that is straightforward and not vague. In this case, less is definitely more.
2. Updating specifications
This challenge is connected to the previous point as it directly results from lengthy writing. During the construction phase, the contractor can suggest changing a specific material because they believe it is the best option within the budget or the initially selected product is unavailable. When this occurs, the contractor submits a replacement, the owner approves it, and the change is referenced in the final specifications document to avoid any problems later on. When you take too much effort and time to describe a product in detail, it will take you longer to adapt the specs in the future. Hence, keeping the specification clear and concise should be a top priority.
3. Balancing structure and flexibility
Project owners often want to keep construction specifications as detailed as possible to ensure little or no room for error. In some cases, however, that might hinder general and subcontractors from using their experience and expertise to improve the project. Hence, balancing structure and flexibility becomes a challenge on a job site.
Structured or detailed specifications help provide a clear set of guidelines about the quality, materials, and processes to adapt in the field, significantly reducing the risk of mistakes or misunderstandings. Setting expectations from day one also helps maintain a healthy relationship between the project owner and contractors.
Giving room for a little bit of flexibility allows the contractor to shine some innovation into the project, making it less time-consuming and more cost-efficient. Additionally, it allows contractors to adapt to unforeseen circumstances without waiting weeks or months for approval. However, too much flexibility in management can lead to a loss of control over the project outcome. Hence, we suggest finding the perfect balance between detail and flexibility. Ultimately, it is all about choosing the best strategy that fits the project’s needs with the team’s expertise.
4. Staying up to date with the latest technologies and regulations
As the construction world evolves, so do the technology, materials, methods, and standards. It is difficult for traditional professionals to stay updated and incorporate the latest technologies into their work, especially in complex projects requiring specific technical requirements. Fortunately, this challenge is easily solved by gearing yourself with the right tools. In construction crew management software like Pro Crew Schedule, you can constantly update your team with the latest codes and regulations, ensuring your specifications are, too. This way, the whole team is aligned with any specification changes with no stone left unturned.
5. Lack of teamwork and collaboration
Collaboration in projects has been an issue in the construction world forever. This challenge is also present when preparing specifications, as the process requires the expertise of various involved stakeholders. For instance, architects focus on the building’s functional compliances and aesthetics; engineers focus on the technical feasibility, structural integrity, etc. Gathering input from each stakeholder can become difficult due to geographical separation, misaligned schedules, or many other reasons. Even with the help of digital tools, there is the issue of maintaining various versions of the same document, making it hard to keep track of revisions and to identify which is the most updated file.
Fortunately, collaboration does not have to be a hassle anymore, as specialized construction crew scheduling software offers advanced collaboration features to ensure specs are uploaded in a digital platform accessible to anyone, regardless of device or location. These tools allow users to collaborate simultaneously on the project specs, leaving a record of any changes to ensure nothing gets lost and the updated file is fully accurate and up to date.
6. Double-checking everything
This is more of a typical mistake than a challenge, but it is worth noting as a staple best practice for success.
After you’ve done all the necessary work to assemble specifications, it can be tedious to double-check everything and ensure that there are no mistakes, duplicate content, or inconsistencies found. However, it is of high importance to do it. Your specification document should provide the technical information necessary to complete the project, even if drawings do not exist. Hence, a thorough check of everything is vital. Once you’ve double-checked everything on your own, you should send it to other project team members and ask for feedback to ensure everyone understands what is written in the final document. Remember, communication and collaboration should be at the forefront of the specification preparation process.
Key Takeaway
As you learned throughout this post, the construction specification preparation process requires thorough planning, communication, and a system to succeed. With the support of the right digital tools, specifiers are armed with advanced functionalities that make the final product more efficient and accurate in significantly less time.
If your team is ready to benefit from innovative construction crew management software, try Pro Crew Schedule for 30 days free of charge today.
