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By Adam Omansky A.M.ASCE, on January 30th, 2012
Authoring Construction Quality, Safety & Commissioning Issues Part 7
Here’s my seventh blog post on best practices in authoring construction quality, safety, and commissioning issues and items of work to complete or correct, out in the field and at the point-of-construction, as part of a field management program for construction.
Today, let’s continue to discuss good writing styles for issues and items of work to complete or correct, and for unsafe conditions, at-risk behaviors, and jobsite safety hazards. Again, let’s take a page from The Project Resource Manual, CSI Manual of Practice of “inappropriate terms” of language usage, and review nondescript articles, words, and expressions:
Avoid generic and nondescript articles, words, and expressions. Relate one issue or one item to one unit of work or one task, 1 to 1. Refer to a specific and unique instance in each issue or item description, as opposed to the whole of the project. Focus the possible extent of the issue or item description.
Refrain from using umbrella language to cover all possible instances of the issue or item across the project with one issue. This umbrella or “coverall” approach significantly impacts the team’s ability to effectively and efficiently manage, track, task, operationally report and analytically report on project and stakeholder performance.
Again, be specific, and avoid the following generic and nondescript articles with umbrella language:
- All
- And other(s)
- And so forth
- And so on
- And the like
- And the rest
- Any
- Each
- Each and every one
- Each of
- Each one
- Etc., Etcetera
- Every
- Every one, Every one of
More to come next week…
By Adam Omansky A.M.ASCE, on January 20th, 2012
Authoring Construction Quality, Safety & Commissioning Issues Part 6
Here’s my sixth blog on best practices in authoring construction quality, safety, and commissioning issues and items of work to complete or correct, out in the field and at the point-of-construction, as part of a field management program for construction.
Today, let’s continue to discuss good writing styles for issues and items of work to complete or correct, and for unsafe conditions, at-risk behaviors, and jobsite safety hazards. Again, let’s take a page from the CSI Manual of Practice of “inappropriate terms” of language usage, and review adverbs today.
Typically, adverbs serve the purpose of answering questions such as:
- How?
- In what way?
- When?
- Where?
- To what extent?
Accordingly, some adverbs are important for issues and items of work to complete or correct, and for unsafe conditions, at-risk behaviors, and jobsite safety hazards.
Adverbs help field teams to effectively communicate greater detail about the issues and items on to contractors, trade contractors, owners, architects, engineers, sub-consultants, and other project stakeholders and participants.
Adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses are a group of words not containing a subject and verb, acting as an adverb. Additionally, adverbial phrases and adverbial clauses are also important, from time to time.
However, some “fancy” adverbs, conjunctions, and pronouns, arguably archaic and overly formal, only cause confusion and muddle the meaning of the quality, safety, and commissioning issues and items.
Save your poetic Shakespeare and save your proper Middle English, as it has no place on the jobsite, and use simple and direct language.
Avoid the following adverbs:
- Hereinafter
- Hereinbefore
- Hereinbelow
- Herewith
- Wherefrom
- Wherein
- Whereinsoever
- Whereso
- Wheresoever
- Whereto
Again, use simple and direct language. For example, use “with this,” “together with this,” “enclosed,” or “attached,” instead of “herewith.” As a second example, use “in which” or “where,” instead of “wherein.” As a third example, use “to which,” instead of “whereto.”
More to come next week…
By Adam Omansky A.M.ASCE, on January 12th, 2012
Authoring Construction Quality, Safety & Commissioning Issues Part 5: Avoid Ambiguous Phrases With Missing Objects
Here’s my fifth blog post on best practices in authoring construction quality, safety and commissioning issues and items of work to complete or correct, out in the field and at the point-of-construction.
These best practices help to ensure effective communication of quality and commissioning conformances and non-conformances, and of safety conditions and at-risk behaviors, in two key ways:
- In operational reporting or transactional reporting on to contractors, trade contractors, specialty contractors, subcontractors, vendors, building product manufacturers (BPMs), and other project stakeholders and participants;
- And, for analytical reporting both on one project and across many projects.
Today, let’s continue to discuss good writing styles for issues and items of work to complete or correct, and take a page from the CSI Manual of Practice of “inappropriate terms” of language usage.
Again, avoid ambiguous phrases with missing objects. As phrases with missing objects are vague, the language has the potential risk first to deny the readers of explicit instruction, second to offer the readers overly generous latitude in interpretation, and third to undermine the intention of the author, sometimes inadvertently and unknowingly.
Team members may not know what the phrase means without referring back to a wide array of source documents, such as contracting requirements, specifications, contract drawings, and resource drawings, for example – which only burdens the process, slows the turnaround time, and creates new sources for potential conflict, as opposed to collaboration.
Phrases with missing objects lack clear, concise, correct and complete direction, and generally serve as an easy way to skirt around understanding and communicating the requirements of the specifications, both for the author and for the reader.
If the phrase starts with the preposition “as,” it’s a red flag – it’s a signal not to use the phrase as a substitute for proper language. Help your project team, be specific, and explain the what, where, when, why and how, as opposed to using generic fillers and meaningless catchalls with missing objects.
For example, avoid using the following phrases:
- As accepted
- As agreed
- As allocated
- As allowed
- As applicable
- As appropriate
- As approved
- As authorized
- As directed
- As indicated
- As necessary
- As needed
- As noted
- As permitted
- As required
- As reviewed
- As revised
- As specified
- As submitted
More to come next week…
By Adam Omansky A.M.ASCE, on January 9th, 2012
 We spotted the Griffin Technology Survivor Military-Duty case for the Apple® iPad® 2, and commented on its excellent fitness for field management programs on the construction jobsite, out in the field and at the point-of-construction. Here are some of the key reasons why:
The durable case is designed to protect your iPad 2 from the inclement environmental conditions year-round and the sometimes extreme conditions common to the construction jobsite: dirt, sand, rain, shock, vibration and a host of other environmental factors.
With a frame constructed from a shatter-resistant polycarbonate material, clad in shock-absorbing silicone, the Griffin Survivor Case for the iPad2 includes a built-in screen protector to seal your Multi-Touch display from the wear and tear of the construction jobsite environment. Hinged plugs seal the dock connector, camera lens, headphone port, hold switch and volume controls. The included stand clips on. Then, it folds open first for landscape viewing of documents, drawings and Building Information Models (BIM) in the field, and second for managing quality, safety and commissioning programs in the field. And the all-black case will hide the dirt and dust, and the grit and grime, common to the construction jobsite and the construction job trailer.
The iPad 2 rugged case has been tested and certified to meet or exceed US Department of Defense Standard 810, also known as MIL-STD-810 – for environmental design and test limits. If it meets or exceeds MIL-STD-810, it’s fit for the construction jobsite, where the work gets done and managed.
The United States Military Standard referred to as MIL-STD-810, "Department of Defense Test Method Standard for Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests" emphasizes tailoring an equipment's environmental design and test limits to the conditions that it will experience throughout its service life, and establishing chamber test methods that replicate the effects of environments on the equipment rather than imitating the environments themselves. The MIL-STD-810 test series are approved for use by all departments and agencies of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). Here’s more information on MIL-STD-810: www.dtc.army.mil/pdf/810.pdf
Additionally, the Griffin Survivor Case for the iPad 2 has also been independently tested and verified to meet or exceed environmental testing standards for blown rain, blown dust and grit, vibration, shock, temperature and humidity.
Griffin exclaims that it is the most protective case in the Griffin product line to date, and we understand why! The Griffin Survivor Case for the iPad 2 is designed and engineered for use on the construction jobsite, out in the field and at the point-of-construction.
Product Features
- Compatible with Apple iPad 2 to provide durability on the construction jobsite.
- Polycarbonate frame protects your iPad 2 from damage if dropped and resists shattering in the field.
- Silicone cladding absorbs shock and reduces vibration for stability, when managing construction field programs, performing quality, safety and commissioning checklists, documenting issues and items of work to complete and correct, marking up documents and drawings, and interacting with Field BIM.
- Integral display shield helps deflect wind and rain, when at the point-of-construction.
- Military standard tested and certified protects against sand, dust, wind, rain, vibration, drop and other elements, common to the construction jobsite.
Technical Specifications
- Independently tested and certified to meet conditions outlined in US Department of Defense MIL-STD-810.
- Integral Display shield deflects wind and rain (Test: up to 200 mm/hr for 1 hour).
- Rigid internal frame protects against shocks and drops (Test: drop on flat concrete surface from 6'/1.8 m).
- Sealed ports block blown sand and dust (Test: up to 18 m/sec for 1 hour).
- Silicone cladding blocks vibration (Test: 18 hrs at 20 to 2000 Hz).
- Includes multi-position workstand.
Apple, the Apple logo and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPod is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
By Adam Omansky A.M.ASCE, on December 22nd, 2011
Authoring Construction Quality, Safety & Commissioning Issues Part 4: Avoid construction abbreviations and acronyms!
SD for smoke detector or SD for supply duct?
This is my fourth blog post on best practices in authoring construction quality, safety and commissioning issues and items of work to complete or correct, out in the field and at the point-of-construction. These best practices help ensure effective communication first in operational or transactional reporting on to trade contractors, specialty contractors, subcontractors and other project stakeholders and participants, and second for analytical reporting across projects.
Today, let’s continue to discuss good writing styles for issues and items of work to complete or correct.
Contractors, architects and engineers love using abbreviations and acronyms. It’s been ingrained in our business practices and cultural behaviors for decades, like paper and clipboard.
“SD 90” AFF O/C DR-110.”
(Insert your own construction abbreviations and acronyms here!)
Abbreviations and acronyms - It’s our own unique dialect, construction-ese. If you understand it, you’re part of the exclusive club. However, using construction abbreviations and acronyms generally creates problems, otherwise preventable.
Avoid construction abbreviations and acronyms!
In construction, one of the key reasons that abbreviations and acronyms originated was due to physical space limitations of construction drawings and details, when making notes and callouts on sheets. However, the same physical space limitations in construction drawings don’t exist when writing construction quality, safety and commissioning issues. The same technical constraints don’t apply, but the practice of using abbreviations and acronyms persists, in many cases to the detriment of stakeholders.
Using abbreviations and acronyms, and other shorthand nomenclature where possible, typically causes preventable misunderstandings and inadvertent misuse. Again, refrain from using construction abbreviations and acronyms wherever possible.
Here are the top ten reasons to avoid using abbreviations when authoring construction quality, safety and commissioning issues:
- Project stakeholders upstream, such as managers and executives responsible for many projects across an organization, geographic region or business unit, may be unfamiliar with the meaning.
- Auto-correct and spell-check features in software applications, inadvertently and unknowingly to the user from time to time, wreak havoc on abbreviations and acronyms.
- Project participants downstream, such as trade contractors and specialty contractors, may be unfamiliar with the meaning.
- Abbreviations promote the use of improper slang and jargon, e.g. DRYWALL for plaster and gypsum board. As a best practice, always try to use proper construction industry terminology. For example, the correct terms are plaster and gypsum board not drywall, when referencing building products per MasterFormat® 09 20 00.
- Junior personnel and new personnel to the project may be unfamiliar with the meaning of the construction abbreviations and acronyms.
- One abbreviation may share very different meanings, e.g. SD for smoke detector and SD for supply duct. Case in point and many other examples exist.
- Non-native English speaking personnel may be unfamiliar with the meaning.
- Abbreviations generally vary with disciplines and trades. One abbreviation means one thing to one subcontractor and another thing to another subcontractor, and potentially a third thing to a third subcontractor. This condition creates confusion when an issue or item requires input and work from more than one trade, which is commonplace at system and assembly intersections and interfaces.
- Abbreviations need to be coordinated and aligned with other contract documents, drawings and specifications, which adds an extra degree of responsibility on the issue authors.
- Abbreviations cannot be indexed, searched and filtered effectively for analytical reporting and scoring during the project and after handover for performance review and analysis.
Happy holidays to all, and more to come…
2012 Meet Schedule
Wednesday January 4th
Reading @ Stoneham 4:30pm
*Bus Departure Time: TBA
Tuesday January 10th
Melrose @ Reading (Gym Street) 7:30pm
Friday January 13th
Reading @ Woburn 4:30pm
*Bus Departure Time: TBA
Wednesday January 18th
Winchester @ Reading (Gym Street) 7:30pm
Friday January 20th
Burlington @ Reading (Gym Street) 7:30pm
Wednesday January 25th
Arlington @ Reading (Gym Street) 7:30pm
Friday January 27th
Wakefield @ Reading (Gym Street) 7:30pm
League Meet TBA
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