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Advertising supplement provided by The Council of American Structural Engineers, in conjunction with The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.

Continuing Education Use the following learning objectives to focus your study while reading this month’s ARCHITECTURAL RECORD / AIA Continuing Education article. Learning Objective: After reading this article, you will be able to: 1. Recognize the value of the coordination of construction documents. 2. Identify the process required to generate coordinated and complete construction documents. 3. Understand the role of the architect in the provision of coordinated and complete construction documents. 4. Be motivated to encourage the use of the CASE 962D Guideline in projects.

What one thing could you do on your next project that would have the greatest impact on project quality and cost?

Improve the quality of construction drawings! But how?

Proper coordination of information between design and construction professionals resulting in coordinated drawings that are complete for construction has the greatest impact on project quality and cost. Article after article and study after study verify that today’s typical construction project finds itself in a morass of requests for information, change orders and extras. Contractors are often unable to accurately bid projects as a result of poor quality construction documents. Project schedules slip, budgets are exceeded and the members of the design and construction teams become increasingly frustrated with each other. Contractors bemoan the decreasing quality of construction documents. Design professionals feel the pressure of balancing increasing demands with lower fees. Everyone knows the value of coordinated construction documents, yet the problem remains. How can this critical problem be solved?

The solution is not to make complete documents the responsibility of a single party. The solution is for each design professional to communicate their information requirements to design team members, to understand the needs of the design team, to seek the advice of construction professionals and to strive to provide a complete coordinated set of documents.

The solution is not to increase the cost of project construction through delays and extras. The solution is to educate clients to understand that their investment in the proper design fees will add value to the project and be recouped during the construction process.

The solution is not to point fingers. The solution is to improve the process. The solution is the development of a Quality Management Plan, specific to each firm and modified to suit each project.