An end user approach to teaching specifications

This paper presents a method for teaching specifications and estimating that emphasizes linkage of drawing content to accompanying specification information to determine project details for estimating and bidding, which are complete and which incorporate an intent or strategy for their execution. In this approach, the CSI MasterFormat is taught using an organizational approach (one that focuses on how the format is organized and how to find information within its structure) instead of a specification development approach (i.e., those approaches that teach the organizational structure of the CSI MasterFormat by having students develop specification content, then organize and write a specification(s) using the CSI MasterFormat structure). A set of non-CSI MasterFormat based specifications is used for this. Students are required to reorganize the content into specifications using the CSI MasterFormat. Thus, they must read and understand the content, and develop understanding of how CSI MasterFormat specifications are organized; two important learning objectives in Specifications courses. Linkage of specifications and drawing content and proficiency in developing descriptive job details which are complete and include execution strategy are taught and developed using a project that requires students to utilize the content of the specifications they converted into the CSI MasterFormat.