Construction Documentation

Good construction documents (CD) should be clear, comprehensive, and accurate to ensure that a construction project is completed correctly and efficiently on time and within budget. The principles of a good set of CDs are:

• Clarity: Construction documents should be written in clear and concise language and should avoid technical jargon to the greatest extent possible.

• Completeness: CDs should be comprehensive, including all necessary information about the project, such as plans, specifications, and schedules. Nothing should be left out or assumed. 

• Accurate: CDs should be accurate with all meaningful dimensions, and details carefully checked and verified.

• Organization: Although often overlooked, good organization of the CDs is important to convey information logically and intuitively. This increases the contractor’s understanding of the design intent.