DOCUMENTATION - "THE PLUMBER'S HELPER"

Have you ever received a phone call from a contractor concerning a plumbing item that had been omitted from within the contract documents? And you could swear that the item in question had been identified on the drawings or in the specifications? However, upon investigation you discover that no information regarding the item can be found!

Omissions such as these can be avoided with the use of proper documentation during the design phase of a project. You may design a system, specify a piece of equipment or solve an installation problem in your mind, but during the heat of the battle of producing a set of documents, you may forget to actually transfer these thoughts into the specifications or drawings.

By utilizing a combination of files, lists and memos, a designer can create a history and visual record which may be continually referred to during and after the production phase of the design, and also produce a thought continuity that can be followed by others who may need to become familiar with the systems involved.
The following "help-documents" are just a sample of the types of design tools that can increase the quality of your work and even reduce some of the tension you might acquire because of the mass of information that you have to deal with.

PROJECT BINDER
As soon as you receive the first memo or attend the first meeting concerning a project, a Project Plumbing Design File should be created. I have found that ring binders will endure more abuse and are easier to access than file folders. Insert notebook dividers, and label sections that will enable you to organize the various aspects of your work. For example, sections could include: General information (Codes, Project scope, Time schedules, Owner's design criteria, Authority contacts, Project design team members. etc.), Memos Received, Memos Generated, Calculations, Equipment, Quality Control Check list, Site Investigation, Bidding Phase Correspondence, Submittals. Keep a three hole punch handy and insert every document related to the project immediately.

A project binder will not only help you avoid searching through piles of paper for needed information, it will also allow all those outdated vendor catalogs that have been taking up space to be put to productive use.

TO-DO LIST
Keep a notebook size paper pad handy at all times to allow you to have a running list of items that you know will have to be incorporated into the design documents. Add items to the list as soon as they come to mind or when other disciplines request certain plumbing services to be provided. As you include these items within the contract documents, they can be checked off.

TELEPHONE MEMOS
All telephone conversations with anyone concerning the project should be documented and placed in the job file. Always try to record the persons name, company, title and telephone number. If the conversation is with a client, contractor, municipal authority, code authority or utility representative, a copy of the communication memorandum should be sent to the person that you spoke with.

MEETING NOTES AND MEMORANDUMS
Whenever a meeting is held concerning the project, someone should take notes and produce a memorandum stating all pertinent information exchanged and decisions made. Everyone present at the meeting, and anyone else who may be affected by the topics discussed should be copied. Keep copies of meeting notes that you make and those that you receive from others that affect your work. You should also read each memo as they are received and add any action items that need to be taken by you to your "To Do List".
Perpetual change is an inevitable characteristic of all projects. Therefore you should personally maintain your own notes to track all open issues and decisions made, along with the names of those involved and when actions are to be implemented. Use these to drive priorities with those who can impact your work. Remember, good communication is paramount!

CALCULATIONS
Include all calculations made for the various systems within the project design file even if they were scratched on the back of a menu. Keep preliminary calculations if they were used to arrive at any decision that could affect the final design.

SITE VISIT INFORMATION
Visiting the project's site is a must on remodeling projects. Original design drawings and even "as-built" drawings cannot be relied upon completely. Also, seeing the actual conditions with your own eyes will give you a perspective that can be invaluable as you visualize the new work that is to be installed. Making sketches and noting observations of systems that may be affected by your design allow you to have a permanent record that can be referred to whenever necessary. Taking good quality photographs is also a very helpful tool to enforce your memory of what you observed and also allow others who do not visit the site to envision the existing installation.

QUALITY CONTROL CHECK LIST
Develop a standard list of items that can be used to check the completeness and coordination aspects of the plumbing documents. Include items to verify code compliance, chase sizes, pipe sizes, valve locations, invert elevations, etc. A copy of this list should be inserted into each job binder and utilized. Anytime a conflict or omission is discovered on a project, add it to your standard check list to prevent the same problem from arising on future jobs. As monotonous as checking off items on a long list may be, the importance of having a procedure for reviewing the documents you produce cannot be over emphasized.

BIDDER'S QUESTIONS
It is essential to record any information given to a contractor concerning the project documents during the bidding phase. At this point in the project, your instructions and interpretations are being depended upon to set a price on the proposed work and the contractor deserves dependable information. Any information given which varies from the originally issued drawings and specifications should be added by addendum into the bid documents to allow all contractors bidding the job to have the same information available to them. By documenting these conversations, any questions that may arise concerning your discussions can be answered a lot easier.

SUBMITTAL LIST AND COMMENTS
As equipment and material submittals are reviewed, it is very helpful to list all comments you may have on your company's letter head and include the date, the name of the person reviewing the submittal, job name, job number and items reviewed. Send the comments back to the contractor and include a copy within the design file. Referring back to this information will make reviewing the re-submittal simpler and more complete.

INSPECTION NOTES
Unless you are given a great deal of time for on-site installation inspections, it is impossible to verify that every system and component has been installed in complete accordance with the contract documents. This is one reason good documentation describing your observations are important. Noting areas and systems that you cannot inspect for various reasons or that are not installed at the time of your visit is just as critical as noting the observations that you are able to make. The contractor and owner should be given a copy of your findings.

USE THE TOOLS
I have found that a computer can be utilized to keep most of your documentation consistent, quick and neat. Using spreadsheet, word processing and manufactured plumbing design software will allow you to maintain a professional quality in your design and records which will make your job much easier and rewarding.

No matter how photographic or vivid a memory you may have, nothing can take the place of a written record. It can also be a lot more convincing to others when you are trying to verify a decision that was made in the past. This becomes even more vital when working on multiple projects simultaneously, which is inevitably the nature of our business.

Organizing your thoughts, and the inputs of others can be the most valuable helper a designer has.
By the way, maybe you should put this article in a general plumbing design file.

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