Built environment, do your part (list)

Within the built environment, there are several ways we present technical information. As described within BS ISO 29845 (Technical product documentation. Document types), these include forms of presentation such as drawings, diagrams, and lists. In particular, lists are an effective way to communicate structured information. On a construction project professionals produce a plethora of lists. These include:

• Parts list
• Spares list
• Component lists
• Door schedules
• Window schedules
• Bar Schedules
• Document list
• Bill of Quantities (BOQ)
• Task Information Delivery Plan (TIDP).

While each of these lists communicate very different things, there is a degree of consistency we can apply to their production to support the clear and unambiguous exchange of information. BS EN 62027 (Preparation of object lists, including parts lists) provides the rules and guidelines for presenting information within parts lists. Within, it broadly categorizes parts lists into two classes:

1. Where each list item represents a type; and
2. Where each list item represents an occurrence.

BS EN 62027 specifies a different schedule of properties to be presented depending on which class of list you are producing. 

For example: A Bill of Quantities (BOQ), which deals with types, would be considered class A and will need to record an amount against each item. A Task Information Delivery Plan (TIDP), which deals with instances, would be considered class B and will need a unique reference designation for each occurrence.

In addition to providing a schedule of properties, BS EN 62027 also provides the order to present this information within Subclause 5.4. For example, here is a simplified door schedule showing instance information followed by type information:

For each occurrence, this example presents a reference designation (5.4.2) as well technical data such as whether a vision panel is needed (5.4.4). For each type, this example presents a global identifier (5.4.7), its name (5.4.7), and any type-specific characteristics such as height and width (5.4.9).

In addition, such lists can be further augmented by standards such as:

• BS EN ISO 4157-1 (Construction drawings. Designation systems. Buildings and parts of buildings) which describes how to name parts of a building;
• BS EN ISO 16739-1 (Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) for data sharing in the construction and facility management industries. Data schema) which describes properties which could be used to further distinguish occurrences and types; and
• BS EN ISO 7200 (Technical product documentation. Data fields in title blocks and document headers) which describes the information to be recorded about the document itself.

On a typical construction project, dozens of different lists will be produced. In addition, depending on the method of procurement, the same lists may be re-produced at later stages of a project. If each of these lists are produced using a bespoke structure to present the information within, it can hinder their ability to communicate effectively. If applied to an organizations list templates, a small change once might have a positive impact across several projects.

Through the application of standards such as BS EN 62027 the same information can be provided, but structured in a consistent manner; enabling the recipient to better understand its contents.

Dan Rossiter, Sector Lead at BSI