The Manual of Practice also recently received an upgrade, being rechristened as the Project Resource Manual in 2004. First published in the late 1960s, the manual is both, a dictionary and encyclopedia, providing the industry standard for the arrangement, terminology, and style of non-residential construction specifications. It has become the recognized standard in project manual preparation and administration.
Evolving technology
In 1967, as word processors and computers started becoming a more commonplace, CSI commissioned the Stanford Research Institute (SRI International) to survey the state of the industry. The resulting report forecasted dramatic changes, such as the use of computer-assisted drafting (CAD) and automated techniques in architectural and engineering specification practices.
Consequently, the institute established the CSI Research Foundation (later called the Construction Sciences Research Foundation [CSRF]), which conducted research of its own. Automated specifications were seen as a logical evolution, and CSI embraced the dawn of this information age, adopting microfilm databases for production information by the 1970s. The foundation also developed standardized systems for automating documentation and created programs allowing users to rapidly produce concise and coordinated specifications.
During this decade, the institute’s educational committee initiated instructional guides to help chapter committees plan programs and developed a model curriculum for accredited courses in specification writing. In 1974, CSI opened its first co-sponsored school at the University of Vermont. Four years later, the certified construction specifier (CCS) program was launched, recognizing those who demonstrated expertise in preparing written documents. This designation would eventually be joined by others representing CSI’s diverse membership:
- Construction documents technologist (CDT—this would serve as a prerequisite for the other programs).
- Certified construction contract administrator (CCCA).
- Certified construction product representative (CCPR).
These designations are professional credentials and recognized throughout the industry as evidence of a proven level of education, knowledge, and experience in construction documents.
