Glossary of Plan Workflow Terms
A Volanti Reference Guide to the Language of Plans, Processes & Projects
A
Addendum
A written or graphic change issued during bidding that modifies the original bid documents and must be acknowledged by all bidders.
AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction)
The code‑enforcing body, often a city or county building department, that must approve permit submissions.
Archive
The long‑term storage state for project information after the as‑built record is accepted.
As-Built Drawings
Final set of plans reflecting all changes made during construction, used for operations and maintenance.
Architectural Plans
Drawings that define the design intent of a building, typically developed during schematic and design development phases.
B
Bid Set
Drawing package issued for contractor pricing during procurement.
BIM (Building Information Modeling)
A digital model and data methodology capturing geometry and attributes for the entire asset life cycle.
Big Room / War Room
A co‑located space (physical or virtual) where multidisciplinary teams conduct intense coordination sessions, often during design sprints or pull‑planning workshops.
Blueprint
Historically a reproduction method; now used generically to refer to any printed or digital construction plan.
Build Set
The version of plans formally approved for construction, often derived from the construction document phase.
C
Change Log
A running register that lists each document revision, who issued it, and why.
Change Order
A formal revision to the original construction plans, usually involving scope, cost, or schedule changes.
Clash Detection
The process of identifying spatial conflicts between building elements before construction begins.
Common Data Environment (CDE)
A single cloud location where the most current project information is stored, versioned, and retrieved.
Commissioning
Verification process confirming that building systems perform as intended before handover.
Concept & Feasibility Phase
Stage 1 of the plan workflow: early analysis of site conditions, client needs, and high-level design options.
Construction & Field Revisions Phase
Stage 6 of the plan workflow: Active construction, on-site problem solving, and incorporation of change orders, RFIs, and redlines into the working set so updates roll into the final as-built record.
Construction Documents
Stage 4 of the plan workflow: fully detailed, permit-ready plans that guide construction and are legally binding.
D
Design Development
Stage 3 of the plan workflow: refined design, coordination between disciplines, and preparation for documentation.
Digital Plan Table
A touchscreen display designed for viewing, reviewing, and marking up construction plans. Volanti Plan Tables are optimized for this role.
Digital Twin
A live, data‑fed digital replica of the built asset maintained throughout its operational life.
Discipline
A design specialty such as architectural, structural, or mechanical; also used as a revision code on title blocks.
E
Elevation Drawing
A 2D orthographic projection of a building's vertical faces, commonly used in architectural documentation.
F
Field Revisions
On-site changes to construction plans due to conditions, conflicts, or design adjustments; must be recorded in as-builts.
I
Inspection
An official review by authorities to confirm work complies with codes and approved plans.
ISO 19650
International standard for managing information over the whole life cycle of a built asset using BIM.
L
Look‑Ahead Schedule
A short‑range construction timeline (typically three to six weeks) aligning trades on near‑term tasks.
M
Markup
Annotations, comments, or redlines added to a plan set, typically digital in modern workflows.
N
NBIMS‑US v4
National BIM Standard, United States version 4; harmonizes with ISO 19650 and defines U.S. best practices.
O
Operations & Maintenance Phase
Stage 7 of the plan workflow: use of finalized plans and as-builts for ongoing facility management.
P
Permit Set
Drawings submitted to the AHJ to obtain building permits.
Plan Review
The process of checking and validating plans for accuracy, compliance, and constructability. Often a collaborative team activity.
Plan Table
A large‑format interactive display, such as Volanti’s, used for digital plans.
Plan Review Table
A digital or physical table designed for team-based plan evaluation. Volanti offers purpose-built plan review tables with touchscreen capabilities.
Plan Set
A group of related drawings (e.g., site plan, floor plans, elevations) compiled to represent a project at a given phase.
Plan Viewer
Software or hardware interface that displays multi‑page drawing sets in an easy‑navigation format.
Plan Workflow
The agreed path that drawings, models, and related documents follow from initial concept to archive.
Procurement / Pre-Construction Phase
Stage 5 of the plan workflow: involves procurement, scheduling, budgeting, and readiness for ground-breaking.
Published
The controlled state for information that is locked for downstream use; edits require a new revision.
Pull Planning
A lean method where trade partners collaboratively work backward from a milestone to identify task sequences and commitments.
Punch List
The list of outstanding items to be completed or corrected before project handover.
Q
QR‑Ready Title Block
A drawing title block that reserves space for a machine‑readable code linking to the live digital file.
R
Record Drawings
The architect-compiled clean set that incorporates all as-built mark-ups and design revisions, showing the building exactly as constructed.
Redline
A markup indicating changes, usually drawn in red ink (physically) or digital annotation tools.
Revision Cloud
A cloud‑shaped annotation that highlights areas changed since the previous revision.
RFI (Request for Information)
A formal query issued when clarification is needed on contract documents.
S
Schematic Design
Stage 2 of the plan workflow: initial concept drawings showing form, function, and general systems.
Section Drawing
A vertical cut-through of a structure to show internal configuration, used to convey spatial relationships.
Shared
The semi‑controlled state where information is available for coordination but may still change.
Shop Drawing
A contractor-produced drawing that details how a prefabricated component will be fabricated, assembled, and installed.
Single Source of Truth
In AEC, the Single Source of Truth refers to one authoritative location for all updated project information, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and effective collaboration among stakeholders.
Site Plan
A scaled drawing showing a project in relation to its surrounding context, buildings, landscape, utilities, etc.
Submittal
Items such as shop drawings or samples submitted by the contractor for design‑team approval.
Substantial Completion
The milestone when the project is safe to occupy and only minor punch items remain.
T
Title Block
The standardized panel on a drawing sheet containing project, sheet, revision, and approval data.
V
Version Control
The tracking of plan revisions to ensure teams work from the latest approved set. Volanti tables often incorporate QR-code workflows for this.
W
WIP (Work in Progress)
The private state where a discipline develops content before sharing for coordination.
References
Primary authoritative references for plan workflow terminology
- ISO 19650 series (Parts 1–6) – international standard for information management using BIM
- NBIMS-US v4 – National BIM Standard-United States (National Institute of Building Sciences)
- AIA E203-2013 & G202-2013 – BIM and digital-data protocols (American Institute of Architects)
- AIA A201-2017 – General Conditions of the Contract for Construction (key for RFIs, COs, Submittals)
- National CAD Standard (NCS v6) – U.S. layering, sheet numbering, and drawing conventions
- CSI MasterFormat 2024 & UniFormat – Construction Specifications Institute classification systems
- Lean Construction Institute – Last Planner® System terminology and pull-planning guidance
- Construction Progress Coalition – CDX (Common Data Exchange) Glossary & Maturity Matrix
- buildingSMART International – IFC schema & Data Dictionary (openBIM definitions)
- USACE BIM/CAD Standards – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers criteria for digital deliverables
- ISO 12006-2 – Framework for classification of construction information
- PAS 1192 legacy suite (UK) – Precursor to ISO 19650, still cited for CDE and revision states
Volanti Plan Tables
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