My boss told me to always double-check the client's old drawings before starting a new set

I thought it was a waste of time until I found a major foundation change from 2015 that wasn't on the plans they gave me. Saved us a huge rework. Do you guys have a standard checklist for reviewing existing files?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy5241mo ago

Heard a podcast where they called this a "pre-mortem." You basically look for ways the old files could mess you up before you even start. @clairem47, that story about the whole floor is exactly why that works. My list now has me check for hand-marked changes on the old hard copies, those always get missed. Takes ten minutes and stops a world of hurt later.

loganl221mo ago

Yeah, my checklist used to be just a sticky note that said "look at old stuff, I guess." Learned the hard way after I almost built a wall right through where some old plumbing chase was supposed to be. Now I have a whole dumb document. I check dates, revision clouds, even the dumb title block info. It's boring but man, has it saved my skin.

clairem471mo ago

My boss once had us redo a whole floor because someone missed a tiny note on a drawing.