Specification Builder
A modular tool that streamlines and standardises engineering specifications across large infrastructure projects.
Overview
A major aviation client in the construction sector needed a way to streamline the creation of functional specifications across multiple concurrent projects. Their existing manual process was time-consuming and error-prone, with little consistency across engineering disciplines or documentation sets.
Responsibility
To meet the client’s needs within existing IT and security constraints, I designed and developed a custom specification automation tool using React, with SharePoint serving as the backend repository of specification components. Key features included:
- A modular system using individual markdown files to represent specification parts, ensuring consistency and reusability across projects.
- A simple UI that allowed engineers from multiple disciplines (electrical, mechanical, structural) to assemble specifications by selecting only the relevant components.
- Automatic generation of index numbering based only on selected sections, omitting unused parts for cleaner output.
Outcome
The tool significantly reduced time and effort required to produce specifications, improved consistency across engineering documentation, and ensured alignment across the programme of works. By leveraging SharePoint and markdown, the solution remained lightweight, maintainable, and compliant with the client’s network infrastructure.
