A drawing finding is the start of a review. Not the end of one.

Freeze the material being reviewed

Identify the drawing issue, sheet set, revision date, and review scope before evaluating a finding. A mark on an obsolete plan can be technically legible and operationally useless. Keep the reviewed file and revision name visible in the record, and separate later uploads until the team intentionally starts a new review.

• Name the selected PDF and issue date.
• Identify the discipline and sheets within scope.
• Record exclusions, missing sheets, and known superseded material.

Establish the criterion and its applicability

A citation is not enough by itself. Record the jurisdiction, adopted edition, amendment context, and project premise that make the criterion relevant. For accessibility, distinguish federal ADA scoping from technical criteria and from separately applicable state or building-code requirements. For life safety, keep occupancy, construction, and protection assumptions beside the check.

Locate what the drawing actually provides

Use a sheet number, detail, schedule row, dimension, note, or bounded highlight that another reviewer can find. Distinguish a declared value from a measured condition. If the review cannot establish the necessary geometry from the current set, record the missing information rather than manufacturing a measurement from scale or appearance.

Work one doorway example

Illustrative record: A2.1 identifies Door 104 on an accessible route and the schedule lists a 3-foot leaf. The review basis is 2010 ADA Standards §404.2.3, which generally requires a 32-inch minimum clear opening and describes how a swinging door is measured at 90 degrees. The available drawing does not establish the face-of-door-to-stop clearance. The responsible response is “insufficient information,” followed by a request to verify and document the clear opening—not an automatic pass or fail.

• Criterion: 2010 ADA Standards §404.2.3.
• Drawing location: A2.1, Door 104, illustrative only.
• Available evidence: nominal leaf size; installed clear opening unresolved.
• Next action: architect verifies the applicable condition and documents the response.

Separate clarification from redesign

A missing dimension asks the team to establish a condition. A measured conflict asks the team to evaluate a design response. Keep those work types separate so an incomplete drawing does not trigger unnecessary redesign and a documented conflict does not disappear into a request for more information.

Close the loop without erasing the history

When the team responds, record who answered, what changed, which revision contains the response, and whether the original criterion was rechecked. Preserve the earlier state as part of the review history. A closed item should explain why it closed; it should not merely lose its red marker.