CHAPTER 16: TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engineering specifications may cover almost any phase of industrial activity; and it is
obvious that no individual can, from his experience and immediate knowledge, be prepared
to write suitable specifications for all multitude of engineering and architectural works,
machines, materials and processes for which such specifications are sometimes needed.
Even where the specifications are for matters within the experience and knowledge of the
individual, and even though he has frequently prepared similar papers, the difference in the
conditions, the advances on the art, the improvements in methods, and the special economies
possible usually require thoughtful preparation and readjustment of the ideas that have
previously been embodied in such papers.

Technical Specification is a document, included as part of the technical documentation

of an industrial product, raw materials and process. Also, it states the technical requirements
for the product, rules for acceptance and delivery, testing methods, and conditions for
operation, transportation, and storage. Specifications are quantitative, measurable criteria
that the product is designed to satisfy. In order to be measurable and unambiguous,
specifications must contain a metric, target value and engineering units for the target value.

In almost every important work, new conditions and new requirements may involve
detailed methods not fully familiar or possibly even quite unfamiliar to the engineer in charge,
and he may be obliged to prepare specification for an object or result somewhat beyond his
experience.

In all cases ,and particularly in the case last mentioned, the engineer must know, either
by experience or by investigation, the nature of the material, the processes best adapted to
the particular case at hand, and the limitations and restrictions that is desirable and
commercially possible or practicable to specify for guidance in furnishing the material and
doing the work of construction. Every source of information should be utilized, and even these
will often be found too limited for his full information.

In preparation of technical specifications, it is essential that the engineer should possess a

comprehensive and detailed knowledge of:

1. The qualities and characteristics of various materials to be used and the practicable
limits to which the qualities necessary for the work In question should be restricted
2. The usual and practicable methods of performing the work may be done in such
manner that it will be completed without unnecessary expense and be satisfactory for
the purpose which it is to fulfill
3. The methods ordinarily employed by the mechanics or operatives in the manufacture
of the product or machine in the construction and operation or maintenance of the
plant structure.

Besides knowledge, the engineer must possess:

1. The ability to designate in detail the composition or elements of the material or
processes and the methods to be used for their proper production and utilization or
the ability to design in detail the structure, machine or plant contemplated
2. The experience which will forsee the necessary materials and methods to be employed,
difficulties to be overcome, and contingencies to be met in the work.

As a design becomes more elaborate and the individual parts of structure become more
numerous or complicated, it becomes more and more essential that the specifications
shall be complete and that the materials and method of construction of each part shall be
described in detailed; for which increased complications in design, greater uncertainties
arise as to the materials and methods of construction which must be used. The
specifications are intended to fix these details beyond question and to confine the
character of the materials, workmanship, and design within necessary limits.

CONTENTS OF SPECIFICATIONS
Descriptive title, number, identifier, etc. of the specification
Date of last effective revision and revision designation
A logo or trademark to indicate the document copyright, ownership and origin
Table of Contents (TOC), if the document is long
Person, office, or agency responsible for questions on the specification, updates, and
deviations.
The significance, scope or importance of the specification and its intended use.
Terminology, definitions and abbreviations to clarify the meanings of the specification
Test methods for measuring all specified characteristics
Material requirements: physical, mechanical, electrical, chemical, etc. Targets
and tolerances.
Acceptance testing, including Performance testing requirements. Targets
and tolerances.
Drawings, photographs, or technical illustrations
Workmanship
Certifications required.
Safety considerations and requirements
Environmental considerations and requirements
Quality control requirements, acceptance sampling, inspections, acceptance criteria
Person, office, or agency responsible for enforcement of the specification.
Completion and delivery.
Provisions for rejection, reinspection, rehearing, corrective measures
References and citations for which any instructions in the content maybe required to
fulfill the traceability and clarity of the document
Signatures of approval, if necessary
Change record to summarize the chronological development, revision and completion
if the document is to be circulated internally
Annexes and Appendices that are expand details, add clarification, or offer options
 TYPES OF SPECIFICATIONS
The word specification is defined as "to state explicitly or in detail" or "to be specific".
A specification may refer to a type of technical standard (the main topic of this page). The
following are the types of specifications currently use in the industry.

requirement specification is a set of documented requirements to be satisfied

by a material, design, product, or service. Examples are construction
specifications and material safety data sheet
 functional specification is closely related to the requirement specification and
may show functional block diagrams or actual pictures. Example is production
diagram.
 design or product specification describes the features of the solutions for the
Requirement Specification, referring to the designed solution or final
produced solution. Examples are equipment designs.

"in-service" or "maintained as"

specification, specifies the
conditions of a system or object
after years of operation,
including the effects of wear and
maintenance. Examples include
ISO documentations and other
laws by regulatory bodies.
TIPS IN WRITING TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
1. Find in-house sources:
Your own knowledge or hands-on use.
Hands-on use, or interviews with colleagues.
Engineering specifications, presentations, patents.
2. Find external sources:
Industry journals, technical textbooks, competitors publications.
Search your bookshelf, the Internet, or a library.
3. Create figures and tables that summarize your text
4. Write sentences that can be read fast.
5. Do not use undefined abbreviations or acronyms.
6. Use names consistently.
-Always use the same name for the same thing.
7. Use compound nouns and noun-modifiers clearly
- What does ten tapped filters mean?
"ten filters with taps?
"filters with ten taps?
Add a hyphen to clarify the meaning:
ten-tapped filters (hyphenate the compound nounmodifier).
8. Use clear references.
Example:
The drive makes a loud rattle when a programmatic branch causes the head to seek
a distant track; this should be avoided.
So, what this should we avoid?
Writing programs that have branches?
Storing branch targets in distant disk tracks?
A loud rattle, no matter how it is caused?