Why Respond to Findings?
Responses to findings serve multiple purposes:- Document design decisions and justifications
- Track action items and resolutions
- Communicate with team members
- Create an audit trail for reviews
- Provide explanations for clients or reviewers
How to Respond
[SCREENSHOT PLACEHOLDER: Response text area with submit button]
Response Content
What to Include
A good response typically includes:- Acknowledgment - Confirm you’ve reviewed the finding
- Assessment - Your determination (valid issue, false positive, needs investigation)
- Action - What will be done (fix, no action needed, clarification)
- Details - Specifics about the resolution or reasoning
- Attribution - Your initials and date (optional but helpful)
Response Template
Response Examples by Severity
Critical Finding Response
Finding: Exit door D-101 is 32” wide, does not meet IBC 1010.1.1 minimum 36” requirement. Response:Major Finding Response
Finding: Beam size B12 shows as W16x31 on structural drawings but W16x26 in calculations. Response:Warning Response (Action Taken)
Finding: Consider specifying high-efficiency HVAC units to exceed minimum energy code requirements. Response:Warning Response (No Action)
Finding: Foundation depth of 6 feet may be excessive for given soil conditions. Response:Pass Response
Finding: All exit doors meet IBC minimum 36” width requirement. Response:Inconclusive Response
Finding: Could not locate seismic design category in uploaded documents. Response:Response Best Practices
Be Specific
Be Specific
Include specific drawing numbers, page references, section numbers, or other details that help others understand your response.
Action-Oriented
Action-Oriented
Clearly state what action is being taken (or why no action is needed).
Professional Tone
Professional Tone
Write responses that could be shared with clients or external reviewers.
Include Reasoning
Include Reasoning
When disagreeing with a finding or taking no action, explain why.
Add Attribution
Add Attribution
Include your initials and date so team members know who responded and when.
Keep It Concise
Keep It Concise
Provide enough detail to be useful, but don’t write excessively long responses.
Collaborative Responses
Team Reviews
When multiple team members are reviewing:- Assign findings to appropriate discipline leads
- Each person responds in their area of expertise
- Coordinate on interdisciplinary items
Version Control
If updating documents based on findings:- Reference the new drawing/document version in your response
- Note the date of the update
- Track which revision addresses which findings
Follow-up Reviews
After addressing findings:- Consider re-running the workflow on updated documents
- Verify that changes resolved the Critical/Major items
- Document the verification in your response
Common Response Scenarios
False Positive
When the AI incorrectly flagged something as an issue:Information Not in Scope
When a finding relates to something outside the current scope:Deferred Item
When an issue will be addressed later:Response Status
Submitting a response typically changes the finding’s status from “Pending” to “Closed” or similar, helping you track progress through the review. Use status filters to:- See which findings still need responses
- Review all completed items
- Track your progress
Exporting Responses
Responses are included in Excel exports:- Response column shows your text
- Export includes timestamp
- Share with stakeholders