Document Development

 

Reference Tools for Developing and Revising Technical Documents

The ACI Technical Committee Manual (TCM) is prepared by the Technical Activities Committee (TAC) to guide the operation of ACI technical committees and the development of committee documents.

The ACI Specification Manual is prepared by the TAC Specifications Committee to guide ACI technical committees in preparing and writing specifications.

ACI technical documents must adhere to the ACI Board Policy on metrication given in the ACI TCM. All documents, including revisions to existing documents, shall be prepared and published as: 1) two documents, one with SI (metric) units and the other with inch-pound units (codes and specifications only); or 2) a document with dual units, SI (metric) and inch-pound (all other documents). Document submissions are not complete and are not forwarded to TAC until dual units have been provided. The Metrication Conversion Guide is available to assist committees with this policy.

 

Ballot the Draft

TAC strongly encourages the use of the balloting feature on the committee web page for all letter ballots. The canvassing date must be at least 30 days unless permission is obtained from the TAC Contact for a shorter period. Copy Shannon Banchero, Manager, Technical Documents, on all requests for a shortened balloting period.

ACI voting requirements for letter ballots are:

  • 1/2 Rule: At least 1/2 of all eligible voting members on the committee roster must cast an affirmative vote, and
  • 2/3 Rule: The number of affirmative votes must be at least twice the number of negative votes.

Meeting ballots should not be used to ballot a new document or new revisions to a document. For detailed information on balloting committee documents, please refer to Chapter 4 of the ACI TCM. Balloting examples are available at the right column of this page.

 

Submit the Draft for TAC Review

After the document has been successfully balloted by the committee, submit the material to Shannon Banchero, Manager, Technical Documents for ACI staff editorial review and subsequent TAC review. When submitting the draft, please complete and include the Document Submittal Checklist.

ACI technical documents are reviewed three times each year. Documents must be submitted to ACI staff on time. Deadlines are not flexible. Submitting a document by this deadline does not guarantee placement in the next TAC document review cycle.

Your document submittal must include:

  1. An electronic copy of the document in Microsoft Word®;
  2. Original grayscale artwork (refer to ACI TCM for details);
  3. Statement of the type of document being submitted and whether the document will be standardized;
  4. A ballot summary of the final letter ballot(s), including resolutions to all negatives; and
  5. A summary of revisions to the existing document in the case of a revision.

Activity

ACI Spring Convention
Dallas, TX
March 18-20, 2012

TAC Summer Meeting
Gleneden Beach, OR
July 10-13, 2012

ACI Fall Convention Toronto, Ontario, Canada
October 21-25, 2012

Final 30-day letter ballot issued
November 11, 2011
March 6, 2012
June 15, 2012
Committee-approved document submitted to staff for editorial review
December 16, 2011
April 10, 2012
July 20, 2012
Document submitted to TAC and external reviewers
February 10, 2012
June 5, 2012
September 14, 2012
TAC Review Group conference calls
March 7-9, 2012
July 3-5, 2012
October 10-12, 2012
TAC meeting
March 16-18, 2012
July 10-13, 2012
October 19-21, 2012

 

Document Development FAQs

Q:  Do I need TAC approval to develop a technical document?

A:  Yes. Send a proposal and preliminary outline to ACI headquarters.

 

Q:  Can my web balloting period be less than 30 days?

A:  Yes, with approval. E-mail your TAC Contact (copy Shannon.Banchero@concrete.org) explaining why your committee requires a shortened balloting period.

 

Q:  How do I record votes in my meeting minutes?

A:  The minutes should clearly indicate the comment or negative being resolved, the method of resolution, the vote, and any changes that will be made to the document.

 

Q:  How do I submit my technical document for TAC review?

A:  Use the Document Submittal Checklist.

 

Q:  What should my balloting summary include?

A:  The balloting summary should include guidance on where to locate all pieces of the balloting history.

 

Q:  What is a summary of revisions?

A:  A summary of revisions is a bulleted list or paragraph explaining the primary changes made to the draft, or, for minimal changes, a strikeout/underline version of the draft.

 

Q:  Why must my document have dual units?

A:  It is ACI Board policy that all reports and guides are published with dual units and that standards are published in two versions (inch-pound and SI).

 

Q:  How does staff determine which names show on the roster?

A:  The roster is a list of all voting members at the time of the opening date of the document’s final letter ballot before submission to TAC.

 

Q:  Why does staff edit the technical document before it is reviewed by TAC?

A:  TAC requests that staff perform an editorial review of the document. In addition to grammatical correctness and compliance with ACI style, staff edits documents to be concise, clear, and unambiguous.  Staff edits often decrease the number of TAC comments received.