A co-worker recently asked if there was any way to revise an existing symbol in the National CAD Standard (NCS). The short answer is that existing symbols can be changed by the NCS amendment process – in fact, a handful of existing NCS v3.1 symbols were changed during the last revision cycle (NCS v4.0).
However, some words of advice are worth sharing for anyone thinking about submitting an NCS amendment proposing to revise (or replace) an existing symbol: arbitrary changes have little, if any, chance of being adopted. That is, if we want to change a symbol simply because we don’t like it or because it doesn’t match the symbol being used in our workplace or our community, do not waste your time filling out an NCS amendment form.
Why? Amendments containing arbitrary changes will not make it through the amendment screening process that is used by the NCS Project Committee (NCSPC). This process consists of a preliminary review by the responsible task team of any amendments submitted – in the case of symbols it is the Uniform Drawing System (UDS) Modules Task Team. The UDS Modules Task Team oversees any amendment that would change or alter one or more of the eight UDS modules.
There are some very good reasons that members of the NCS Project Committee (NCSPC) and its task teams do not want to support adoption of arbitrary changes:
- The NCS is maintained by a group of volunteers whose time is precious; their time needs to be prioritized to oversee more important amendments – such as those that would improve the means to measure NCS compliancy or better coordinate the NCS with the National Building Information Modeling Standard (NBIMS).
- Arbitrary changes impact many others who then have to incorporate the revisions into their workplace – which is a strain on the entire industry and results in some very unhappy users
- If there is not a compelling reason for an adopted change it will result in a negative impression of the amendment process, the NCSPC, and task team volunteers; and, ultimately, the NCS itself
However, if we can demonstrate that a change to an existing symbol is necessary because of a more compelling or subjective reason, an NCS amendment will have a much better chance of being supported by the UDS Modules Task Team and then being adopted later by the NCSPC through the ballot process. The following examples demonstrate compelling reasons for changes, such as those that might be needed to adopt a revision to an existing symbol:
- The use of an existing symbol creates drafting conflicts
- The existing symbol conflicts with other NCS formats
- The existing symbol conflicts with a symbol published by a nationally or internationally recognized organization – such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
The start of the next NCS revision cycle is just a few weeks away. The form that is used for adding new symbols or for revising existing symbols is titled “Ballot Item Submittal Form - UDS Symbols.xls” When members of the NCSPC receive the announcement that the revision cycle has started they will be able to download forms from the NCSPC website and submit their proposed changes for NCS v5.0.
For more information about the NCS, joining the NCS Project Committee, or joining one of the NCS task teams please visit the NCS website.
However, some words of advice are worth sharing for anyone thinking about submitting an NCS amendment proposing to revise (or replace) an existing symbol: arbitrary changes have little, if any, chance of being adopted. That is, if we want to change a symbol simply because we don’t like it or because it doesn’t match the symbol being used in our workplace or our community, do not waste your time filling out an NCS amendment form.
Why? Amendments containing arbitrary changes will not make it through the amendment screening process that is used by the NCS Project Committee (NCSPC). This process consists of a preliminary review by the responsible task team of any amendments submitted – in the case of symbols it is the Uniform Drawing System (UDS) Modules Task Team. The UDS Modules Task Team oversees any amendment that would change or alter one or more of the eight UDS modules.
There are some very good reasons that members of the NCS Project Committee (NCSPC) and its task teams do not want to support adoption of arbitrary changes:
- The NCS is maintained by a group of volunteers whose time is precious; their time needs to be prioritized to oversee more important amendments – such as those that would improve the means to measure NCS compliancy or better coordinate the NCS with the National Building Information Modeling Standard (NBIMS).
- Arbitrary changes impact many others who then have to incorporate the revisions into their workplace – which is a strain on the entire industry and results in some very unhappy users
- If there is not a compelling reason for an adopted change it will result in a negative impression of the amendment process, the NCSPC, and task team volunteers; and, ultimately, the NCS itself
However, if we can demonstrate that a change to an existing symbol is necessary because of a more compelling or subjective reason, an NCS amendment will have a much better chance of being supported by the UDS Modules Task Team and then being adopted later by the NCSPC through the ballot process. The following examples demonstrate compelling reasons for changes, such as those that might be needed to adopt a revision to an existing symbol:
- The use of an existing symbol creates drafting conflicts
- The existing symbol conflicts with other NCS formats
- The existing symbol conflicts with a symbol published by a nationally or internationally recognized organization – such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
The start of the next NCS revision cycle is just a few weeks away. The form that is used for adding new symbols or for revising existing symbols is titled “Ballot Item Submittal Form - UDS Symbols.xls” When members of the NCSPC receive the announcement that the revision cycle has started they will be able to download forms from the NCSPC website and submit their proposed changes for NCS v5.0.
For more information about the NCS, joining the NCS Project Committee, or joining one of the NCS task teams please visit the NCS website.
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