The heart of the commissioning process and the key to successful construction projects is the development and documentation of clear and concise project criteria. Owner’s Project Requirements is a document that elucidates the owner’s and users’ criteria for a functional building and successful project. To meet these needs, the Owner’s Project Requirements goes beyond traditional architectural programming to include items uch as what is “comfort” and what is “green,” defining “energy efficient” and putting success in the owner’s and users’words. The three main methods of obtaining information for the Owner’s Project Requirements are convening a workshop, interviewing key personnel, and using a survey. The workshop method generates the most interaction between the participants (owner and users) and obtains group consensus. The other two methods rely on the commissioning authority’s knowledge (and bias) to create group consensus. Therefore, the workshop method is the preferred method and should be used whenever possible.

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