Design specification lifecycle management

Customer

Etalon Group is one of Russia’s leading real estate developers specializing in residential housing of comfort, business, and premium classes. With over 6,000 employees, the company operates in twelve key regions across Russia, including Moscow. Throughout its extensive 39-year history, Etalon has completed developments totaling 9.5 million square meters of residential property. 

Problem: spec writing takes too much time 

The initial stage of any construction project involves preparing design specifications. It is a mandatory document detailing the customer’s specific needs regarding the future real estate property: 

• purpose, location, and characteristics of the site;
• total building area, parking spaces, and designated areas (such as retail, security, or storage), number of floors, and residents;
• requirements for utility systems, energy efficiency, and safety;
• compliance with the construction regulations;
• specifications for 3D models, materials, and structural components;
• the content of the final design and working documentation.

Design specs enable the customer to concisely and accurately convey their vision to design engineers. This document sets the standard for the quality of project documentation, project timelines, and budget. Furthermore, it impacts the speed at which developers secure construction permits from regulatory agencies and helps mitigate potential legal and technical challenges during project execution.

Version control and change tracking  

The key principle is the versioning of each individual parameter. This allows tracking the change history of separate elements rather than the entire document. A built-in merge conflict resolution tool ensures correct merging of versions and data integrity during collaborative work.

Step-by-step approval

The ready design specs are also approved within the application. Reviewers can suggest changes and send the documents back for revision. Approval is at the element level, allowing individual parameters or sections to be validated independently without revisiting the entire document. All versions are saved, ensuring transparency and the ability to restore previous iterations at any time.

Flexible role-based model

Employees access only the functionality that matches their tasks and expertise. The role-based model allows for customizing access to individual functions, sections of design specs, and approval stages. 

Result

Since December 2024, spec writing software has been the primary tool for preparing design documentation at Etalon Group.

Implementation results 

Reduced costs for design specification development. In the first year of operation, over 160 design specs were created for residential and commercial development projects. The time required to prepare and approve them decreased, saving at least 9,500 working hours. The process became more transparent, faster, and easier to manage.

Improved documentation quality. The system automatically suggests parameters and requirements, helping specialists create accurate design specs without additional training. 

Process standardization. Spec writing software unified design processes across departments under a single corporate standard, while maintaining flexibility and the ability to account for regional specifics.

In 2024, Etalon was shortlisted for the “Company of the Future” award with its spec writing software, which recognized the best Russian solutions for business process automation. In 2025, the system was nominated for “Project of the Year” by GlobalCIO. It is a competition within the Russian IT community where only implemented solutions participate, and winners are selected by a public vote of 15,000 IT leaders.

Etalon Group opted to automate the spec writing in order to:

• reduce the time required for drafting and approving specifications;
• ensure effective project execution through structured requirements and transparent change tracking;
• control project costs by leveraging pre-verified and standardized design spec components;
• minimize deviations from predefined metrics such as unit layouts, usable space, deadlines, and ROI projections.

Solution: spec writing software

For Etalon Group, Rubius created spec writing software – a web-based constructor where design specifications are created using templates and reference guides.

Spec writing software features: 

• Generating design specs following company-specific standards
• Over 40 templates available for various sections of the specification
• Reference guides, model libraries, corporate standards, and regulatory documents with the ability to reference them
• Configurable interdependencies between parameters across different parts of the documentation
• Document revision history and the ability to revert to earlier iterations
• Features enabling comparison and merging of multiple documents
• Document approval with the ability to suggest changes, submit for revision, and approve
• Role-based permissions controlling user access to features, documents, and approval stages
• Generation of a .docx file with design specs, including an option to download an archive of attached files
• Automatic generation of XML files for data exchange with government agencies

Customizable standards, templates, and reference guides

The system contains Etalon Group’s complete set of corporate standards, including parameters for developments, landscaping, architectural styles, engineering solutions, material choices, and supplier directories. Additionally, it offers tailored templates covering diverse stages, from concept to final working documentation. More than 40 templates are available to users for residential and commercial properties. They consider regional peculiarities, such as local legislation, climatic conditions, and prevailing construction methods.

Describing requirements using the “object – parameter” principle

Spec writing software is built as an object-parametric model. The user creates a construction project – an object – and then describes its design requirements by selecting parameters from a list. For example:

Heating system: 

– closed

– independent via heat exchangers via an individual heating unit

– dependent

The parameters are interconnected. For example, when selecting a glazing type, the system automatically determines the profile thickness, number of sashes, and opening dimensions and adjusts thermal performance accordingly.

The completed technical specifications are formed from interconnected blocks – architecture, engineering, and landscaping. Changing one parameter automatically updates the related sections, eliminating errors and duplication.