01
Write acceptance criteria while decisions can still change
Acceptance criteria translate business needs into testable outcomes. Record the intended operating condition, expected response, measurement or observation, tolerance, test owner, witness and required evidence.
ASHRAE describes commissioning as a process that verifies systems meet the owner’s project requirements and spans project phases from predesign through occupancy and operation. CIBSE publishes established commissioning procedures for building-services systems and management.
Functional requirement
Describe what users and operators need the service to do, including boundary and failure conditions.
Evidence requirement
State the reading, screenshot, log, inspection, demonstration or signed record needed for acceptance.
Decision right
Name who witnesses, who accepts and who can approve an exception or deferred item.
02
Use layers of testing
Testing should progress from installation checks to component operation, system function and integrated business scenarios. Skipping layers makes failures harder to diagnose and encourages repeated end-stage testing.
Installation verification
Labels, location, ratings, terminations, containment, power, configuration baseline and safe access.
Component and system tests
Normal operation, alarms, permissions, performance, local controls and documented sequences.
Integrated scenarios
Cross-system workflows such as room use, access events, network loss, power recovery and alert escalation.
Operational demonstration
Client operators complete routine, exception and recovery tasks using the handed-over information.
03
Control defects and exceptions as decisions
A long snag list is not a decision tool. Classify issues by safety, compliance, business continuity, user impact and maintainability. Each item needs an owner, target, retest evidence and status.
Critical
Prevents safe occupation, essential operation or required approval; must close before the relevant gate.
Material
Service operates with meaningful impact or risk; requires an agreed workaround and dated closure.
Minor
Does not prevent intended use; record, assign and close through the agreed post-handover process.
Accepted exception
A named client authority accepts the stated limitation, impact, control and expiry or review date.
04
Build an operations-ready handover pack
The pack should be searchable, version-controlled and structured around how the workplace will be operated. Credentials or sensitive security information require a separate controlled transfer, not inclusion in a general project folder.
System record
Approved drawings, schedules, asset identifiers, configurations, licences and dependencies.
Acceptance record
Requirements, test scripts and results, witness records, defects and accepted exceptions.
Operating record
Procedures, setpoints, backups, escalation, support contracts, warranty, renewals and training.
Change baseline
A dated accepted state from which facilities and IT teams can control future changes.
Sources
Primary references
These primary sources were used to check public requirements, the purpose of standards or recognised practice. Project-specific applicability must be confirmed.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between testing and commissioning?
Testing checks defined attributes or functions. Commissioning is the wider planned process of defining requirements, verifying installation and function, resolving issues, documenting acceptance and preparing operators across the project lifecycle.
Can a workplace open with outstanding defects?
That is a client risk decision subject to safety, compliance, lease, insurer and operational requirements. Any deferred item needs a clear impact, control, owner, completion date and authorised acceptance; critical blockers should not be hidden in a general snag list.
Should passwords be included in the handover manual?
No. Sensitive credentials should use an approved secure transfer and access-control process. The general handover can record account ownership and the controlled retrieval or reset procedure without exposing secrets.