Describe the conflict in plain words, get a professional RFI you can send
After this, you'll be able to describe a drawing conflict in plain language and have the AI return a clear, structured RFI with the right sections, so you ask the question once and get a usable answer back instead of a bounce.
Before you start
None required, though it helps to have done construction-m1-01 first so you have seen how the AI works from your own facts. Bring one real conflict from your current drawing set.
The idea
An RFI is the formal question you send when the drawings do not agree, and a vague one costs you days. RFI stands for Request for Information: the written question a sub or PM sends the architect or general contractor when a plan, a spec, and reality do not line up. A sharp RFI gets answered fast and protects you if the answer comes late. A vague RFI ("the door doesn't work, please advise") comes back with "please clarify," and now you have lost two days on a question you already knew how to ask.
The AI's job is to take what you already know and shape it into the form that gets answered. You supply the facts: which sheet, which detail, what conflicts with what, what it is holding up. The AI supplies the structure and the professional wording. It is a formatter and a sharpener, not the source of the facts.
Here is the before and after. You tell it, plainly: "The door schedule on sheet A6.1 calls a 3070 at grid C-4 but the floor plan on A2.2 shows a 3068 rough opening there. I need to know which is right before I frame the opening tomorrow." The AI returns a structured RFI: a subject line, the drawing references, a precise question, the schedule impact, and a clear "response needed by" date. The facts are all yours. What changed is that it now reads like an RFI the architect can answer in one pass.
A good RFI has a predictable shape, and the AI fills it: subject, references (the sheets and details in conflict), the question stated as one answerable thing, the impact (what work is blocked and what it costs to wait), and the date you need an answer. Spelling out the impact and the deadline is what moves your RFI to the top of the architect's pile.
Now try it: describe one real conflict from your current set in plain words, paste the prompt, and read the RFI it builds. The exercise carries the full prompt with every RFI section pre-set, so you fill in facts and get back something sendable.
You bring the sheet numbers and the facts, the AI builds the RFI around them, and you check every reference before it goes out. A wrong sheet number turns a sharp RFI back into a bounced one.
| Vague RFI | Sharp, AI-structured RFI | |
|---|---|---|
| The question | "Door doesn't work, please advise" | "Is it a 3070 or a 3068 at grid C-4? Confirm the rough opening." |
| References | None, or "the plans" | A6.1 door schedule and A2.2 floor plan, grid C-4 |
| Impact | Not stated | Blocks tomorrow's framing; risks a half-day lost |
| Deadline | "When you can" | Needed by 7:00 AM tomorrow |
| Likely result | Bounced: "please clarify" | Answered same day |
You supply every fact in the right column. The AI just shapes it. A wrong sheet number breaks it, so check the references before sending.
Try it (10 min)
Watch out for
Paste this into Claude
I need to write a clear RFI (Request for Information) for a conflict in my construction drawings. Here is the situation in plain words: [describe the conflict, e.g.: "The door schedule on sheet A6.1 calls for a 3070 door at grid C-4, but the floor plan on sheet A2.2 shows a 3068 rough opening at that location. I need to know which is correct before framing that opening tomorrow morning."] Project: [project name or number] From: [my name and company] To: [architect or GC name] Write a professional RFI with these exact sections: - RFI SUBJECT (one line) - DRAWING REFERENCES (list the sheets and details I named) - QUESTION (state it as one specific, answerable question) - IMPACT (what work is blocked and the cost or schedule risk of waiting) - RESPONSE NEEDED BY (use the date I gave; if I gave none, write "[date]" for me to fill in) Rules: - Use only the sheet numbers, grid lines, and facts I gave you. Do not invent a reference. - Keep it professional and tight. No padding. - If anything I gave you is unclear, list it under a short "NEEDS FROM ME" note instead of guessing.
What a good response looks like
RFI SUBJECT: Door size conflict at grid C-4 (schedule vs. floor plan) DRAWING REFERENCES: Door schedule, sheet A6.1 (door at grid C-4); floor plan, sheet A2.2 (rough opening at grid C-4). QUESTION: The door schedule on A6.1 specifies a 3070 door at grid C-4, while the floor plan on A2.2 shows a 3068 rough opening at the same location. Which dimension is correct, and please confirm the rough opening to frame. IMPACT: Framing of this opening is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Without a confirmed dimension, the crew cannot frame grid C-4 and will be redirected, risking a half-day of lost framing progress. RESPONSE NEEDED BY: Tomorrow, 7:00 AM, before the framing crew starts.
What good looks like
When this breaks
AI can help with this
In a free AI chat app, say: 'Write me a professional RFI. Here is the conflict in plain words: [describe it with the sheet numbers and grid lines]. Use sections for subject, drawing references, the question, the impact, and a response-needed-by date. Use only the references I gave you, ask one specific question, and do not decide which drawing is correct.' Then check every sheet number against your set before you send it.
You can now
Describe one real plan conflict, run the prompt, and confirm the RFI asks a single answerable question, repeats only references you gave, names the impact, and carries a response date. If any sheet or detail number is one you do not recognize, the one thing to do is correct it against your actual drawing set before the RFI goes out.
Key takeaways
You already know the conflict and the sheet numbers. The AI turns that knowledge into an RFI the architect can answer in one pass, and you verify every reference before it leaves your hands.
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