Learn the process.
Understand why the activities occur, how the documents connect and what each person contributes.
Commissioning fundamentals · ASHRAE Guideline 0
Follow commissioning
from the first question
to the operating building.
What does the owner need? How will the team deliver it? What evidence shows it works? Explore the commissioning (Cx) process one phase at a time, then practice applying it to your role.
Learning focus: ASHRAE Guideline 0-2019, The Commissioning Process.
Start with the purpose
Keep the owner’s needs
connected to the result.
Guideline 0 describes a commissioning process that follows project delivery from predesign into occupancy and operation. It gives the team a way to organize verification and documentation around the Owner’s Project Requirements.
Try the reasoning.
Follow one meeting-room example through the four phases. Ask the question before opening the explanation.
Build the skill.
Bring the exercise into training. Work through documents, get feedback and show what you can apply.
Start with the complete commissioning definition, then explore each phrase and all six lifecycle steps. That teaching reference uses the Guideline 0-2005 wording in Marcus’s syllabus; the pathway here focuses on Guideline 0-2019.
This is BPV’s introductory learning pathway. Use the applicable publication and project documents for the full requirements. A guideline’s recommendations become project obligations when adopted through the applicable requirements, agreements or specifications; this overview does not establish a project’s scope.
Build the foundation · Then question the details
One owner need.
Three different jobs.
OPR, BOD and Cx Plan work together. Learn what each contributes, then open a question and explain your reasoning before reading the answer.
Our classroom example
A room used for critical operations needs acceptable environmental conditions during a loss of normal utility power.
An invented scenario. The team still has to define “acceptable,” the outage conditions and the required duration.
Open the original graphic Owner’s Project Requirements
What does the owner need this room to do?
The OPR records the intended use, owner expectations, constraints and criteria for success. It gives the team a common destination.
Who leads this part?
The owner makes requirement decisions, informed by users, operators and the project team. Cx may facilitate development as agreed.
Why it matters
“Reliable” can mean different things to different people. Make the expected service clear before choosing a solution.
Follow the room requirement
For this room, clarify which environmental conditions matter, the starting conditions and loads, the outage to address, the duration, allowable interruption and recovery. Agree the criteria using the applicable project requirements.
Start here “Keep the critical room comfortable during an outage.” Is that ready to test?+
It is a useful goal, but several decisions are still missing. What function must continue? Which conditions matter, and within what limits? For how long? Who establishes those answers? Ask before inserting a convenient temperature or duration. This exercise deliberately supplies no project thresholds.
Try it yourself Write three questions for the owner. Name the people who could help answer each one.
Go deeper The owner now wants a longer outage covered. What needs to change?+
First clarify the revised need and assess whether it is achievable. Ask the design team to review the assumptions and dependencies. Trace the consequences into the OPR, BOD, verification coverage, scope and schedule through the project’s change process. A new request is the start of that conversation, not evidence that the existing design can deliver it.
Try it yourself List one affected decision in each document and who needs to resolve it.
Basis of Design
How does the design intend to meet that need?
The BOD records the design approach and its reasoning: choices, assumptions and supporting calculations. It connects the proposed solution to the OPR.
Who leads this part?
The design team develops and updates the design reasoning. Cx review can question alignment with the OPR; design responsibility remains with the designer.
Why it matters
A list of selected equipment tells you what was chosen. You also need to understand why it should meet the need.
Follow the room requirement
Explain how the proposed power, cooling and controls arrangement would support the agreed room conditions during the defined outage. Identify dependencies, calculation assumptions and the reasons for the choices.
Start here The BOD says “provide backup cooling.” What would you ask next?+
Ask what requirement that choice serves and how the proposed arrangement delivers it. What capacity and response are assumed? What must remain available for the cooling to work? Look for the design reasoning and supporting information, rather than treating the equipment name as the explanation.
Try it yourself Connect one owner criterion to a design decision, an assumption and a supporting calculation or explanation.
Go deeper Two cooling units share a control-power source. Does having two prove the room is protected?+
Equipment count alone cannot answer that. Trace the defined outage through the shared dependency. Ask the responsible designer how the proposed arrangement meets the room requirement and what supports that conclusion. The shared source may matter differently under different failure scenarios; establish the facts before declaring the design adequate or defective.
Try it yourself Write one review question that identifies the requirement, the dependency and the explanation needed.
Commissioning Plan
Who will verify what, how, when and with which records?
The Cx Plan organizes the commissioning work: scope, people, activities, resources, timing and documentation. It develops with the project.
Who leads this part?
The Cx provider normally coordinates the plan with team input. Authorship, review and decision authority follow the project’s delivery arrangements and agreements.
Why it matters
A clear requirement and a good design still need coordinated reviews, readiness checks, testing, issue resolution and operator preparation.
Follow the room requirement
Connect the room requirement to reviews and an agreed verification approach. Identify prerequisites, responsible people, authorized test conditions, records, issue handling and the acceptance decision. Include relevant training and handover activities.
Start here The schedule says “outage test: Friday.” Is that enough of a plan?+
A date leaves the important coordination unanswered. Who confirms readiness? Who prepares and reviews the procedure, authorizes the work, performs it, witnesses it and records the results? What criteria apply? Who handles an unexpected result? Actual outage testing needs qualified people and approved procedures; this is a document-planning exercise.
Try it yourself Draft a planning row: requirement, method, prerequisites, roles, timing, required evidence and decision authority.
Go deeper The test is marked “pass,” but the room-condition record is missing. Can the requirement be closed?+
Start with the agreed criterion and required evidence. A pass label alone does not establish what conditions occurred. Identify what is missing, what the available records support and who is authorized to decide the disposition. Resolve the evidence gap through the project process, including further verification if needed. Keep any remaining limitation visible.
Try it yourself State what is demonstrated, what remains unproven and the next responsible action.
Connect all three Which document proves the room performed?+
The OPR supplies the agreed criteria. The BOD explains the proposed design response. The Cx Plan organizes verification. Actual observations and test records supply evidence of what happened under the recorded conditions.
Trace the whole chain: requirement → design response → planned check → recorded result → disposition of any gap. A completed document or a “pass” label cannot replace the missing link.
Work through the chain with your teamSources and the boundary of this exercise
These are original BPV learning exercises, not quoted standard provisions or project requirements. Responsibilities and acceptance follow the project’s agreements. Use the applicable publication and approved project documents for actual work.
- ASHRAE Handbook: HVAC Commissioning · Public definitions, roles and process discussion.
- ASHRAE commissioning publications · Find the applicable guideline or standard.
- ASHRAE Headquarters draft OPR (2019) · A real owner’s project example, with criteria specific to that project.
One project · Four connected phases
Where are you in
the process?
Open a phase to explore the work, the evidence and a decision to practice. The example is deliberately small so the connections are easy to see.
Predesign Decide what success means before designing the answer.
What you learn
Begin with the owner’s needs, the people who will use and operate the building, the systems in scope and the commissioning team. Document the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR) and begin the Cx Plan. Identify responsibilities, resources, communication and acceptance expectations.
What evidence would you look for?
An OPR with usable criteria; an initial Cx Plan; clear responsibilities; early expectations for operator training and operating documentation.
Your turn
The owner says, “We need a comfortable meeting room for evening events.” Is that enough to begin checking performance?
Think it through, then explore the reasoning
It gives the purpose, but leaves important questions unanswered. Ask about event hours, occupancy, required conditions and how the team will determine whether the room meets the need. Record decisions so designers, contractors and operators can work from the same expectations.
Apply the lesson
Turn that request into three questions for the owner. For each question, name who should help answer it and what evidence would make the eventual requirement checkable.
Design Connect the owner’s needs to the proposed solution.
What you learn
The design team explains its approach in the Basis of Design (BOD). Cx reviews consider whether design information addresses the OPR and supports verification. Develop commissioning specifications, refine the Cx Plan and track questions through documented responses.
What evidence would you look for?
A traceable connection between OPR and BOD; review comments and responses; defined commissioning activities in the project documents; updated plans.
Your turn
The drawing shows a thermostat in the room. Does that demonstrate that evening events have been addressed?
Think it through, then explore the reasoning
The drawing shows part of the solution. You still need to understand the operating schedule, sequence, ventilation approach and user controls relevant to the agreed requirements. Ask the design team to explain how the design serves the event and how that behavior will be checked.
Apply the lesson
Trace one owner requirement into the design information. Draft a review question that identifies the requirement, the unclear detail and the explanation you need. Keep design decisions with the responsible designer.
Construction Check readiness, observe performance and keep the evidence.
What you learn
Review relevant submittals, coordinate the Cx schedule, document installation and startup readiness, and conduct the agreed testing. Record observations and results against criteria. Track issues, corrections and any needed retesting. Develop the Systems Manual and prepare and deliver operator training as scheduled.
What evidence would you look for?
Relevant submittal reviews; completed construction checklists and startup records; test procedures and results; issue-resolution evidence; training and operating information.
Your turn
The equipment starts and the installation checklist is complete. Have we shown that the room works for an evening event?
Think it through, then explore the reasoning
Those records support readiness for the next check. The event requirement still needs evidence under the agreed operating conditions. Follow the approved test procedure, document the expected and observed response, and track any gap to the person responsible for resolving it.
Apply the lesson
Write a short test outline for a training scenario: requirement, prerequisites, conditions, expected response, recorded evidence and responsible roles. Review it with a trainer before considering any field application.
Occupancy & operations Make the handover useful and finish the follow-through.
What you learn
Support the operating team with training and organized system information. Complete deferred or seasonal testing where included, address remaining issues and update commissioning records. Review performance during the agreed warranty follow-up and establish the intended approach to continued performance monitoring.
What evidence would you look for?
Usable Systems Manual and training records; current issue status; deferred-test results; commissioning report; documented responsibilities for follow-up.
Your turn
The building is occupied, but the operators cannot explain how to schedule an evening event. What still needs attention?
Think it through, then explore the reasoning
Occupancy alone does not show that the operating team can use the system as intended. Review the agreed training scope, system information and access arrangements. Identify the gap, assign the follow-up and record how it is resolved. Keep unfinished tests and accepted open issues visible.
Apply the lesson
Prepare a handover conversation: show an operator where to find the sequence, discuss the intended scheduling process and identify who will support unresolved questions. Define what evidence would show the agreed training objective was met.
These are connected activities, not four isolated checklists. Requirements, the Cx Plan, issues and operating information develop across phases. Responsibilities and acceptance authority follow the project’s agreements.
Make the documents make sense
Each record should
answer a useful question.
Learn what these documents do, then practice tracing one requirement through them. File names alone do not tell you whether the work is complete.
Owner’s Project Requirements · OPR
What does the owner need?
Document the needs, expectations and criteria that guide the work. Keep changes visible and accepted through the project’s agreed process.
Basis of Design · BOD
How does the design intend to meet the need?
The design team records its approach, assumptions and decisions. Use it to understand the link between owner requirements and the design.
Commissioning Plan · Cx Plan
How will the team organize and verify the work?
Describe scope, responsibilities, coordination, activities and records. Develop and update the plan as the project takes shape.
Reviews, checklists & tests
What did we examine, and what happened?
Reviews identify questions. Checklists record specified checks. Tests compare observed performance with defined criteria. Each serves a different purpose.
Issues & resolution record
What is unresolved, and who is acting?
Track the issue, its context, responsible parties, response and closure evidence. Keep acceptance decisions and remaining limitations visible.
Systems Manual, training & Cx report
Can the next person use the result?
The Systems Manual organizes information for operation. Training develops the agreed operating understanding. The Cx report records activities, findings and status.
Choose your perspective
The same process.
A different responsibility.
You do not need the same depth in every topic. Start with your role, then learn the connections that affect your work and the people who depend on it.
I am new to Cx
Learn the language and the four phases. Practice tracing one requirement through a drawing, a test and a handover record.
Shape training around my roleI represent an owner
Practice defining outcomes, choosing scope, asking for useful evidence and making informed acceptance decisions.
Shape training around my roleI design buildings or systems
Connect OPR and BOD, respond to Cx review questions and make performance expectations clear in design documents.
Shape training around my roleI manage or install construction
Connect the schedule with readiness, submittals, checklists, testing, issue resolution and the information needed for turnover.
Shape training around my roleI provide or lead Cx
Practice planning the process, coordinating responsibilities, reviewing evidence and communicating findings across the project.
Shape training around my roleI operate facilities
Bring operating needs into early decisions. Practice using system information, training, performance records and follow-up plans.
Shape training around my roleTurn the pathway into practical training
Understand it.
Practice it.
Explain your decisions.
Build a Guideline 0 learning plan with Marcus for yourself or your team. Start with your experience, project role and learning goals. Work through selected requirements, project documents, review questions and evidence with feedback.
The training can focus on the full process or a specific gap: OPR and BOD, Cx planning, design review, construction readiness, testing, documentation or operator handover. We agree the audience, scope, format and expected outcomes before the engagement.
Keep following the connections
Choose what you want
to understand next.
Sources, editions and how to use this pathway
This original BPV overview uses ASHRAE’s public description of Guideline 0-2019 and public commissioning guidance from WBDG and GSA. The practical questions are BPV teaching examples. It does not reproduce the guideline or replace reading the applicable edition.
ASHRAE/IES Standard 202-2024 is a separate publication addressing commissioning process requirements for new buildings and systems. Project codes, rating systems, contracts and specifications may set additional or different obligations. Verify the adopted edition, amendments, scope and acceptance responsibilities for the work.
GSA’s guide illustrates a federal owner’s process; its agency-specific requirements should not be assumed to govern other projects. For existing buildings and ongoing commissioning, explore the related learning path above.
- ASHRAE commissioning publications Guideline 0-2019, The Commissioning Process, and related standards and guidance.
- WBDG: Building Commissioning A public introduction to the process, activities and project phases.
- WBDG: Commissioning Documents How requirements, reviews, records and operating information connect.
- GSA Commissioning Guide (2020 PDF) A federal owner’s example of commissioning throughout project delivery.
BPV Academy provides independent training. This pathway does not imply ASHRAE endorsement or award an ASHRAE credential.
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