ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study regarding specification management and provides the first opportunity to carry out realistic costing. It deals with a muddle in a specification system that resulted in a realization of the lost costs. By its very nature the specification can cause problems, because there are so many things that can be wrong with it, and it arouses so many unhelpful reactions because of anticipated problems. Many specifications are intended to be used on their own without reference to another specification. However, many more do require reference to one or more additional specifications. Generally, people do not realize that without specifications there cannot be any product with any degree of quality. In fact, without specifications of one kind or another, there cannot even be a product. Frustration is an all-too-common human ill, and not the least of its manifestations arises as a result of the psychological effect often resulting from the use of poor-quality specifications.
