Because no group effort should begin without a clear understanding (by all members of the group) of the objectives of the endeavor, No. 1 on my list of Top 10 Elements of Commissioning is the owner’s project requirements (OPRs). The more people involved and the more complex the project, the more important it is to define the goals before starting. New facility construction and major renovation projects fall squarely into this category.
Commissioning is a process by which third-party professionals work with the design and construction teams to meet owners' (their customers') needs and expectations for a building. The first step of the process needs to be documentation of those needs and expectations. This documentation is most commonly known as an OPR.