General contractors receiving clash detection reports that simply list intersecting elements, without categorizing severity or assigning resolution ownership, are left to manually triage every item themselves — undermining much of the value the report was meant to provide.
Why a Raw Clash List Is Not an Actionable Deliverable
A clash detection process can technically identify every geometric intersection in a coordinated model, but a raw list of these intersections, without further categorization, places the entire burden of interpretation on the receiving team. Not every detected clash carries the same urgency or requires the same resolution approach, and a report that does not distinguish between them forces manual triage that undermines the report’s practical value.
Where This Gap Leaves Contractors
General contractors receiving an uncategorized clash list must determine on their own which clashes represent genuine structural conflicts requiring immediate resolution, versus minor tolerance overlaps that may not require any action at all. This triage work, performed manually, consumes time and introduces the risk of misjudging which clashes actually matter most.
What a Complete Clash Report Should Provide
A genuinely useful clash detection deliverable should include categorization by severity, clear differentiation between hard clashes and soft tolerance issues, and a structure for assigning resolution ownership to the appropriate discipline — turning a raw geometric output into an actionable coordination tool.
Structuring Reports for Direct Contractor Usability
After identifying what separates a raw clash list from an actionable clash report, the fix is a report structure that performs this categorization and resolution tracking as a standard part of the deliverable, rather than leaving triage entirely to the receiving contractor. DASH’s Navisworks clash detection deliverable is a structured report that categorizes and tracks resolution ownership, removing the manual triage burden an uncategorized list would otherwise create.
Consult with DASH’s team about your clash detection deliverable standard.