MasterFormat Division 31 – Earthwork in the Programming & Planning Phase

Start with [CSI MasterFormat Division 31: Earthwork](/MasterFormat-division-31-earthwork) for the broad scope and coordination boundaries. This page addresses the narrower programming & planning phase intent.

Division 31 Activities During Programming & Planning

The programming and planning phase sets the foundation for every subsequent project decision. Capturing Owner Project Requirements (OPR), Basis of Design, and early scope definitions in UniFormat elements ensures design intent is structured data that estimators, specifiers, and builders can use—not just prose that requires interpretation. For Division 31 specifically, the programming & planning phase involves focused work on earthwork scope, products, and execution requirements. Use relationships between UniFormat and MasterFormat to surface likely specification sections as systems firm up. Generate first-pass Tables of Contents and assign section owners early.

Key activities for Division 31 during programming & planning include:

• Surface likely MasterFormat sections as building systems are defined — as it relates to earthwork sections and the products, methods, and quality standards they define
• Generate first-pass TOC and assign specification section owners — as it relates to earthwork sections and the products, methods, and quality standards they define

Each of these activities requires current, accurate Division 31 section numbers. When teams reference outdated or incorrect section numbers during programming & planning, the errors propagate into every subsequent phase.

Division 31 Sections Referenced in Programming & Planning

The following Division 31 sections are commonly referenced during programming & planning work:

• 31 10 00 – Site Clearing
• 31 20 00 – Earth Moving
• 31 23 00 – Excavation and Fill
• 31 25 00 – Erosion and Sedimentation Controls
• 31 30 00 – Earthwork Methods

These sections define the scope boundaries, product requirements, and execution standards for earthwork work. During programming & planning, these section references appear in first-pass specification toc and must be consistent with the project manual.

Programming & Planning Deliverables That Reference Division 31

Project teams produce or consume these deliverables during the programming & planning phase, many of which directly reference Division 31 sections:

• First-pass specification TOC

Every deliverable that references Division 31 must use current section numbers and titles. A single incorrect section reference in a programming & planning deliverable can trigger RFIs, scope disputes, or change orders during construction.

Common Issues with Division 31 During Programming & Planning

• Scope definitions in prose that can't be traced forward — When this occurs with Division 31 references during programming & planning, the result is rework, coordination failures, or documentation that contradicts the project manual.
• No elemental structure for early cost modeling — When this occurs with Division 31 references during programming & planning, the result is rework, coordination failures, or documentation that contradicts the project manual.
• Design intent lost between programming and schematic design — When this occurs with Division 31 references during programming & planning, the result is rework, coordination failures, or documentation that contradicts the project manual.

These issues are compounded when Division 31 sections must coordinate with other divisions. This division includes site clearing, earth moving, earthwork methods, shoring and underpinning, tunneling and mining, and soil treatment. The more trades and disciplines that touch Division 31 scope during programming & planning, the higher the cost of classification errors.

Cross-Standard Connections for Division 31 in Programming & Planning

UniFormat: Division 31 maps to UniFormat G (Sitework)—the site preparation work that precedes building construction.

OmniClass: OmniClass Table 22 (Work Results) includes earthwork results; Table 13 (Spaces by Function) covers site spaces.

During the programming & planning phase, these cross-references ensure that Division 31 specifications align with element-level classifications and lifecycle tags. Teams who rely on civil engineers designing site grading and earthwork and excavation contractors to maintain these connections manually risk inconsistencies that surface as coordination issues downstream.

How CSI Dynamic Standards Helps with Division 31 in Programming & Planning

CSI Dynamic Standards includes Division 31 as part of a connected, edition-aware classification system—licensed through The Construction Standard. Built for real project work from concept to closeout and beyond, it provides always-current Division 31 section numbers and titles, governed cross-references to UniFormat and OmniClass, and edition tracking that prevents programming & planning deliverables from referencing obsolete classification data. For teams working through the programming & planning phase, this means Division 31 references in every deliverable stay accurate and consistent with the rest of the project manual.