Die Arbeitsanweisung. The work instruction. A controlled document describing how a specific task is performed, with a version number, an author, an approval and a review date. It is not a note. It is part of the quality system, and changing it requires going through the system.
The operating instructions
Die Betriebsanleitung. German product law requires operating instructions in the language of the market, covering intended use, foreseeable misuse, safety, maintenance and disposal. The manual is a legal component of the product. An incomplete one is a defect.
The nine phases
Die Leistungsphasen. German building projects run through nine defined service phases, from basic evaluation through preliminary design, permit planning, execution planning, tendering, construction supervision and final documentation. Each phase has a defined output and a defined share of the fee. The sequence is in the fee ordinance itself.
The work breakdown
Der Projektstrukturplan. The work breakdown structure. A German project is decomposed into work packages, each with an owner, a deliverable, a duration and a number. The plan is not a list of tasks. It is a structure, and the numbering shows how each piece hangs off the whole.
The bill of materials
Die Stückliste. The bill of materials. A German parts list is structured, levelled and versioned — every component, every sub-assembly, every quantity, with its own part number. The product exists as a document before it exists as a thing.
Tolerances
German mechanical drawings specify permitted deviation for every dimension, using standard tolerance classes. Nothing is simply a measurement. Every measurement carries the range within which it remains correct.
The technical drawing
technische Zeichnung. German technical drawing is governed by DIN standards covering projection method, line types, dimensioning, section marking and title block content. Two engineers who have never met read the same drawing identically, because the conventions are national and taught.
The development plan
Der Bebauungsplan. The German development plan is a legally binding municipal instrument specifying, plot by plot, what may be built: permitted use, building lines, height, roof pitch, materials, the number of storeys, sometimes the species of tree. It is not guidance. It is law, and a building permit is measured against it.
The project management standard
The German standard for project management defines the terminology, the process model and the required documents. Project management in Germany is itself standardised — there is a DIN number for how to run a project.
The what and the how
German engineering practice separates two documents, both defined in DIN 69901-5 and VDI 2519. The Lastenheft is written by the customer and states what is required and why — deliberately solution-neutral. The Pflichtenheft is written by the supplier in response and states how it will be built.
The what and the how are different documents, by different authors, in a fixed order, and together they form the contractual basis of the project.