Many large design firms are likely to switch soon to the Construction Specification Institute's latest system for classifying construction information, known as MasterFormat 2004. But smaller firms will likely take a "wait-and-see" approach that could prolong the industry's transition to the new standard, according to a recent study by two Brigham Young University educators.

In a report written by professors Kevin R. Miller and D. Mark Hutchings, 76% of firms responding to a survey conducted last year said they plan to switch to the latest edition, mostly by the year-end. Researchers pulled a random sampling of 200 firms from ENR's Top 500 list (ENR 4/18 p. 42). Of them, 114 agreed to participate.