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newSchoolWorks.com › VoTechWorks › Business & Cross-Cutting › Locksmith & Security Systems › Capstone Project: Integrated Security System Installation and Defense › Lesson 1
BUS-LOCK72-09 · Lesson 1 · 24 clock hours · practice

Site Survey, Security Assessment, and Project Design

Objective. Given a mock commercial or residential scenario, students produce a written security assessment, a labeled site plan, a scope of work, and a complete bill of materials that specify compatible mechanical and electronic components.

⚠ Pending professional review

This lesson, its worked examples and its practice questions has not yet been verified by a credentialed professional in the field or by a certification or approval body. It is a study draft and may contain errors. Do not use it as instructions for work on a job site or on live equipment. Always follow your instructor, your supervising professional, and current official references and regulations.

VoTechWorks program approval and accreditation are still in progress. Credentials are issued only by the certifying bodies named in each program, after their own exams.

Why the Site Survey Comes First

Every successful security installation begins long before a single screw is turned. The site survey is the systematic process of gathering facts about a location so that your design solves real problems rather than imagined ones. Skipping or rushing this step leads to mismatched hardware, uncovered vulnerabilities, change orders, and unhappy clients. In a capstone project — and in real professional practice — the survey, assessment, and design documents are the foundation everything else is built on.

Walking the Site: What to Look For

Arrive with your survey checklist, a tape measure, and a camera. Move methodically through the property, starting at the perimeter and working inward.

Entry and exit points. Count every door, window, loading dock, roof hatch, and skylight that could provide unauthorized access. For each door, note the door material (hollow-core wood, solid-core wood, steel), frame condition (look for daylight gaps, rot, or previous kick-in damage), hinge placement (are hinges exposed on the exterior?), and existing hardware grade. ANSI/BHMA grades rate hardware by duty and security level; Grade 1 is the highest, Grade 3 the lowest. Record the grade stamped or marked on existing hardware.

Locking devices. Note cylinder type (pin tumbler, disc detainer, high-security), keyway, and whether the lock is keyed-alike with other locks on site. Check for signs of wear, picking attempts, or unauthorized key duplication.

Lighting. Walk the site at a simulated low-light condition or use your judgment about shadow areas. Identify dark zones at entryways, parking areas, and along pathways. Poor lighting is a vulnerability that cameras and locks cannot fully compensate for.

Camera coverage gaps. If CCTV already exists, trace each camera's field of view. Mark areas not covered on your site plan. If no cameras exist, note where blind spots create risk.

Door frames and anchorage. A Grade 1 deadbolt in a weak frame offers little real security. Probe frames for softness, check strike-plate screw length (short screws are a common weakness), and note whether a door-reinforcement kit or a heavy-gauge steel strike would be warranted.

Recording Findings: The Standardized Survey Form

Industry practice calls for a consistent, repeatable form so that another technician could review your findings without walking the site themselves. Your form should capture: location identifier (e.g., "North Entry, Door 1"), door and frame material, existing hardware make and grade, existing lock cylinder type, key control status, lighting level (adequate/inadequate), camera coverage (yes/partial/none), and a vulnerability rating. Many security professionals use a simple Low/Medium/High rating for each finding. Photograph every entry point and every piece of existing hardware; label photos to match your form entries.

Drawing the Site Plan

On graph paper or a digital equivalent, sketch the floor plan to a consistent scale. Label every room, door, window, and point of interest. Mark north. Add a legend that identifies symbols for locks, readers, cameras, alarm sensors, and lighting fixtures. The site plan does not need to be an architect's drawing, but it must be legible and accurately proportioned. Dimensions matter: measuring doorway widths confirms whether a standard 4-7/8-inch backset or a 2-3/4-inch backset is needed, and verifies that the door thickness is within the hardware manufacturer's specification.

Drafting the Scope of Work

The scope of work is the contractual and technical description of what will be installed and why. For each location, specify:

For each choice, write one or two sentences of written rationale — a brief justification explaining the security problem it addresses. This rationale is what separates a professional proposal from a parts list.

Compiling the Bill of Materials

The bill of materials (BOM) lists every component required to complete the scope of work. Each line should include: part description, manufacturer and model number (drawn from current catalogs), quantity, and unit. Cross-check every item for compatibility: the cylindrical lock must accept the specified keyway; the electronic lock must match the door prep and the access-control panel's wiring protocol; the camera must be compatible with the DVR or NVR. Incompatible selections are one of the most common and costly errors in the field.

Safety During Site Survey

Wear appropriate PPE for conditions encountered: safety glasses when inspecting hardware in confined or overhead locations, and appropriate footwear on any construction-site-style environment. Never prop open alarmed or secured doors without the client's explicit permission and knowledge. Follow all lockout/tagout procedures if you must inspect or temporarily disable an electrically powered locking device — consult the equipment manufacturer's documentation and de-energize circuits before working on them. Respect occupant privacy; photograph only what the survey requires.

Design-Review Critique

Before any installation begins, present all four documents — survey form, site plan, scope of work, and BOM — to your instructor for a design-review critique. In professional practice this step mirrors a project manager or senior technician review. The review catches incompatible components, missed vulnerabilities, and scope gaps while changes are still inexpensive. Treat feedback as data, revise accordingly, and document your revisions.

Key terms10

Site surveyA systematic, documented inspection of a location to identify entry points, existing hardware, lighting conditions, and security vulnerabilities before any installation work begins.
ANSI/BHMA GradeA standardized rating system (Grade 1, 2, or 3) that classifies door hardware by duty cycle and security performance; Grade 1 is the highest rating and is required for most commercial applications.
Scope of workA written document that describes exactly what will be installed, where, and why; it serves as the technical and contractual basis for the project.
Bill of materials (BOM)An itemized list of every component needed for a project, including manufacturer, model number, and quantity, used to verify compatibility and calculate cost.
Master-key systemA keying hierarchy in which one or more master keys operate multiple locks while individual change keys each open only one lock or a defined group of locks.
KeywayThe specific profile of the key blade and the corresponding slot in the cylinder; keyways must match for the key to enter the cylinder and operate the lock.
Access-control readerAn electronic device mounted at a door that reads a credential (card, fob, PIN, or biometric) and communicates with a controller to grant or deny entry.
Alarm zoneA defined group of sensors wired or wirelessly linked to an alarm control panel and treated as a single monitoring unit; zones can be armed or bypassed independently.
BacksetThe horizontal distance from the edge of a door to the center of the borehole; common backsets are 2-3/4 inches and 4-7/8 inches, and hardware must be specified to match the door's backset.
Written rationaleA brief written justification, included in the scope of work, explaining why a specific component or design choice was selected to address an identified vulnerability.

Worked examples3

1. A door measures 36 inches wide and 1-3/4 inches thick. The existing borehole center is 2-3/4 inches from the door edge. The client wants a Grade 1 cylindrical deadbolt. Confirm whether a standard off-the-shelf deadbolt will fit without modification.
  1. Step 1: Identify the two critical dimensions for a cylindrical deadbolt: backset and door thickness. The backset is the distance from the door edge to the borehole center, measured as 2-3/4 inches. The door thickness is 1-3/4 inches.
  2. Step 2: Check manufacturer specifications. Most Grade 1 cylindrical deadbolts are available in a 2-3/4-inch backset, and nearly all are rated for door thicknesses from 1-3/8 inches to 2 inches.
  3. Step 3: Compare the field measurements (2-3/4-inch backset; 1-3/4-inch thickness) against the manufacturer's listed specifications (2-3/4-inch backset available; thickness range 1-3/8 to 2 inches).
  4. Step 4: Both measurements fall within the standard product range. No door modification is required; select the 2-3/4-inch backset model and confirm the correct face-bore diameter (typically 2-1/8 inches for cylindrical locks) is already present.
Answer: A standard Grade 1 cylindrical deadbolt in a 2-3/4-inch backset configuration fits the door as-is; no boring or frame modification is needed.
2. You are drawing a site plan on graph paper where each square equals 1 foot. The installation bay is 24 feet long and 18 feet wide. How large will the plan rectangle be on paper, and how many linear feet of perimeter does the space have?
  1. Step 1: Determine the plan rectangle size. At 1 square = 1 foot, the rectangle on paper is 24 squares long by 18 squares wide.
  2. Step 2: Calculate the perimeter of the actual space using the formula: Perimeter = 2 × (length + width) = 2 × (24 + 18) = 2 × 42 = 84 linear feet.
  3. Step 3: Verify the drawing. The paper rectangle must be 24 squares × 18 squares; label the scale (1 square = 1 ft) clearly in the legend.
Answer: The plan rectangle is 24 × 18 squares on paper. The actual room perimeter is 84 linear feet, which is the total wall length you must account for when placing door contacts and other perimeter sensors.
3. A scope of work calls for rekeying 12 locks to a new master-key system with two levels: one grand master key and four department change keys. How many total functional keys are in this system at minimum, and how many locks must accept the grand master?
  1. Step 1: Identify the key levels. Level 1 is the grand master key (GMK). Level 2 consists of four department change keys (CKs), each operating one group of locks.
  2. Step 2: Count the minimum total keys. There is 1 GMK plus 4 CKs, for a total of 5 key bittings in the system (not counting duplicate cuts made for individual users).
  3. Step 3: Determine which locks the GMK must operate. By definition, a grand master key must operate every lock in the system. All 12 locks must be set up to accept the GMK.
Answer: There are 5 distinct key bittings in the system (1 grand master + 4 change keys). All 12 locks must be pinned to accept the grand master key, while each change key operates only the locks assigned to its department.
In class: Walk the program's practice installation bay as a mock client site; photograph entry points, assess door frame and hardware condition, identify lighting and camera coverage gaps, and record findings on a standardized survey form drawn from industry practice. · Using the survey findings, draft a written scope of work that specifies door hardware (lock grade, keyway, cylinder type), master-key system structure, electronic lock or access-control reader placement, and alarm or CCTV zones; justify each choice in a short written rationale. · Compile a bill of materials with part descriptions, quantities, and supplier catalog references; present the draft plan to the instructor for a design-review critique before committing to installation.
Materials: Survey checklist forms, graph-paper site-plan templates, tape measure, digital camera or phone, manufacturer product catalogs (Schlage, Yale, Alarm Lock, or equivalent), access-control and alarm reference guides, course textbooks from prior units, personal protective equipment (PPE) kit
Check: Instructor reviews completed survey form, site plan, scope of work, and bill of materials against a scoring rubric; all four documents must be present, the component selections must be technically compatible, and the written rationale must correctly identify at least three security vulnerabilities; minimum passing score 75 out of 100 rubric points.

Practice check8

Answer each question, then check it. Nothing is recorded; this is your own practice.

Security assessment and hardware selection
1. During a site survey, you notice the exterior hinges on a steel entry door are fully exposed on the outside. What is the primary security concern this creates?
Mechanical hardware and keying
2. Which ANSI/BHMA hardware grade is required for most commercial, high-traffic entry applications?
Electronic access control and alarm systems
3. A bill of materials lists an electronic lock that uses a Wiegand 26-bit output, but the access-control panel specified supports only OSDP readers. What is the most likely consequence if the installation proceeds without change?
Workplace safety and regulatory compliance
4. You must temporarily disable power to an electric strike to inspect the wiring connection. What safety procedure applies before you touch the wiring?
Project planning and documentation
5. A scope of work includes a master-key system. Which document should be presented to the client at the design-review stage to show exactly which hardware model, quantity, and supplier catalog number will be ordered?
Security assessment and hardware selection
6. During the walk-through, you find that a rear door's strike plate is secured with screws that appear to be only about 3/4 inch long, going into a wood frame. What vulnerability does this represent, and what is the standard corrective measure?
Project planning and documentation
7. A student's site plan shows the room dimensions as 30 feet by 20 feet drawn at a scale of 1 square = 2 feet. How many squares long and wide should the rectangle be on the graph paper?
Project planning and documentation
8. The written rationale section of a scope of work is primarily intended to:
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