AIA Document B101 splits the architect's basic services into five phases: Schematic Design, Design Development, Construction Documents, Bidding/Negotiation, and Construction Administration. Article 3 of B101 defines what the architect owes the owner at each stage, and it sets the contractual boundaries that determine when you can bill, when the owner must approve, and when additional services kick in.

For the PcM exam, you need to know more than the phase names. You need to understand how fee percentages shift across phases, what deliverables trigger owner approval, and where scope creep hides. A firm that misallocates fees across phases can burn through its budget before construction documents are halfway done. A firm that skips formal owner sign-off between phases risks doing unpaid rework.

B101 also draws clear lines between basic, supplemental, and additional services. Knowing which category a task falls into determines whether the architect gets paid for it. That distinction drives scope negotiations at contract signing and scope disputes during the project.

Think of Article 3 as the architect's production roadmap. Each phase builds on the last. Skipping steps or blurring boundaries between phases creates liability exposure and billing disputes. The exam tests whether you can spot those risks in a scenario and make the right management call.