How would you describe your process for creating daily construction reports? If your answer is somewhat time-consuming, tedious, etc., it may be time to rethink your methods.
If you can simplify your daily construction reports by correctly recording the right information, you can be done in minutes right on the job site – no more paperwork in the office after hours.
If you want a quick answer, here it is: The key to reducing wasted time and inefficiencies in your progress reports is digitization. If you want to know why, keep reading.
Why do you need to maintain detailed daily construction reports?
What is your biggest fear as a construction project manager? Disputes, delays, costs or schedule delays? All of the above?
Keeping a detailed daily construction report is useful for more than monitoring project progress and productivity; reduces the risk of experiencing the fears that keep you awake at night. The importance of construction reports goes beyond simply monitoring the progress of the work. It can also help reduce risks associated with construction projects.
One of the most significant risks construction project managers face is disputes. Disputes can arise from different sources, such as disagreements with contractors, suppliers or subcontractors. When disputes occur, they can significantly impact project progress and delay completion. By keeping detailed daily construction reports, project managers can provide evidence that can help resolve disputes promptly.
Another risk project managers face is schedule delays. Delays can occur for a variety of reasons, such as unforeseen circumstances, changes to the project or scope of work, or problems with construction materials or equipment. Daily construction reports can help project managers identify the causes of delays and promptly take corrective action to ensure the project remains on schedule.
Cost overruns are also a significant concern for construction project managers. Maintaining detailed daily construction reports can help project managers monitor expenses, identify areas of inefficiency, and take corrective action to avoid budget overruns.
So why do construction managers neglect their construction reports? They use inefficient and outdated processes to create and manage their reports. The solution lies in finding a way to simplify these processes through digitalization, so that creating reports is no longer a burden.
We take an in-depth look at the importance of daily construction reports here.
What should your daily construction report include?
While every project is different and your construction reports will include different information for each, there are some factors you should include no matter what to ensure your records are complete:
- Job details: Include all relevant data about the job site, including activities that took place that day and the current phase of the project.
- Progress achieved: Record each task worked on and its current status (completed, late, in progress, waiting, etc.).
- Weather Conditions: Note the day's weather, including wind speed, temperature, precipitation, and any events that may cause delays.
- Equipment used: Document all equipment or machines present, how many hours they were used, and whether any heavy machinery was idle that day.
- Crew list: List all workers present on site, organize them into categories (GCs, substitutes, tradespeople, etc.) and total the hours worked by each one.
- Materials on site: Take inventory of what materials were used throughout the day and how many are still available.
- Materials delivered: Note all materials delivered (or scheduled for delivery), including types and quantities.
- Potential delays: Add any events that have caused or may cause delays to the project, even if they were recorded in another section of your report.
- Safety Assessment: Complete an assessment of safety incidents, whether protocols were followed, and any hazards uncovered by the workplace inspection.
- Website visitors: Count everyone who has been to your website, including family members, board members, investors, project owners, etc.
There’s a lot of information to collect and record – so how can we simplify the process of creating daily construction reports? The first step is to abandon the old-fashioned way of manual data entry.
Why handwritten progress reports are not enough
No construction manager enjoys creating daily construction reports, but the process is especially time-consuming if you create them manually.
Unless you're writing your reports throughout the day as you walk around the site, you'll likely rely on deciphering hastily written notes or recounting details from memory—both of which make your life challenging and can result in less than perfect reports.
The best way to simplify the process is to ditch the handwritten construction reports and switch to a digital site diary. This can also help you avoid the pitfalls of manually writing daily progress reports.
Most project managers who don't use a construction site management app to keep daily records don't work on their reports on site – they wait until they get back to the office. Doing so not only adds extra hours after a long day, but it also leads to inefficiencies.
You will almost certainly miss some important details or forget some events that occurred during the day; you will likely be pulled all over the busy workplace.
This lack of complete information can result in delays, disputes, security risks, and other problems that project managers never want to see.
The solution? Track site progress in real time to quickly and accurately record information about on-site activities as they happen.
Simplify your daily construction reporting with the right construction management software
We already told you that digitalization is the key to simplifying your daily construction reports. Excellent! But how do you do this?
You need to find digital solutions that align with your construction company’s needs and objectives. Make sure the software you choose supports construction reporting best practices:
- Real-time reporting directly from the workplace
- Detailed documentation of website activities
- Transparent website progress and reporting sharing
- One-touch reporting from the field to the office
Simplifying your daily construction reports is just the beginning. We build software for builders who know the importance of using the right tools for each job. Schedule a free demo and see how we can transform your time-consuming and tedious processes into efficient ways to increase productivity in all aspects of your projects.
