Documenting Field Changes While the Evidence Is Fresh
The best record of a change is made the moment it is discovered, by the person who saw it. Here is what a useful field record includes.
4 min read
Capture it before the work covers it
Many changes are discovered right before they disappear behind a ceiling, wall, or slab. Once the work is closed in, the best evidence is gone.
A quick photo set and a two-line note taken on the spot is worth more than a detailed write-up a week later.
What a useful field record includes
Photos that show the condition and enough of its surroundings to locate it. A short description of what was found and what the crew had to do differently. The location, such as level, area, or gridline. The date and time, and who directed the work if direction was given.
If labor, material, or equipment was used because of the change, note it while it is still easy to remember.
Make it easy for the field
Foremen are busy running work. Field documentation has to take seconds, work with gloves and poor connectivity, and avoid office-style forms.
The office can add detail later. The field's job is to make sure the moment is recorded.
Connect it to the rest of the project
A photo on its own rarely recovers revenue. It becomes useful when it is linked to the change event, the drawing revision, and the contract requirement it relates to.
