ECL Software Blog

If You Use Your Daily Reports Correctly They Can Be More Helpful Than You Think

There are many reasons to complete and compile daily reports on your construction project, yet too often those involved don’t get what they could out of these reports. They’ll note a few aspects, like the date, what the weather was like, a general overview of the work done, and perhaps an overview of who and what were present. This may be minimally helpful but it won’t stand up if you need to support a change order claim or request for extra compensation.

There is a better way to complete daily reporting

No matter the day, whether every problem under the sun came up or it was a flawless, seamless work day, it’s important to report both the normal and abnormal. At ECL Software, we want it to be as easy as possible for every construction company to compile reports and ensure the appropriate people have access to them. Keep reading to find some tips on how to better create and use these daily reports and then reach out to us at 800-625-5972 to learn more about the way JIDO can help increase collaboration on construction projects.

Every daily report should be detailed

It’s often believed that the only time a daily report needs to be long and detailed is when there’s a known problem that’s arise. The reality is that daily reports can be needed to prove work capacity on good days too.

For example, consider a situation in which a utility crew can’t reach their typical level of progress because there was an obstruction. Your contract makes it clear that you’re not responsible for this risk, but you must be able to prove that it slowed your crew down. This is a lot easier if you can show weeks’ worth of notes that give details about typical production on days without obstructions.

Include more – not less – information

When you’re creating your daily reports, include either work categories or cost codes. You want to include the hours that every employee worked, the equipment that was used as related to each category or code, and the location the work was completed. For companies with larger personnel and / or payroll departments, it’s even more important to have construction collaboration software so these reports don’t get tied up going from one department to another.

Daily reports should mean just that – daily

It’s way more common than it should be to find that a supervisor waits to fill out “daily” reports all at once at the end of the week. This leaves too much room for the details to be forgotten. There’s no question that some inaccuracies will occur and the reports are likely to be much shorter. In fact, reports completed after the fact may be deemed inadmissible by the courts.

The truth is that once a supervisor gets used to completing a daily report, it simply becomes another part of their accepted and expected work day. To learn more about how we can help ensure it’s easy to collaborate with your entire crew, contact ECL Software at 800-625-5972 today.