📋 Daily Field Reporting Playbook
Document crew hours, work completed, weather conditions, and site activities at the end of each day. Your daily report is your single most important project document — it creates the legal record of everything that happened on your jobsite.
Why Daily Reports Matter
| Scenario | Without Daily Reports | With Daily Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Delay claim dispute | No evidence of actual conditions | Day-by-day record with photos |
| Labor productivity question | "I think we had 6 guys that day" | Exact headcount, hours, and cost codes |
| Change order negotiation | He-said / she-said | Written record of conditions, directions, and impacts |
| OSHA investigation | Scrambling to reconstruct timeline | Documented safety conditions and crew activities |
| Contract dispute / litigation | Weak case, missing facts | Daily contemporaneous record (strongest evidence) |
The Legal Gold Standard
Courts give heavy weight to daily reports because they are "contemporaneous records" — documents created at the time events occurred, not reconstructed later. A daily report written at 4:30 PM is 10x more credible than a statement written 6 months later during litigation.
Roles and Responsibilities
| Role | Responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Foreman | Document own crew's hours, work completed, and cost codes daily |
| Superintendent | Compile all foremen reports into project daily report, add site-wide observations |
| Project Manager | Review daily reports for accuracy, flag issues, ensure distribution |
| Project Engineer | Maintain daily report archive, cross-reference with schedule |
What to Document Every Day
Weather and Conditions
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature (AM/PM) | High and low for the day | Concrete curing, heat illness, cold stress triggers |
| Precipitation | Type, duration, accumulation | Delay documentation, earthwork impacts |
| Wind | Speed and direction | Crane operations, roofing work, fall protection |
| Ground conditions | Dry, wet, muddy, frozen | Equipment access, earthwork, safety |
| Visibility | Good, fog, dust, smoke | Crane operations, equipment movement |
| Work impact | Full day, partial day, lost day | Schedule and delay tracking |
Crew and Labor
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Workers by trade | Name, trade, company | Who was on site |
| Hours by worker | Start, end, total hours, OT | Payroll, labor productivity, certified payroll |
| Cost codes | What each worker/crew worked on | Job costing, productivity analysis |
| Headcount summary | Total workers on site by company | Manpower loading vs. plan |
Work Completed
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Activities by area | What was done, where, how much | Progress tracking, percent complete |
| Quantities installed | LF, SF, CY, EA — measurable units | Productivity rates, pay application support |
| Schedule activities | What schedule activities were worked | Schedule update support |
| Work NOT completed | What was planned but not done, and why | Delay documentation |
Equipment
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment on site | Type, ID/serial, company | Utilization tracking, rental costs |
| Equipment hours | Active hours, idle hours | Cost tracking, rental justification |
| Deliveries | What arrived, from whom, condition | Material tracking, damage claims |
Visitors and Inspections
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors | Name, company, purpose, time in/out | Security, liability |
| Inspections | Who inspected, what was inspected, result | Compliance, quality documentation |
| Owner/architect visits | Who visited, what was discussed | Direction documentation |
Issues and Conversations
| Field | Details | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal directions | Who said what, when | Change order support |
| Conflicts or problems | What happened, how it was resolved | Dispute documentation |
| Safety observations | Hazards noted, actions taken | Safety culture documentation |
| Delays or impacts | What was impacted, cause, duration | Delay claim support |
Daily Report Workflow
End-of-Day Process (30–45 Minutes)
3:30 PM Foremen submit crew hours and work completed to Superintendent
3:45 PM Superintendent walks the site — verify work, note conditions
4:00 PM Take end-of-day photos (5–10 minimum)
4:15 PM Complete the daily report
4:30 PM Review, finalize, and distribute
Step-by-Step
- Collect foremen input — Each foreman reports crew hours, work completed, and cost codes
- Walk the site — Verify work in place, check conditions, note any issues
- Take photos — At least 5–10 photos documenting today's progress (see photo guide below)
- Write the narrative — Factual description of the day's activities, issues, and conversations
- Review for completeness — Check every section, don't leave blanks
- Distribute — Send to PM, owner rep, and file copy per contract requirements
Photo Documentation Guide
Daily Minimums (5–10 Photos)
| Shot | What to Capture | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | Wide shot of the whole site from a consistent location | Same angle every day = progress sequence |
| Active work areas | Each area where work was performed today | Include workers for scale, show progress |
| Completed work | Close-ups of today's finished work | Before backfill, before cover-up |
| Deliveries | Material deliveries, staging areas | Capture condition on arrival |
| Weather/conditions | Sky, ground conditions, standing water | Supports delay documentation |
When to Take Extra Photos
- Any verbal direction — Photo of what they're pointing at
- Changed conditions — Unexpected site conditions, differing conditions
- Damage or defects — Equipment damage, defective materials, punch items
- Safety observations — Good and bad safety conditions
- Before concrete pour — Rebar, formwork, embedded items (before they're covered)
- Before backfill — Underground utilities, waterproofing (before they're buried)
Photo Naming
Include the date, location, and subject in photo filenames or descriptions: 2026-02-12_Bldg-A_Level3_rebar-inspection.jpg — not IMG_4823.jpg.
Writing Effective Narratives
Good vs. Bad Narrative Examples
Bad:
"Worked on building. Poured concrete. Weather was OK."
Good:
"Crew of 8 (4 laborers, 2 cement masons, 1 pump operator, 1 foreman) placed 45 CY of 4000 PSI concrete for the Level 2 east wing elevated slab, grids E-H / 1-4. Pump truck arrived at 7:30 AM, pour began at 8:00 AM, completed at 1:30 PM. Finish work continued until 3:30 PM. Temperature 72°F at pour start, 81°F at completion. No rain. Concrete tested at 5.5" slump, 4.2% air. Two cylinders pulled for 7-day and 28-day breaks. No safety incidents."
What Makes a Good Narrative
- Specific quantities — 45 CY, not "some concrete"
- Specific locations — Grid E-H / 1-4, not "east side"
- Specific times — 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM, not "most of the day"
- Crew composition — 4 laborers + 2 cement masons, not "the crew"
- Conditions and results — Slump, air content, test results
- Safety note — Always mention safety status (incidents, near-misses, or "no incidents")
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Risk | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Skipping a day | Gaps in the record destroy credibility | Never miss a day — even on rain days, document the rain |
| Vague descriptions | Useless in disputes | Be specific: quantities, locations, times, names |
| No photos | "Pics or it didn't happen" | Minimum 5 photos per day — make it habit |
| Not noting delays | Can't prove delay claims later | Always document what wasn't done and why |
| Including opinions | Can be used against you | Stick to facts: "Rain from 10 AM to 2 PM, earthwork suspended" not "GC should have planned better" |
| Filing late | Loses contemporaneous credibility | Complete and distribute same day |
| Not documenting conversations | Verbal directions are forgotten | "At 2 PM, architect directed us to revise header height from 8' to 8'-6" |
Distribution and Retention
| Recipient | When | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Project Manager | Same day | Email / project management software |
| Owner Representative | Per contract (often daily) | Email / project management software |
| GC (if subcontractor) | Per contract | Email / project management software |
| Project file | Same day | Digital archive + backup |
Retention: Duration of project + statute of limitations (varies by state, typically 4–10 years). When in doubt, keep them for 10 years.
Related Resources
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Daily Report Generator | Generate Report |
| Daily Reporting Guide | Full Guide |
| Photo Documentation Guide | Photo Guide |
| BLDR Pro (Digital Daily Reports) | bldr.pro |