Start with a blank worksheet.
The download has a blank Response column for your notes. Copy the fields below or open the CSV in your spreadsheet tool.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Project name and job number | Identify the project using the agreed name and number |
| Work date and shift | Record the local work date and shift covered |
| Report reference and version | Give the report a reference and mark revisions |
| Reporter and role | Name the person providing this account |
| Report status | Mark draft, awaiting clarification or approved |
| Weather and site conditions | Record conditions observed and any effect on the work |
| Company and trade | Identify whose work is being described |
| Area or location | Name the building, level, zone or work area |
| Work completed | Describe the activity and result in plain words |
| Quantity and unit | Record the stated quantity and unit or mark unknown |
| Crew observation | Record who reported the headcount and when it was observed |
| Reported hours | Record the source and basis if hours are reported |
| Deliveries and equipment | Identify the delivery or equipment and any relevant change |
| Inspection or site visit | Record the visitor, time, purpose and reported outcome |
| Delay or blocker | Record what was blocked, where and for how long if known |
| Safety reference | Link the separate safety record when applicable |
| Photo identifier | Use a filename, message reference or secure file link |
| Photo context | Record the sender, job, area, date and short description |
| Missing or disputed detail | State the open question without choosing an unsupported answer |
| Follow-up owner and due time | Name who will answer and when to check again |
| Reviewer and decision | Record who reviewed the draft and the decision |
| Destination and receipt | Record the approved destination and delivery result |
Set the report boundary before collecting updates
Choose one project, local work date and shift. A foreman covering two jobs should give two accounts. Decide who reports for each trade and who can approve the finished record. Confirm the client’s required format before adding fields that nobody will use.
The CSV provides field prompts and room for your answers. Add a separate line for each work area, event or photo rather than forcing several observations into one sentence. Remove fields that do not apply to the job and retain any additional fields required by your project agreement.
Ask for an account of the work, not a polished story
Start with where the crew worked and what changed that day. Then ask about unfinished work, deliveries, equipment, inspections and blockers. Collect the reporter’s own account before comparing it with another person’s notes. A normal call or text can provide the information without a new field app.
- Ask what was completed in each named area and what remains unfinished.
- Ask for the unit when someone gives a quantity. Twelve rooms and twelve square metres are different observations.
- Record whether a crew count was observed at a particular time or supplied by a trade partner.
- Keep any safety event linked to the responsible safety process. The daily report should not replace that process.
Keep unknown, no work and no response separate
Do not infer labor hours from a headcount or invent quantities from a photo. An empty field is not evidence of zero activity. A source can be a reporter’s message, a dated note or a referenced project record, provided the reviewer can find it.
- Unknown
- The person supplied an account but could not confirm this detail. Leave the value unknown and assign the question.
- No work reported
- An identified reporter confirmed that no work took place for the stated scope. Record the source and reason if supplied.
- No response
- No account was received. Record the missing report and follow-up owner rather than filling the day with zeros.
- Conflicting accounts
- Keep both statements with their sources. Ask the reviewer to resolve the difference or retain it as an open item.
Make photos and translated updates traceable
Give each photo a reference and record who sent it, which job and area it shows, and the date it relates to. A message received today may contain a photo from yesterday. Confirm the work date rather than silently using the upload date. Store files in the approved project location and avoid publishing private site details in an open spreadsheet.
Keep the original wording beside a translation when meaning matters. Read back names, locations, quantities and units in a language the reporter understands. If a term is uncertain, retain the original term and ask a named reviewer. Do not smooth an uncertain account into confident English.
Review the draft and keep a delivery record
The reviewer checks the project, date, work areas, source references and unresolved questions. A headcount observation is not an approved timecard. A reported inspection outcome is not a substitute for the inspector’s record. Keep those boundaries visible when the report moves to another system.
Record approval, the approved version and its destination. Check that the correct file or record arrived. If a correction is needed later, issue a revised version and preserve the reason for the change. Do not quietly overwrite the account that recipients already received.
- Name the person responsible for each open question.
- Mark a draft clearly when it is shared before all questions are resolved.
- Keep the accepted report, attachments and delivery result together.