Daily Field Report (DFR)

OK, this starts easily. The DFR is a report on the field activities that are completed daily. What more needs to be said? Well, let's start by breaking out the three elements.

 Daily: The issue here is facts and memory. There are a million things each day pressing for your attention. If the report is not completed Daily, the accuracy of the form diminishes. The odds that you will remember each trade and how many men were on site every day for the last week is slim. So, big deal you forgot the shower door guy, but once the report's accuracy comes into question, the trust in the process breaks down. It is essential that the reports can be trusted and that they will stand up in court if needed. So, do them Daily while the information is fresh.

 Field: The objective is a concise record of field events. Weather, temp, deliveries, and visitors are all critical. This report is a record, and the use of the information may be unknown until it is required, and then it needs to be consistent and accurate. A weather delay claim can be compiled by reviewing the reports to compare the impact to expected norms. Noting productivity, lack thereof, or other weather impacts may look meaningless today but can be a wealth of information if needed. When was the material delivered? When was the owner last on-site? It was all meaningless until someone asked the question.

 Report: This is a report, a record of the facts. This report is NOT a chance to editorialize on people or events. Remember, you do not know who the reader will be or whether the information will be used for or against you. Stick to the facts, be accurate, be concise, and be consistent in how you report. If you want to give every detail regarding tile production, you need to provide the same detail regarding all of the work performed. If you are not consistent, the question will arise as to why you were so focused on the tile details; remember, you don't know who the reader may be. If you stick with the facts, you can't go wrong.

 Management tip:

 Please be cautious with using personal project journals in the same light. If the information is inappropriate to record on the DFR, please use caution in recording it anywhere. If there is a dispute and records are subpoenaed, the personal journal can be used as a job record in the same way as the DRF, and it may be given higher weight since it was deemed "private" when written. Your best bet is to do a clear and accurate job on the DFR and leave it at that. Record the facts and let them stand.