Construction is one of the most conservative sectors of the economy; optimization of construction processes usually comes down to the use of new production technologies. According to research by the Construction Industry Institute, more than 90% of innovations in the industry concern design technology. But how can work on the construction site itself be improved, making it more efficient thanks to “digitalization”? Improve the quality, efficiency and safety of work, reduce labor costs?
Documents on the construction site: a log of construction works and other works
In construction, it is important not only to build a facility with high quality, but also to correctly draw up all the documentation. It is routine paper processes that eat up employees’ time. Insufficient quality of design and executive documentation has a negative impact on the entire process as a whole, because it leads to construction errors and supply failures. Every detail must be reflected in the documentation. After all, we are talking about recording the work carried out at the facility, its quality, safety, and financial costs. The minimum set of journals that must be filled out on site:
- Incoming inspection log;
- Author’s supervision journal;
- General production log of construction works;
- Special journals (journal of concrete works, earthworks, pile driving, welding works, journal of works on installation of building structures, etc.).
- Safety magazines
What are logs for? Each stage of construction is documented. For example, during acceptance of work or completion of an intermediate stage, a technical supervision representative must check whether the work being performed complies with the design documentation, identify defects and violations that were noted in the work and author’s supervision logs.
General construction log: sections and rules
Mature man engineer working in the road construction industry.
The general construction work log refers to executive documentation and a strictly regulated form approved by government agencies . It is kept directly at the site. It is filled out daily, reflecting the entire range of construction and installation works and other works. This log contains all data on construction processes and all information on construction and installation works, from the beginning from laying the foundation to commissioning. The technological sequence of the entire construction process is recorded, the terms, quality, conditions of the work, their sequence, construction control are indicated.
The construction log is associated with a significant number of acts, checklists, reports and other documents created during the construction of the facility. They are mentioned in several sections of the log. In addition, there are inspections by supervisory authorities, which create additional work and tasks. They also need to be documented and taken into account.
The construction work log is issued by the general contractor or developer, managers who are responsible for the work on the site or lot. Keeping the log is a responsible task that takes quite a lot of time. It is filled in by the person responsible for the work. The following information is entered into the log:
- Section 1. The name of the developer, contractor and general information about the construction are indicated: the name of the facility, its location, notification of the start of construction and installation works, full name of the person responsible for the construction of the facility and maintaining the log, the chief engineer of the project, the customer, the representative of technical supervision. In addition, the section contains data on the start of work under the contract and their actual start date, on their completion under the contract and the actual completion date. The number of pages, the date of issue of the log, and the organization’s seal are indicated. The main indicators of the construction facility (capacity, productivity, usable area, capacity) and the estimated cost, the name of the body that approved the design documentation are separately listed.
- Section 2. The general construction log contains a list of engineering and technical personnel involved in the construction of the facility. In particular, this section contains the following columns: position, last name, initials, work area, date of commencement of work on the construction of the facility, a note on obtaining a permit for the right to perform work, on passing certification, date of completion of work on the construction of the facility.
- Section 3. List of acts of intermediate acceptance, inspection of hidden works. This section is filled in chronological order by the person responsible for the execution of works. It indicates the name of the acts, when and by whom they were signed.
- Section 4. Filled out throughout the construction, entries are made daily by the responsible manager or the site manager. It contains information about the start and end of construction work, a daily report on the progress of their implementation. The form for filling it out is the date of work and shift, a brief description of the work performed indicating the location, materials used, production methods. Weather conditions, information about downtime of construction machines are detailed. There are also columns on the quantity and units of measurement. This section is certified by the responsible manager and the employee assessing the quality of work at the construction site.
This section is the most informative and one of the most important. Filling it out is a routine action that cannot be avoided, but you can make the task much easier by having a ready-made form in digital form and accessible on a smartphone or tablet. Try a ready-made sample report for keeping a construction work log – by filling out the form below, you will receive a free downloadable form that you can fill out and edit for your purposes:
Use your time wisely, get rid of paper reports! Try PlanRadar with its wide functionality for maintaining construction documentation – you can use ready-made construction templates and create your own with simple drag-and-drop and adding the necessary options. Make your general work log 2023 digital!
- Section 5 contains a list of special construction work logs that are maintained by subcontractors performing special construction work (gas hazardous work log, work log for orders and instructions, disinfection work log, etc.). The name of the special work log, the date it was issued, who issued it, and the full name of the responsible person are indicated.
- Section 6 is filled in by those responsible for production and safety of construction work. Contains comments regarding the work performed and its safety. The log displays comments from the expert supervising the production and safety of the work, or a reference to the order to eliminate the comments.
- Section 7. Contains data on inspections conducted by supervisory authorities: compliance with the requirements of regulatory documents and approved design documentation, design solutions and certificates. The name of the controlling (supervisory) body, the list of instructions, the full name of the head of the inspection, the time of the inspection and the composition of the commission are indicated. Certified by the signature of the head.
The main problem of general journals in construction
Agree that daily journal maintenance, where it is necessary to display the progress of work and highlight many other aspects, takes a lot of time from the responsible employee. The inability to maintain a general journal in digital form delays the period of its execution by at least 15%. And this slows down the implementation of all work on construction, reconstruction, and major repairs. In the CIS, a gradual transition of document flow to “digital” is already observed.
For example, since December 2022, it has already been possible to introduce a general work log in electronic format in Russia. A new form of the general log has been approved. At the customer’s request, it can still be kept in paper form, but it is also allowed in electronic form without duplicating it on paper.
Thus, the Ministry of Construction of Russia, in particular, believes that “the lack of the ability to maintain a general work log in electronic form delays the period of its preparation by at least 15% , which also slows down the implementation of subsequent work on construction, reconstruction, and major repairs.”
The state construction supervision body creates a registration record indicating the unique number of the digital log.
Unfortunately, for now in Kazakhstan the log must be kept in handwritten form. Each construction site must have its own log, which must be numbered, laced and sealed with the seal of the organization that issued the log. Therefore, in Kazakhstan there is currently no opportunity to completely switch to electronic document management: paper versions are still a priority. But given that Kazakhstan is focused on digitalization of the industry, it is possible that in the near future it will be possible to make a full-fledged digital log of construction works, which will become independent. Therefore, the problem is temporary and it is expected that the legislative framework will soon be updated to meet modern conditions.
At the same time, keeping a log in electronic form greatly simplifies the maintenance of internal documentation. All data can be initially in electronic form, using a cloud solution. And this prevents errors, eliminates unaccounted data in the documentation, speeds up the exchange of information between the team and generally saves time.
Using digital documentation within the company makes work more efficient. You can keep logs in a convenient digital format, for example, using the PlanRadar cloud solution, and know for sure that the data recorded in the application will not be lost and will be up-to-date. How can this help optimize work now?
Traditional paper filling vs. digital form of the general journal
- Reducing errors. The general work log is filled in daily and “in the field”. During construction, it is necessary to describe many processes. It is impossible to do this immediately in a clean version, so it is recommended to keep a draft version, and then rewrite the data in the “clean copy”.
If an error creeps into the log, it must be corrected correctly: indicate the date, the reason for the correction, and the full name of the person who made the correction. Only the employee who filled out the log can correct errors in the log. Corrections should not interfere with the reading of the original entry. And all corrections must be certified by the manager. That is, a significant number of corrections cannot be allowed: otherwise the document will be illegible.
This means that the employee must first write down the data on a draft, and then beautifully fill out the log in the office, again rewriting everything by hand. It is much more convenient and faster to work with an electronic version of the log: enter all the data into a template directly on your smartphone , and then simply rewrite it into a paper log. - Reliability of data storage. The general work log is an important document: its loss leads to serious consequences. There must be a duplicate of the information to be able to restore the information in case of an emergency. It is advisable to scan or photograph the pages of the log from time to time so that in case of loss, the information can be restored.
This issue disappears by itself when maintaining an electronic log. All data is securely stored in the cloud and cannot be lost. It is available at any time to the entire team for simultaneous work. All data is securely protected and only a certain circle of people has access to it.
After the facility is commissioned, the general log is given to the acceptance committee, then it is sent to the archive. But what if you need information about the project? In the electronic version, you will find all the information at once in a couple of clicks: no need to go to the archive. - Centralized single information channel. Construction practice shows that often the necessary information is located in disparate sources. It takes time to collect everything together. This is quite difficult when the company uses paper document flow. Organizing the data of the digital work log in a single information space will help to see the whole picture and save a lot of time on searching for the necessary information .
- Document control. Documents are sometimes signed retroactively, which is completely untrue. In digital form, it is immediately clear when the document was made, who made the changes . This makes it much faster and more efficient to identify all participants in the process, avoiding the preparation of documents retroactively and confusion with documents.
- Efficiency and relevance of data. A digital construction log, which is maintained daily and its updates are instantly available to the entire team, is crucial for effective management . Data from the construction site is updated in real time. This allows you to immediately respond to all events that occur. For example, keep records of equipment, materials, manage contracts, risks, and create calendar plans. Internal documentation helps to cope more effectively with all operational control processes.
- Management efficiency. You can solve operational management and planning issues using the work log and related documents. You can monitor the construction status and respond to all emerging situations online. Make changes to current schedules and plans, see specific geolocations on the 3D model to assess the volume of work performed or the complexity of the problem.
Thus, both the developer and the investor can quickly solve emerging problems. You can do operational analytics that will allow you to engage in planning. This will help to fully understand the process of building construction even for those who do not have a construction education, but are responsible for solving financial issues. - Work “in the field”. Such an electronic log of general work in the field is especially convenient when you have to fill it out directly at the construction site. For example, you can upload documents, take photos and videos from the site, create defective acts , adjust data while being directly at the construction site using a tablet and smartphone. And not the old-fashioned way of scribbling everything on a piece of paper, and then trying to make out what is written on it. You can also create convenient full-fledged reports for management right at the construction site.
An electronic system that will replace paper documents will optimize many tasks and provide relatively more benefits than costs. It is logical to use a product now that will solve a wide range of problems and help with planning, control, and creating reports on work performed. And documents that do not require signature and registration, such as operational control cards, can be completely converted to digital form now. And then, when the legislation legalizes electronic signatures or documents, completely switch to an electronic construction work log. This will help facilitate work, ensure security and transparency for planning and management, and improve the quality of work.
PlanRadar for digitalization of general logging in construction
For convenient digital documentation, cloud platforms are best suited, allowing you to work in real time directly from your smartphone or tablet. Intuitive menus and ease of use allow you to create the necessary document in 10 minutes and then quickly fill out the documentation thanks to templates. PlanRadar is a construction management software that takes care of all the routine, allowing specialists to save time and promptly communicate with the team, instantly track the progress of work on the construction site. Among the convenient functions:
- Template creation. You can quickly create the templates you need to keep a work log and then simply enter the data directly on the construction site. A few clicks, and a report on the progress of work for the day is ready. All templates are easy to customize, and if necessary, you can upload the template you need in PDF format directly to the application and work with it on site.
- Works on any device and with any operating system. All you need is a smartphone in your hands to fill out the general construction log.
- All data at hand. PlanRadar is your single database, where all documents on the object are collected: plans, acts of hidden works, inspection acts, orders of supervisory authorities. This makes it much easier to fill out the construction work log. It is also convenient for work in the field: any indicator is always at your fingertips. Have you lost the signal at the construction site? Do not worry about the safety of data: continue working offline with documents: as soon as you reconnect to the network, the document will be synchronized.
- Report generation. There is no need to spend additional time on generating reports. Based on the data entered into the general construction work log, the program will automatically generate a report. All that remains is to share it with management by sending it electronically or by printing it.
- Accuracy and relevance of information. In case of conflicts or disputes with one of the parties, you have all the information on the project securely stored. Electronic maintenance of the construction work log is additional control over the entire construction process and collection of evidence for the court or possible conflicts.
Find out more about the digital construction log
- Task management . With PlanRadar, it is convenient to create tasks and monitor their implementation. Create a task in a couple of clicks, assign a responsible person. The employee immediately receives a notification: he already knows what needs to be done. Specify the task by adding a photo, video or voice note to it. Mark the problem area directly on the drawing or in the 3D model: this will make it easier for the task performer to navigate. As soon as the task is solved and the responsible person marks it in the application, the task status will change color. This helps to visually monitor the progress of work on the site.
- Effective communication . The entire team works with documents in real time, receiving updates. This allows you to instantly exchange data in the chat, write comments to a specific employee, and quickly communicate about the progress of a specific task. PlanRadar becomes a single information channel where all data is displayed online, and information on a project or task is relevant regardless of the location of the participants or the device they are working with. This saves a lot of time on communications, discussions, and adjustments compared to standard communication in messengers.
Try our digital construction log app. Save time, reduce routine paperwork, and increase efficiency for your entire team. Try PlanRadar for free for 30 days!
