A Complete Guide to Construction Daily Reports [+Templates]

What’s a construction daily report? 

A construction daily report or daily log is a document that includes all of the details and events of a single day working on a construction project. Site managers or contractors fill out and file these reports to keep an up-to-date record of the relevant project information. The reports typically include things like a list of crew members, material and equipment usage, incidents, job progress, and more. 

What’s the purpose of a construction daily report? 

The purpose of construction daily reports and logs is to provide a detailed description of an ongoing construction project. The daily report includes anything that the stakeholders, investors, project owners, and contractors need to know about that project.

These reports are useful for keeping everyone on the same page. They help to make sure that everyone is aware of any potential delays and that they are getting updates on the progress that is being made toward project completion.

Given how essential these documents are to the project’s success, it’s important that your construction daily reports and logs are accurate and thorough. That’s why we’ve created a complete guide to writing construction daily reports. Continue reading this article for everything you need to know about creating and filing your documents.

How to write a construction daily report

Here are four basic steps to follow when writing your construction daily reports:

Step 1: Create a cover page 

The very first step in creating a construction daily report is drafting the cover page. A cover page provides basic information about the project, including the project name, the date, the location of the job site, and your name. The report’s cover page lets you and your client know at first glance what’s inside.

Step 2: Record details of crew and job site

The majority of a construction daily log will include essential information and even minute details about the project. Recording these details of your project will be the most involved step in creating your daily report. 

Make sure to complete the report in a timely manner and don’t wait until the end of the workday to try and complete the entire daily report. You should add information to your report every hour or so throughout the day, or any time a significant event occurs.

Timely recording can also reduce the chance that you’ll forget important details about the project that day. Consider leveraging technology like construction project management software that can streamline the process and simplify your workflow for creating reports.

Step 3: Sign and date 

Don’t forget to sign and date your construction daily reports, as this makes them official. Once work at the job site is finished, you should set aside some dedicated time to review your completed report to look for any mistakes and review the progress your team made. 

When you’re satisfied with your report, sign, and date it. Making this part of your routine helps you ensure that the daily report is accurate and completed at the end of every day.

Step 4: File the report

Once you’ve reviewed and signed your construction daily report, be sure to promptly send it to your client. Construction software apps for daily reports can streamline the process for sending these documents to your clients. Apps can enable you to create your reports digitally and send them instantly to your client or other team members in real-time.

10 things you need to document on your construction daily reports 

Construction daily reports provide the most accurate picture of what goes on at the job site. That’s why it’s important to include as many details as possible when creating your report. Here are ten must-have sections to include in your construction daily reports and logs:

1. Job details

The first section should include specific details about the job or project, including things like the job name, the job type, and the job number.

You should also include a brief description of the phase the job is in. For example, you should note if the workday included demolition, groundbreaking, framing, and so on.

2. Crew list

It’s best to record all crew members present at the job site. This information helps you cover your bases in case questions arise concerning attendance or payroll. 

A crew list also helps promote safety in your work environment. Knowing who is on the site will help you ensure you’ve got enough workers to complete daily tasks and that no one is being stretched beyond their limits to work safely.

3. Weather conditions

Your documentation should include the weather report for that day, including things like temperature, wind speeds, and any precipitation. 

Bad weather can bring your workday (and sometimes your work week) to a grinding halt, so it’s important to note the conditions of each day so you can record delays that are caused by the weather.

4. Work accomplished 

In this section, detail project completions and progress that occurred. Make sure to record individual tasks and what took place to move them forward, as well as include the job’s progress as a whole. 

Some days, you might have to note that no progress was made or that you’re experiencing delays because of material or staff issues. Even if the project doesn’t see forward progress, document what’s been done and the overall status of the job.

5. Site visitors

Sometimes you might have visitors to the construction site. These visitors could include investors, reporters, company leadership, and even family. 

Any time someone other than your crew enters the work site, you should record it in your daily report. This helps you stay compliant and provide accurate paperwork should an accident occur on-site.

6. Equipment on site 

All heavy machinery on a worksite must be accounted for. You’ll need to include the equipment present and how many hours each machine was used. 

Even if a piece of machinery wasn’t used that day, note that it was parked at the site. This documentation provides information that can be used to maintain the equipment and ensure that every piece is where it should be.

7. Material quantities

A daily construction report also helps you keep track of the amount of materials available each day, as well as the quantity of those materials used. 

This data gives you a clear picture of how much progress a crew makes each day. It also helps you to plan new orders by knowing what you begin and end each day with for materials.

8. Material deliveries

Material deliveries go hand-in-hand with material quantities. Knowing how many and which building materials arrived on-site ensures that your company receives the shipments they’re paying for. 

You should make a note if a shipment doesn’t arrive as scheduled. If your crew is delayed in completing tasks due to a lack of materials, you will then have a record of the missed delivery and show that you’re not at fault.

9. Potential delaying events

A late material delivery can cause severe delays at your work site. But that’s not the only reason for slowed or even halted progress. 

Your daily construction report needs to include any event that caused a delay or could potentially cause a delay. These events could be things like a significant crew absence, weather, or malfunctioning equipment, for example.

10. Incidents and accidents

Safety is the number one goal for all contractors. But when incidents occur, you are required to report them.

Your daily reports should note both significant incidents, as well as any near misses that occur. In addition to your daily report, you are also required to formally file a separate incident report.

Consider using incident report apps that can help with the process and provide templates to use when incidents happen for creating the reports and sharing them with all the appropriate parties.

How to use reports to improve your services

Construction daily reports offer more than just a record of what occurred on a work site. When utilized correctly, they can also serve as tools to help you improve your services. Here are three ways your daily logs can improve your team’s productivity and quality:

1. Increase efficiency 

Construction daily reports are more than just progress notes for the client. You can also gauge the efficiency of your entire operation by reviewing and analyzing the data on your reports.

Mobile apps can help to create your reports and then the data is available so you can see the full picture of your team’s progress and if they are completing tasks to your standards.

2. Save money 

Every company wants to save money, without cutting any corners. Your daily reports provide valuable data about money spent on materials, employees, and more.

Data from your reports can help you to discover patterns and trends. It can help to understand when and why a job is being delayed. By analyzing this information, you can discover patterns in spending, and where budgets can be restructured to save both time and money.

Digitizing your daily reports through mobile apps can help to ensure that you’re collecting the right information and the data is easily accessible in the form of analytics that provides useful insights for your operations team.

3. Streamline workflows 

Daily logs detail everything that happens on a job site and they can help you see what you’re doing well and what can be improved. 

Digitizing this information and making it more accessible will enable your team to find better, faster, and even safer ways to complete your projects. 

When you complete your reports on an app, the reports can instantly be sent to the office, clients, and other team members who need access in real-time. This helps to streamline workflows, save time for your employees, and improve the processes that are in place for sharing and communicating documentation for your business.

Optimize your daily reports with digital processes 

Construction daily reports contain essential information for documenting the progress and status of your projects. Consider implementing simple mobile apps for contractors that can help you to easily capture the details of a day on your site with digital documentation.

Your peers in the construction industry have found that these tools give them a competitive advantage, increase productivity, and eliminate much of the time spent on paperwork and other manual tasks.

All of this can lead to greater profitability for your business, projects completed on schedule, and increased satisfaction and retention of your workers with modern processes in place to help them succeed.

Why you should use construction daily log apps

Many contractors and construction firms are moving their daily logs to the digital format using mobile apps to record daily logs and create PDF reports. This technology works well for the construction industry because it provides mobility and ease of use for many people to enter the required information into mobile forms. 

Once the information is collected, it’s instantly shared as a formatted report and the data can be used for reporting and analytics purposes. The end result is a more efficient way to collect information in the field and greater visibility into operations. 

This saves valuable time by reducing manual paperwork and outdated processes and it gives the business insights needed to make decisions that help the business operate in smarter ways.

Free Examples and Templates

General Construction Daily Log

The construction daily log makes it simple to keep track of a daily report of work performed and noteworthy updates that occur daily on a job site. The mobile app can be completed using a tablet or a phone to ensure that all of the important data from the field is captured and shared back with the office.

The mobile app can also be used as a time-tracking tool, helping to eliminate paperwork for managers on-site. The daily log is designed for documenting all employee’s activities so that management can monitor productivity in real-time to avoid potential delays. 

How it works:

• Capture images of work completed
• Add details about potential safety hazards and other daily work details
• A digital report is automatically generated and sent to the construction manager, general contractor, and safety managers.
• Customize the app to add specific inspections or other required documentation that is required for your job site.

Subcontractor Daily Logs

Looking for a specific template to use based on the type of subcontractor work? Follow the links below to find additional examples and templates by use case.

• Carpenter Daily Log
• Cleaning Crew Daily Log
• Drywall Daily Log
• Electrical Daily Log
• Fire Sprinkler Installer Daily Log
• Heavy Equipment Operator Daily Log
• HVAC Daily Log
• Mold Remediation Daily Log
• Painting Daily Log
• Plumbing Daily Log
• Roofing Daily Log