It’s often been the perception of some general contractors and project stakeholders that daily reports are a waste of time and resources. But contrary to that belief, studies have shown that daily reports actually help to minimize costs overruns as well as project delays, helping to keep the project on time and on budget.
“Daily reports have proven invaluable to our business and the success of our clients,” explained Sam Cicero, Jr., President of Cicero’s Development Corp., a Chicago-based general contractor specializing in commercial property renovation. “Putting it simply, a daily report details the history of the project from the first day the contractors step foot on the jobsite through to the end of the project when close-out is performed.”
Throughout this daily tracking, says Cicero, job performance and productivity are gauged to help determine what if anything needs to be tweaked in order to ensure project specifications are met.
Who’s responsible for developing the daily report?
Since the daily report tells the actual story of the day-to-day activities of the job site and is not some perceived summary taken from the project scope and contract, it’s imperative that a member of the general contractor’s on-site project team be assigned this task. As such, the project manager is usually responsible for keeping this accurate accounting and reports are distributed daily to the project’s on-site and off-site team as well as stakeholders.
What makes up a daily report?
Daily reports will consist of a manpower log which will include the date, company/person, number of workers, number of hours, when work began and ended and location worked. The record keeper will include in this report deliverables for the day such as dumpsters, furniture, job materials, etc.
A visitor’s log is kept to track off-site project personnel’s visit to the site and summarizes the purpose of the visit. An inspection log is included in the report that tracks any job-site building inspections and results. The daily report will describe weather conditions and note any delays due to weather. A safety and accident log is also part of the daily report.
The safety log will serve as a record confirming the company’s commitment to a safe environment by establishing daily reviews of safety requirements and the accident log will help record accidents, if any, for insurance reporting purposes. And then there’s a job log that will describe the actual work that was completed for the day, which project team member/company was responsible for completing its portion.
Daily reports should also include any challenges to the scope that are uncovered and strategies used to resolve those challenges. Pictures help tell the story, so taking pictures of all relevant discoveries and tasks during the day, helps to paint a picture for the stakeholder and those off-site team members.
With so many trades performing their tasks and oftentimes working around and in conjunction with various other trades, the daily report can assist the project manager in controlling the sometimes chaotic environment which ultimately helps to reduce financial risks for the general contractor, independent entities and the owner or stakeholder.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Daily reports help tell the story from start to finish, detailing each aspect of the project’s scope. The bottom line is that in order to be able to analyze planned versus actual costs, schedules and productivity, daily reports are an indispensable tool used to ensure the successful completion of any construction project. When selecting your general contractor for your next renovation project, ask about the kind of record keeping they maintain that would serve to make your renovation experience a successful one.
ABOUT CICERO’S DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Cicero’s Development Corporation is an established General Contractor specializing in commercial renovation for more than 45 years. Headquartered in Plainfield, Ill., the company’s best value practices and deliverables include: Renovationomix®, the systematic method of renovating to increase revenue; $ensible Green®, increasing property owner income through low-cost environmentally-friendly renovations; Disruption Avoidance Management to minimize any renovation disruption and maximize cash flow; and a Surprise Management Program to identify and anticipate potential challenges and roadblocks, and develop contingencies to ensure adherence to timeline and budget. The Cicero’s team brings decades of commercial renovation experience, and is comprised of in-house architect and design teams, experienced project superintendents and foremen, and highly skilled craftsmen. Cicero’s superior workmanship, attention to detail and project management leadership fuels the company’s complete on-time and on budget project track record.
More info at www.cicerosdev.com.