Construction project documentation

Two weeks ago my father died. My mother had died two years earlier and my father had been less than communicative with my brothers and I about his personal affairs, so trying to sort his things out after he died wasn’t easy. Fortunately he had given the church instructions on how his memorial service should be conducted. His financial advisor seemed to have his financial affairs under control. However, one of the biggest problems we had was finding out who his friends were and how to contact them to inform them of his death. There were five different lists of contacts and we didn’t know whether they were his or my mother’s friends and who was still living. Many had changed their telephone numbers and we couldn’t contact them.

This reminded me how important it is for Project Managers to keep records on site. As a Project Director I have on occasion had to step in on a construction project when a project manager has been suddenly taken ill or had to attend to urgent personal business. It’s often been frustrating trying to find who to contact and which suppliers and subcontractors were being used on the construction project. #constructionmanagement #constructiondocumentation 

"Project information on computers and phones must be accessible to the company"

In this day and age project managers have their own laptop computers, tablets and smart phones, and it can be even more frustrating since all the project information is often stored on these devices which travel with the project manager. It’s therefore important that the construction company has systems in place whereby information on these devices is regularly backed-up onto the company’s central computer system so that it can be retrieved by someone else should the project manager be unavailable. The information should also be stored in a standard system of files and folders so that information can be easily found.

"Ensure the next project manager has access to all the project information"

It’s important that project managers give a full set of handover documentation to project managers who are relieving them while they are away on leave.

Sometimes construction projects work double shifts and there is a project manager on duty for each shift. Again it’s vital that they handover sufficient documentation to the incoming project manager so they know what work was done in the previous shift and what they need to do during their shift.

"A comprehensive and up to date set of project documents is invaluable."

​If the construction project has a full set of records which are easily accessible, and the project manager prepares a comprehensive set of handover documentation, then the transition from one project manager to another can be fairly seamless.
See also Documents That Will Make Your Construction Variation Claim Successful

​Paul Netscher has written several easy to read books for owners, contractors, construction managers, construction supervisors and foremen. They cover all aspects of construction management and are filled with tips and insights.
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The books are available in paper and ebook from most online stores including Amazon.