Conduct on Site Supervision of a

building and construction project

On site communication

Daily diary

Reason for a daily diary

Many events occur on building sites, and in relation to

building projects which need to be recorded on a daily
basis, these will include:
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Records of conversations
Instructions will be received
Instructions will be given
Meetings will take place
Certifier Inspections
Industrial action
Record progress
Record delays
Keep track of items on hire
Record deliveries
Record safety issues
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Why is it important to record these and other

actions in a site diary:

Maintain relationships with clients, contractors, and

other stake holders

Reduce financial risk

Maintain profit
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Maintaining relationships with clients and other
stake holders:
Communicating regularly with clients, sub-contractors,
suppliers, and other project stake holders is an
important part of maintaining a harmonious working
relationship
Communicating in writing and within a timeframe is a
necessary part of the administering of all building
contracts.
Start communicating in writing from the first day you
meet the client. All too often writing starts after a
problem has occurred. This late action frequently
increases the intensity of the problem and further
dents the relationship between the parties.
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There are formal documents available for the purpose of

communicating which are designed to reflect the conditions of
building contracts.

Building projects are commonly won or lost on reputation and

word of mouth. The relationship that you have with stake holders
on any project will assist in securing future projects
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Reduce financial risk

Keeping records of discussions will help to confirm your

understanding of conversations with your client. This will help to
develop a professional and trustworthy working relationship

Having a professional and trustworthy relationship with your client

is paramount to many building activities, including, timely
progress payments. Clients do not feel comfortable making
payments to a builder they don’t trust.

The result of this is often the value of progress payments are

reduced or delayed. This frequently leads to disputes or at best a
dented working relationship
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The results of many actions that take place on building projects

have a strong history of becoming the content of dispute
resolution, mediation, or court case procedures. These activities
are time consuming and expensive to resolve.

Records in an electronic or hard copy format, i.e. a site diary

are likely to be accepted by an adjudicator as being a true and
accurate record of the facts being discussed.
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Relying on your memory is not likely to produce a true and

accurate record of the facts. Relying on our memory is also not
likely to be accepted as a true and accurate record of the facts by
an adjudicator.

Being able to produce a hard copy of the minutes of a meeting is

always useful when preparing follow up documentation,
particularly if issues such as variations instructions etc were
included at the meeting
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Maintaining Margin

Maintaining a profit margin is paramount to the success of

any business. This is substantially achieved by efficient
progress on site. Part of the purpose of keeping a site diary is
recording the amount and the type of labour, on site
necessary to achieve the required progress
The delivery of materials is also relative to progress and
should be recorded.
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The Diary
Many of the items which need to be recorded are generic to
building projects. It is therefore a simple process to develop
a matrix with standard headings which are directly
applicable to your business. These can then be completed
efficiently and accurately.
Pre formatted computer software packages can be
purchased. Generic software can also be used to develop
individual programmes. The information can then be easily
and efficiently transferred to the filing locations of individual
projects.

Daily diaries can be project specific, or can be used to

record the events of a number of projects depending on your
preference.
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Complete the check progress 1 in your learner Guide

An example of a format for a daily diary is contained in your

learner guide at appendix 1