Construction Reporting: Types of Construction Reports

All projects use reporting to monitor progress and performance, but in

construction, reporting is especially important. Construction reports are more
varied and chart everything from project status to incidents and compliance.

What Is Construction Reporting?

Construction reporting is the creation of informational documents on everything

from project events to stages and processes for monitoring and controlling the
project, but also to present to stakeholders and keep them updated. Construction
reports can be written or generated by project management software, but they’re
always data-rich and usually illustrated by graphs and charts.
That doesn’t mean construction reporting is verbose; they’re best when short and
concise. The idea is to get a snapshot of the project or various aspects of it in an
easily understandable fashion. The language should be clear and the format
should be simple. The information in the construction report should stay on topic.
There are other reports that can capture specific information.

While you could manually create construction reports, project management

software is designed to do it faster and better. This construction project
management softwares make use of reporting tools that automatically gather
real-time data. For example, you can create a status report with a couple of
keystrokes, filtering the results to show only what you want to see. Reports can
be shared in a variety of formats and even printed out for stakeholder
presentations.
Why Is Construction Reporting Important?

The foremost importance of construction reporting is keeping the project on

track. Construction reports offer insightful data on the project’s progress, status
and performance, all of which are necessary for the project manager to ensure
that the project is moving forward as planned.
Construction reports are made to be shared with the general contractor,
subcontractors, project managers, stakeholders and everyone involved in
the construction project. This transparency helps everyone make more informed
decisions and also identifies and corrects issues when they arise.
There’s also the budget. Reports create a window into costs and make sure that
project spending aligns with the budget. This provides a reference point for
contractors. The more accurate and up-to-date the construction reporting is, the
more likely that the project will be delivered on time and within budget as
overspending will be caught early and corrected quickly.
There are many other types of construction reporting. All of them are equally
important in keeping the construction site safe and within code and regulations.
Construction reports go beyond the ability to view the planned versus actual
efforts to give data to general contractors to examine how productive work has
been, chart the impact of weather and serve as a living record if there are
personnel changes or to archive historic data.

Types of Construction Reports

As mentioned, there’s more than one type of construction report. Each covers a
different activity but all serve a common purpose. There are more than those
listed below, but these are some of the more common types. All of them are of
great importance to the viability of the project.
Construction Site Inspection Report
A construction site inspection report isn’t about progress or performance. It
summarizes the findings and the recommendations by a site supervisor or
consultant after their site visit. The purpose of this report is to point out any
hazards on the site and then offer suggestions on how to fix them or provide
some sort of protection to mitigate the hazard. It is used to identify and record
potential hazards in the workplace that require immediate attention and evaluate
the integrity of any structures on site. It also inspects and evaluates the integrity
of any equipment on the site. The inspection report will track the recommended
corrective actions and, when completed and closed out, it’s archived for future
reference.

Daily Construction Report

Another unique construction report is the daily construction report, which is a
report that’s filed daily. It documents the project’s daily activities, lists the details
of the site and the job and provides a record for subcontractors and stakeholders.
The daily construction report covers a lot of ground, including the job name,
location, type, job number and phase. Then it reports on the weather conditions,
such as the temperature, precipitation and wind speed. Weather can impact the
project timeline and create risks for workers on the site.
Speaking of the crew, the daily report captures their work logs and crew
timesheets. It also logs the equipment on the site, tracking the hours each has
been used and its current status. Materials on the site are handled the same way.
Any delays are reported, such as which task, why it’s delayed and for how long in
terms of days and hours. There are also safety details and risks, noting any
incidents, all of which can protect the general contractor from litigation. Any site
visitors have to be logged in the report. Finally, there’s a section for notes and
commentary to provide clear communication between the contractor,
management team and other stakeholders.
Construction Cost Management Reports
A construction cost management report measures how the project is doing
through a fiscal lens. As with most reports, it’s used by the project manager,
stakeholders and others to capture various project financial aspects. This report is
usually made more than once over the life cycle of the project, often monthly or
quarterly, though it can sometimes be on demand. The construction cost
management report tends to include how the project is performing on an
absolute cost basis and how it’s performing against the planned budget. The
scope of the report can be wide but focuses on revenue and costs. They can also
include information on legal agreements with subcontractors, taxes, payroll costs,
insurance agreements, cleanup-related payouts and permit fees. Not only does
this provide a financial picture of the project, but it can reveal areas for cost-
cutting.

Construction Incident Report

Construction projects are unique due to the hazards inherent in building. Another
type of construction report that’s only found in construction project
management is the construction incident report. This report documents any
incident that occurs on the construction site. It identifies the cause of the
incident, if possible, and is used to prevent similar occurrences from happening
again. The purpose of an incident report is to ensure that the construction site is
safe and that problems are quickly addressed. Incidents are logged in the
construction incident report whether they’re minor or major. Not only does this
make the construction site safer by addressing the cause of the incident, but it
also provides legal protection to employees and the employer in case of litigation.

Work In Progress Report

A work-in-progress (WIP) report is like a project status report. It shows whether
the project is on budget and how it looks in comparison to the scheduled project
timeline. That’s the basic idea, but the execution is more complicated depending
on the complexity of the project. Work-in-progress reports include the following:
the total amount as stated in the contract, estimated costs, remaining profit,
costs incurred so far, percent completion of the project, billed revenue, paid
revenue, over and under billing and the project backlog. This data is compiled
across departments, including the office and in the field, to help contractors work
more efficiently by having an accurate picture of the business.

Punch List Report

A punch list report is another unique construction report that captures the work
that still needs to be completed on the construction project. It’s work that
requires immediate attention or work that was done but not to contract
specifications and therefore needs to be redone. The punch list report can include
specifications on damages to materials or items that happened over the course of
the project and new demand repair. Or there might be incorrect installations or
parts of the build that are not functioning as designed. Mostly, the punch list will
have minor fixes as larger ones are usually dealt with earlier through change
orders. The contractor will have to complete all the work on the punch list report
before they can receive payment for their job.