Construction Daily Reports: The Value of Software for Connectivity on the Jobsite

Cliché terms are often cliché for a reason. They can hold timeless truth. So, I'm going to throw a cliché phrase into the air: time is money. This is becoming increasingly significant with the emergence of construction software, particularly in the area of construction daily reports.

The meticulous process of drafting, collecting, merging, and summarizing daily reports is often a superintendent's least favorite task on a day-to-day basis, especially while managing multiple subcontractors at once.

What makes this process even worse is when each subcontractor uses a different process for recording these reports. Some subcontractors submit pen and paper reports, while the others may use excel spreadsheet reports or text messages. In this case, the general contractor superintendent has to collect and organize each of these different reports in a binder, or they have to double enter all of that information into their construction project management software. Merging all of this messy data into one big report on a daily basis is an inefficient, gruesome process.

Now, thanks to new field reporting software, it doesn't have to be that way.

Daily reporting software for construction has been created exactly for the purpose of streamlining this process, making it an easy and painless time-saver. For example, Raken's daily reports make it easy to record information throughout the day. You can capture the critical pieces of your daily report directly in the mobile app as you can walk the jobsite. Forget carrying around a clipboard and scribbling down notes throughout the day, only to have to remember and rewrite the information at the end of the day.

Take photos or videos inside the Raken app, or upload them from your phone, and attach them directly to your daily report.

Do you need to take pictures to document progress on a certain build or installation? Well here's another cliché phrase for you: a picture is worth a thousand words.

Daily reporting solutions allow you to take photos or videos inside the app, or upload them from your phone, and attach them directly to your daily report. This not only shortens the amount of text explanation needed in a daily, but also provides proof of quality and completion in case you find yourself in a legal dispute regarding that specific task.

Daily reporting software allows you to easily include all of these features in an easy-to-create daily report:

• Daily Weather Report: Automatically capture a full weather report in every daily.
• Photos and Videos: Capture photo and video from inside the app or upload them directly from your phone.   
• Task Assignment: Assign, manage, and complete crew tasks.
• Time Cards: Record worker hours and cost codes.
• Safety and QA: Capture safety and quality assurance notes.

Effective daily reporting in construction is all about consistency and organization. Software makes that possible.

Where It All Comes Together

Effective daily reporting in construction is all about consistency and organization. This is where the magic happens. Like I mentioned earlier, it gets really difficult and time consuming for a superintendent when they have to herd cattle in the form of collecting daily reports from subcontractors. With Raken's Super Daily feature, this struggle disappears. Super Daily lets the reporting subcontractors download and use Raken for free, allowing them to make beautiful daily reports that automatically collate into the general contractor superintendent's daily report, removing the need to chase down dailies.

On top of that, all the daily reports look the same and are easily presentable to the project manager or owner. The organization and presentation of daily reports is vital to protecting firms against construction litigation, and can even help win bids. If a client knows that their general contractor is going to have proactive, clean, and consistent daily reports, that general contractor is more likely to win the project bid. On the litigation side of things, if a dispute arises four years after completion of a project, Raken makes it easy to search through cloud-based digital files in order to easily find the exact day or part of the project in question. This helps prove compliant work and, in turn, can save a construction company from massive litigation penalties.  

Raken's latest integration with Autodesk allows you to easily access all of your daily reports and photos directly within the Documents tab in Autodesk. By utilizing a point solution for daily reporting that integrates with your project management software, you're able to capture best-in-class daily reports while also keeping all of your project documentation in a single place.

Want effortless construction daily reports?

Learn about the new BIM 360 + Raken integration