How to Write A Field Report

Field reports, also known as site reports, observation reports, progress reports, or construction activity reports, are used for documenting observations during regular site visits.

Comprehensive field reports that give all parties involved a clear overview of the project status, planning, agreements made, and actions required are crucial to the smooth running of any construction project:

1. They help you spot irregularities early in the process before they escalate to something that gets hard to reverse.
2. They reduce the risk of misunderstandings, costly mistakes, and frustrating delays, especially when many different people and companies are involved.
3. They will help you avoid costly, time-consuming, and energy-draining discussions and legal procedures, especially when the reports are well documented and include clear photos.

Bottom line: Good communication, through accurate field reports, reduces misunderstandings and mistakes, increasing the project’s profitability.

This article shares the key elements that make a field report complete and accurate, enhance communication and planning, strengthen your professional image, and protect you from claims.

1. Report Number

In order to be able to identify a report (now and later), a unique number is required. Typically, this report number is a combination of the project number and a sequence number of the report. For example: “Project XYZ-5”. This means “Field report number 5 for project XYZ”. The unique report number is a useful reference for further communication. “As described in report XYZ-5, it was agreed that …”.

2. Report Title

The title should be short and concise and should immediately clarify what the report is about, e.g., “Field report 5 for project XYZ”.

3. Project Details

Include the customer’s name and address, a brief project description, and the project number. If someone receives your report, they’ll want to know immediately which project it is about. Often the report will also be sent to the customer, and it shows courtesy and respect by putting their name and project description clearly at the beginning of the report.

4. Date and Time

Clearly record the date and time of the site visit. This adds a date stamp to the report’s content and could be helpful for later discussions.

5. Project Status

A high-level description of the project’s status and other general impressions.

Many architects add a picture to the status to give the reader a global view of what the job site looks like at this stage of the project.

North American architects, engineers, and contractors typically add weather conditions to the project status.

Below is an illustration of how the five elements mentioned above – report title and number, project details, date and time of site visit, and project status – are displayed in a report generated with Deltek ArchiSnapper.

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6. Approval of the Previous Report

The site meeting is often started by asking if there are any comments on the previous site report. Include this in your field report, for example: "There are no comments on the previous field report dated 01/15/2023."

7. Planning

A construction project is a process in which different stakeholders get involved in a specific order (for example, structural work, plumbing, electricity, flooring, paintwork, etc.). To avoid delays, the different stakeholders must have a view of when they are expected to start their activities.

Therefore, the field report often includes information about the planning of the works. Which activities have already been completed and which are in progress? What are the next phases, and when will they start? This allows each stakeholder to get an idea of when they need to start and adjust their planning accordingly.

8. Practical Information

Often the location, date and time, and people invited to the next meeting, or any other practical information, are mentioned in the field report.

9. People Present

Each field report will also typically include a contact table with the details of the parties involved, like their names, roles, and contact information.

This way, everyone can see the complete list of parties involved.

Typically, this table also indicates the persons present on-site at the time of the visit and which parties received the report.

10. Observations on status, progress, and deficiencies of the work

This is the core of the report. These items represent the status of the project as a whole and of the various ongoing tasks. Observations should include deficiencies or non-conforming work: write a clear description of what is wrong, why it is wrong, and the next steps to solve it. Also, assign items to the parties involved. If no one is assigned, deficiencies often don’t get solved.

Observations in a field report are often classified into different categories (the different trades). For example:

• Foundations
  • observation 1
  • observation 2
• Roof
  • observation 1
  • observation 2
  • observation 3

Each item is further detailed with elements like a number, status, date, description, photos, assignee, location on a floor plan, and more.

Here are some best practices for accurately documenting observations in a field report.

Add Structure

If a report follows a clear structure, it is easier for the brain to process it. We know where to look for information and act upon it.

Try to use the same headers and subheaders, the same formatting each time to structure your reports, and make it easy for the parties involved to scan through it and take out the information that is important to them.

Add Photos

Take pictures to illustrate or clarify your observations. Pictures say more than 1000 words and also increase your report’s readability.

No one reads a report consisting of plain text, but you can be sure that people who receive your report and scan it quickly will take a look at the pictures and drawings in your report.

Use straightforward and easy-to-understand language

Field reports are important, but they don’t have to be complicated. Try to write out clear and complete sentences that everyone can understand. Formulate it as you would explain it to someone who knows nothing about the project, like a friend.

Number your observations

Don’t forget to number the items in your field report. This makes it easy to refer to later and avoids confusion and misunderstandings. We have seen that many architects use the “report number” followed by the “observation number.” For example, item 3.7 means item seven of the third report.

Show the item locations on a floor plan

Show involved parties exactly where a problem is located by placing numbered pointers on the floor plan. Or sketch on the floor plan for extra clarification.

Status, date, tags, and more

Many architects also add other details to make items even more unambiguous and accurate, such as the status of the observation (OK or NOK), the date by which it should be resolved, or an additional tag, for example, “Urgent.”

Here is an illustration of how observations are displayed in a field report created with ArchiSnapper. We see an item, Baseboards, with a status (NOT OK), a number (1.1), an assignee (Steve Wood), pictures showing what exactly the problem is, an indication on the floor plan where the problem is located, a label (action required), and a date.

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11. Documents

During a construction project, lots of documents are requested from the various stakeholders. If you need to receive documents from other parties, you could also list them in the site report.

Mention the assignee and a deadline so everyone knows which documents they need to supply and by when.

12. Disclaimer

This is important. Protect yourself from possible claims and lawsuits. Including a standard disclaimer in each report might save you trouble, time, and money sooner or later.

If you don’t know where to start, here is a standard text that you could use:

"Disclaimer: Inspections performed by the Architect/CM under this contract have been conducted under the limited conditions as described by site observations in the AIA Documents A201, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction, as referenced in the Owner-Architect Agreement.

Information contained in this Field Observation Report by firm name has been prepared to the best of our knowledge according to observable conditions at the site. This information will be an approved record unless written notice to the contrary is received within seven (7) calendar days of the issue date of this document. Written corrections shall be reported to observer at firm name. Oral rebuttals will not be accepted."

13. Corporate Branding

Finally, let’s not forget to add corporate branding, such as your company name, logo, address, and contact information. This contributes to a professional image.

However, don’t overdo your branding. Remember, the main goal is a simple, clean, and structured field report. Adding too many special effects and gimmicks will make your field report harder to understand and draw attention away from the core message.

Tip: Add your written signature at the bottom of your site report; it gives your site report a personal and professional touch.

ArchiSnapper is an easy-to-use yet powerful application specifically designed for field reports and punch lists for architects and engineers.

Over 10,000 users automatically generate professional reports directly on-site with ArchiSnapper on their smartphone or tablet.

How does ArchiSnapper work?

• Visit the site with the ArchiSnapper app on your smartphone or tablet and document items with photos, annotations on photos, floor plan annotations, assignees, and more.
• Your site report is automatically generated in PDF format – ready for distribution. Your logo and other layout settings are applied automatically.
• Or, if desired, you can complete and finish the report back at the office via laptop or desktop before distributing it.

ArchiSnapper users say that the app saves them at least 1 hour of work per report and, thus, easily several hours per week. Time they can now spend on useful work instead of struggling with reports and photos in Word.

Try Deltek ArchiSnapper for Free

Join 10,000+ architects, engineers and contractors who use Deltek ArchiSnapper for fast field reports and efficient punch lists.

Start a free 14-day trial