Construction daily report template

A daily report a superintendent can actually finish in ten minutes: structured tables for weather, manpower, work performed, deliveries, delays and photos — so the record holds up when someone asks what happened on site six months later.

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Construction daily report template
Template from Planium — planium.com
Project name
Project number
Report number
Date
Day of week
Prepared by (superintendent / foreman)

How to use this daily report

Fill the report out the same day, before you leave the site — a report written from memory two days later is worth a fraction of one written at 3:30 PM with the site in front of you. Record facts, not opinions: who was here, what got done, what arrived, what got in the way.

Daily reports are routinely pulled in delay claims, change order negotiations and disputes. The report that helps you is the boring one: consistent, dated, specific about locations and quantities, and filled out every working day including days when "nothing happened."

Weather & site conditions

Note conditions at least twice a day. If weather stopped or slowed work, say which activities and for how long — that detail is what supports a weather-delay entry later.

TimeConditions (clear / rain / snow / wind)Temp (°F)Impact on work
7:00 AM
12:00 PM
3:00 PM

Manpower on site

One row per company or crew. Head count and hours per trade is the single most-requested piece of data when schedules slip — keep it accurate.

Company / crewTradeWorkersHoursWork area

+ 10 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Work performed today

Be specific about location and quantity: "Hung and taped drywall, rooms 201–205, level 2 north" beats "drywall work continued."

Area / locationDescription of work performedBy (company)

+ 8 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Deliveries & equipment

TimeDelivered by / haulerMaterial or equipmentQuantityReceived by / notes

+ 5 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Delays, impacts & visitors

Log anything that cost time or could later: late deliveries, missing information, trade stacking, utility outages, inspections, and site visits by the owner, architect or inspectors (with names and what was discussed).

Type (delay / impact / visitor / inspection)DescriptionTime lostFollow-up needed

+ 5 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Safety incidents & observations

  • No recordable incidents, first-aid cases or near misses today (check if true — otherwise log below)
  • Housekeeping and access routes acceptable at end of shift
  • Site secured at end of day (fencing, excavations, hoisting, temporary power)
TimeIncident / near miss / observationPersons involvedAction taken

+ 3 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Photo log

Reference the photos you took today so they can be matched to this report later. Progress photos of work about to be covered up (in-wall, underground, above ceiling) are the ones you will wish you had.

Photo # / filenameLocationWhat it showsTaken by

+ 6 blank rows to fill in in the Word document

Common questions

Who should fill out the daily report?
The person responsible for the site that day — usually the superintendent, or the foreman on smaller jobs. It should be one person’s job, done at the same time every day, not something passed around. Subcontractors often keep their own dailies too; the GC’s report is the master record for the project.
What should a construction daily report include?
At minimum: date, weather, manpower by company and trade, work performed with locations, deliveries, delays or impacts, safety incidents or near misses, and site visitors. The template covers all of these plus a photo log. The test: could someone who was not there reconstruct the day from the report?
Why do daily reports matter in disputes?
Because they are contemporaneous records — written the day events happened, before anyone knew there would be a dispute. In delay claims and change order negotiations, a consistent set of dailies showing weather, manpower and impacts usually carries far more weight than anyone’s recollection. That only works if the reports are filled out every day, including uneventful ones.
Should I write a report on days when nothing happened?
Yes. A day with no work is exactly the kind of day you need documented — why was no work performed? Weather, missing materials, waiting on an inspection? Gaps in the record read as sloppy record-keeping and weaken every report around them.
How detailed should the manpower count be?
Per company, per trade, with head count and hours. "12 workers on site" is nearly useless in a claim; "Acme Drywall — 6 hangers, 8 hrs, level 2" lets you show exactly what resources were committed and where. It takes an extra two minutes and is worth it every time.

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