The Construction diary is an essential tool to document the daily progress of construction work. It not only records key details such as personnel on site, weather conditions, and working hours, but also provides a comprehensive overview of problems encountered, solutions implemented, and special occurrences.

A notable advantage of our Construction diary system is the ability to work offline via our iPad app. This allows you to enter information on-site and seamlessly create Reports. Additionally, you and relevant team members can sign Reports directly on the device, with these signatures being seamlessly integrated into the final Report.

This article is an idea or suggestion on how you can create a Plan in docu tools, where all relevant information can be quickly and easily filled out and then generated in a Report. Instead of a plan representation, however, you use a calendar sheet. You can either create your own calendar or use the calendar provided by us at the end of this article.

Plan import and Project Configuration

Import a calendar as a Plan

The first step is to Import a calendar as a Plan. Follow the steps described in this article to seamlessly Import the calendar.

Setting up a Pin Category and custom Pin Fields

Add a new Pin Category for the Construction diary

Access the project settings.
Navigate to the "Category" tab.
Create a new Category specifically for the Construction diary and choose a Title and color that suit your preferences.

Add custom Pin Fields

Go to the project settings under the Pin Design tab.
Configure Pin Fields tailored to your Report requirements.
Assign these Fields exclusively to the "Construction diary" Category to avoid clutter.

You have the option to configure various Pin Fields depending on the specific requirements of your Report. As a starting point, you should consider the following suggestions:

Field type: Number

Construction diary No. (Report Number)
Specific sites or Companies
as number Fields to represent the number of people present on a specific day.
Foreman, skilled worker, helper, machinist, apprentices, others.
Company 1, Company 2...
Working hours
Rule Number
Within the contract, specific obligations and tasks are clearly delineated. All activities that go beyond the contractual framework are classified as Rule. Typically, the contract explicitly outlines what is considered Rule, ensuring comprehensive clarity over contractual and non-contractual duties.

Rule works are tasks that are necessary due to an unforeseen (unplanned) development and are paid according to time spent, thus hourly wage tasks. Here, the manner of execution of the works on the construction site is discussed.

Field type: Time

Work start time
Work end time
Working hours

Field type: Text

Work performed
Special occurrences
Subcontractor

Field type: Slider with two options (Yes/No)

Rule - Yes or No

Further information on project settings can be found in our article.

Configuration of the Report Template

Now you can proceed with setting up the Template for the Construction diary. For this, you can use the provided placeholders for Pin Fields in the app.

Navigate to the project settings.
Select the Pin Designs tab.
Click on a Field to open the detail view.
Click on the {{}} icon to display the associated placeholders.
Copy each placeholder using the designated button and paste it into your Report Template.

Learn more about placeholders in this article. We recommend creating a Word Report Template, although Excel is also an option. An example of a Report Template can be found in the attachment.

Efficient Setup of the Construction diary

Follow these steps to efficiently use the Construction diary:

Open the calendar in the Plan list.
Create a new Pin and set it to the current date.
Set the Category of the Pins to the Construction diary Category.
Fill out all relevant Pin Fields, including comments, photos, and other documents.
Select the Pin in the Pin list, Click on the editing icon, and choose Create new Report to create a Report. See this article for alternative methods of Report creation.
Create a Report using the Template for the Construction diary.

Tips and Tricks

"Copy Pin" option:

Save time by copying the Pin from the previous day in the calendar using the Copy Pin option in the Web app or Save as Template on the iPad. Then you only need to adjust the Pin Fields where changes have occurred.

Group multiple Reports:

If you want to summarize several days in one Report, you can use the bulk editing option in the Pin list. Simply select the relevant Pins via the checkboxes and then create the Report. All information will then be included in a single Report.

Add a signature Field:

These placeholders enable direct signing within the iPad app and contribute to the final output of the Report:

{{signature-NAME}} - Displays a signature Field during Report creation, which is then output in the final Report.
{{signaturname-NAME}} - Generates a text Field for the signer's name during Report creation on an iPad, which is then included in the Report.

NOTE: Since these placeholders can be used multiple times within a Report Template, it is important to distinguish them from each other. The "NAME" segment of the placeholder should be replaced with a meaningful Description indicating where in the Report the specific signature and name should be displayed.