Daily site report template: fields and a filled-in example
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Short answer
A daily site report template has fields for date and project, weather, who was on site with hours, equipment, work completed, deliveries, issues and delays, visitors, photos and the plan for tomorrow. Fill it in at the end of each day, in the same order, with facts only and no prices.
A good daily report is the same few fields, filled in the same way, every day. This page gives you the fields, a worked example from a fence job with real hours, and the mistakes that make a report useless later. For the thinking behind the fields, read what to include in a daily site report.
Which fields should a daily site report have?
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Date and project | The date, project name and site address |
| Weather | Conditions that started, stopped or slowed the work |
| On site | Each person or trade with hours worked |
| Equipment | What was used and for how long |
| Work completed | What got done today, in plain words with quantities |
| Deliveries | Materials that arrived, and anything short or damaged |
| Issues and delays | What happened, how long, who was told, what was done |
| Visitors and instructions | Inspections, customer visits and instructions given |
| Photos | How many, and what they show |
| Plan for tomorrow | The next steps and anything you need |
What does a filled-in daily report look like?
One day of a 48 meter fence job. The names, hours and quantities are examples.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Weather | Dry, 24 C; wind gusts from 14:00 stopped panel fitting until 15:30 |
| On site | Sam 8 hours, Lee 8 hours |
| Equipment | Mini excavator, 5 hours |
| Work completed | 11 of 20 post holes dug and 11 posts set in concrete (14 bags used) |
| Deliveries | 20 posts and 20 panels delivered at 07:30, all counted and undamaged |
| Issues and delays | Wind, 90 minutes lost on panel fitting; customer told by message at 15:35 |
| Photos | 9: line of posts, concrete bags used, wind damage risk to stacked panels |
| Plan for tomorrow | Set the other 9 posts, fit panels once the wind drops |
Eight short entries. They leave out prices and opinions, and every line is a fact someone can check.
How do I record hours and quantities?
Hours are the part people dispute most. Writing them down by person and task each day lets you reconstruct a job later.
| Day | Crew hours | Equipment hours | Posts set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 (18 June) | 16 | 5 | 11 |
| Day 2 (19 June) | 16 | 3 | 9 |
| Day 3 (20 June) | 14 | 0 | 0 |
Three days add up to 46 crew hours. If the estimate allowed 40 hours, you can see where the extra 6 came from and quote the next fence more accurately. How to track job costs and profit shows the comparison.
How long should the report take?
About five minutes. Use the same order every day so anyone can find what they need, and write it before you leave the site or the same evening. A report written three days later from memory is much weaker than one written on the day. If you share it with the customer or the crew, leave prices out.
Which mistakes should I avoid?
- Writing the report days later from memory
- Leaving out delays because they feel like excuses
- Mixing opinions with facts
- Skipping hours, so labor cannot be reconstructed
- Photos with no count or description
Daily site reports in SiteReporta
For each project, SiteReporta records weather, crew, work completed, issues and photos, and exports the report as a PDF without prices. Everything stays on your device, with no account. The same format works for a final walk-through, as described in how to write a punch list, and photos follow the habits in job site photo documentation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a daily site report used for?
It is a dated record of what happened on a job, used to answer questions about delays, extra work, deliveries and who was on site, and to plan the next day.
Who should fill in the daily report?
Whoever runs the site that day. One person writing in a consistent format is easier to read later than several people writing differently.
Should the report include prices?
No. Leave prices out so you can share the report with the customer or the crew. SiteReporta exports daily reports as PDFs without prices.
Do official projects use similar reports?
Yes. State highway agencies such as Washington's DOT and Caltrans use daily report forms that record weather, workforce, equipment hours, work performed, delays and photos. A small job needs a shorter version of the same fields.
How long should I keep daily site reports?
Keep them at least as long as a warranty, claim or dispute could arise. Retention rules differ by country, contract and insurer, so check with your insurer or a local professional.
Sources
Official sources for the rules and figures mentioned in this guide. Rules change and differ by place, so check the current text and your local rules.
- WSDOT Construction Manual M 41-01, chapter 10 (documentation, daily reports and photographs)
- WSDOT Form 422-004: Inspector's Daily Report
- Caltrans Construction Manual, section 5-0: Conduct of the work (daily reports)
General guidance, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules differ by country and trade.