System Requirements for Viewing this Course

Sponsored by ASCE Continuing Education and the Construction Institute (CI).

The instructor was very good at explaining the content and went through important aspects of documentation that we need to know. Very informative and clearly relayed to the audience.

INSTRUCTORS: Bill Haydt

Purpose and Background

This webinar will describe why the contemporaneous documentation that is created by the stakeholders during the life of a construction project is so important and valuable. The various ways that we document and preserve what occurs during the course of a construction project for posterity will be described, and suggestions for making this documentation more fact-focused and effective will be presented. The webinar will discuss how effective communications and documentation can increase the likelihood of resolving issues in a timely manner and without resort to the claims or litigation process. Real-life examples of both effective and not-so-effective communications will be presented.

Primary Discussion Topics

• Pre-construction documentation
• Standard project documentation (Project Meeting Minutes, Submittal Logs, Daily Reports)
• Communications (Emails, Letters, Schedules and Schedule Updates)
• Inspections, tests, and non-conformance notices
• Oral communications and directives
• Photographs and videos

Learning Outcomes/Benefits

• Recognize when an event should be documented
• Recognize when a response to other documentation is required
• Draft an effective letter, memo, or email that is neutral in its tone, focused on facts, and omits editorial or inflammatory comments
• Create unbiased meeting minutes
• Complete Daily Reports that accurately recount the what happened on the project
• Better understand the need for a filing system that is used by all and facilitates the retrieval of relevant facts

Webinar Outline

• Why good documentation is so important and why contemporaneous documentation is even more important
• Standard records (Meeting Minutes, Logs, Daily Reports)
• Testing and inspections
• Communications (Letters, Emails, Schedules)
• When and how to document oral communications
• Tips for effective photographs and videos