Site Management

As-built drawings are the final set of drawings that show a project as it was actually constructed, including every change from the design drawings. In Australia they are often called work as executed (WAE) drawings, and they are handed to the owner for operation, maintenance and future works.

A construction management plan (CMP) is a document setting out how a building project will be run to manage its impact on neighbours, traffic and the environment, covering hours, access, deliveries, noise, dust and safety. Councils often require one as a condition of development consent or planning permit.

A delivery docket is the document that comes with materials or plant delivered to a construction site, listing what was supplied, how much, from whom and when. Site staff check and sign it on arrival, and it later supports invoice matching, quality records and quantity tracking.

A dilapidation report is a dated record, with photos and written notes, of the condition of neighbouring buildings, roads and public assets before construction starts. It is used to prove whether any cracking or damage found later existed before the works or was caused by them.

Document control is the process of managing a construction project's drawings, specifications and records so that everyone works from the current approved version. It covers numbering, revision tracking, issuing with transmittals, approvals, storage and removing superseded documents.

A duress alarm is a device that lets a worker call for urgent help, usually by pressing a button, that instantly alerts nominated people such as first aiders, supervisors or a monitoring service. On construction sites they are used by lone and remote workers and as fixed emergency call points across large sites.

IFC drawings (issued for construction) are the design drawings formally released by the design team as approved for building. They replace earlier tender or preliminary issues, and they are the set the contractor and subcontractors build from on site.

An O&M manual, or operation and maintenance manual, is the handover document that tells a building owner how to operate, maintain and repair everything installed in the building. It compiles equipment data, maintenance schedules, warranties, certificates, test results and as-built drawings from every trade.

A prestart meeting is a short briefing held on a construction site at the start of each shift, where the supervisor runs through the day's work, hazards, controls, site changes and coordination between trades. Workers sign on to confirm they attended and understood.

An RFI (request for information) is a formal written question a contractor sends to the design team or superintendent to clarify drawings, specifications or contract documents. It records the query, the answer and the date of each, so gaps or conflicts in the design are resolved before work proceeds.

Shop drawings are detailed drawings prepared by a subcontractor, fabricator or supplier showing exactly how a component will be made and installed, such as structural steel, precast panels, joinery or ductwork. They translate the design drawings into buildable detail and are submitted for review before fabrication.

A site diary is the daily record kept by the site manager of what happened on a construction site: weather, labour and trades on site, plant, deliveries, work done, delays, instructions, visitors and incidents. It is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for extension of time and variation claims.

A toolbox talk is a short, informal safety meeting held on site, usually 5 to 15 minutes, where a supervisor and the crew discuss a specific hazard, task or recent incident. It is one of the main ways Australian builders consult workers and pass on safety information.

A transmittal is a cover record that lists the documents sent from one party to another on a construction project, with their revision numbers, purpose and date of issue. It proves what was sent, to whom and when, and is a core part of document control.