Documenting the Construction Project: Photos

Frequently, the advice given regarding proper documentation is to "document everything" -- better safe than sorry. While such advice might be appropriate for some, for most it really doesn't answer the question and is probably not practical, anyway. Essentially, the documentation prepared on the project needs to support your view or perspective of project events. For example, if it is your belief, based on your experience and observations that the subcontractor is mismanaging the job and its workforce, it is not enough to state this belief. There must be credible documentation in the file that supports this view. There should be daily log or diary entries that record your observations regarding the sub's performance -- the number of workers you see standing around, reading the paper, playing cards, sleeping, etc. Pictures are just another way of documenting your view. For this example, you should take pictures of the subcontractor's staff asleep, or playing cards, or reading the newspaper. You should also date your pictures and attach a written description of the dated photograph.