A sample daily site diary built by Construction Metric
This is the record a site produces without anyone writing it up. A day of ordinary WhatsApp traffic, 47 messages, 6 photos and 2 voice notes, arrives as a structured, timestamped diary the same evening: who was on site, what was built, what was delivered, what went wrong and what it may cost. Every line stays traceable back to the message, photo or voice note it came from. The project below is fictional; the structure is exactly what Construction Metric writes.
This is a sample record. Fictional project, real structure: built from 47 messages, 6 photos and 2 voice notes.
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Daily site diary
Millbrook Rise, Phase 2
Thursday 16 April 2026 · Report 017 / Rev 0
Daily flash summary
- Weather
- Dry with variable cloud. Early drizzle cleared by 08:00. 8 to 14 C, wind to 22 km/h W.
- Primary activities
- Internal upstand formwork nearing completion (Harts Civils joiners). Attenuation tank excavation continues. Off-site fabrication of shortfall steelwork for Friday delivery.
- Key constraints
- Shortfall in box-section steel being fabricated off-site. Concrete pump availability tightening against programme.
- Commercial position
- DAY WORKS AGREED with Delta Steel for fabrication of shortfall box-section steel. Cost to be captured as a variation. Mitigation: concrete pump brought forward for pour next week, protecting programme.
Labour split
- Harts Civils6
- Delta Steel2
- Your Company2
Day works agreed with Delta Steel for shortfall box-section steel. Capture as a variation. Mitigation: concrete pump pulled forward to protect the pour programme.
Records captured through the day
Captured live through the working day. Busiest at 08:00, not written up from memory at close.
01 Project information
Project: Millbrook Rise, Phase 2
Contract ref: MR-014
Address: Weaver Street, Manchester
Date: Thursday 16 April 2026
Project manager: D. Mercer
Contractor: Your Company Ltd
Report no.: 017 / Rev 0
Document ref: MR-YC-XX-ZZ-RP-PM-00017-SiteDiary
02 Weather
| Period | Temp | Wind | Rain | Impact on works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM (07:30 to 13:00) | 8.4 to 12.9 C | 16 to 22 km/h W | 0.3 mm drizzle to 08:00, dry after | None. Drizzle ceased before full site mobilisation. |
| PM (13:00 to 18:00) | 13.3 to 13.9 C | 16 to 18 km/h W | Dry | No impact. Good conditions for formwork. |
03 Labour on site
| Ref | Contractor | Operatives | Ops | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L01 | Harts Civils | 3 x joiners | 3 | Upstand formwork to Level 2, approaching completion |
| L02 | Harts Civils | 2 x groundworkers | 2 | Attenuation tank excavation, arisings re-used as haul road fill |
| L03 | Harts Civils | 1 x engineer | 1 | Setting out: attenuation tank and upstand lines |
| L04 | Delta Steel Ltd | 2 x steel fixers | 2 | Fit-up of masonry support brackets, prep for Friday steel delivery |
| L05 | Your Company Ltd | FLT driver | 1 | Material distribution and site logistics |
| L06 | Your Company Ltd | Site manager | 1 | Site management, programme coordination, H&S oversight |
| Total on site | 10 | |||
04 Works undertaken
W01 Level 2, internal upstands
Joiner team reported good progress on internal upstand formwork, now nearing completion. Work continues tomorrow with remaining upstands and preparation for hollowcore planks and stairs.
W02 Attenuation tank
Excavation continues. Arisings re-used on site as fill to the new loading-out road at the rear of the plot, saving muck-away cost and building the permanent haul route in parallel.
W03 Front elevation, parapet steelwork
Shortfall identified in box-section steel required for the parapet glazing support. Items being fabricated off-site overnight, delivery agreed first thing Friday. Day works agreed, see C01.
W04 Concrete pump coordination
Pump requested to be pulled forward, confirmed on site for pour next week. Mitigates the steelwork delay and holds the hollowcore programme.
05 Deliveries
No scheduled deliveries today. Quiet delivery day, window used for preparatory works.
08 Health & safety
09 Commercial matters
C01 Delta Steel, day works for shortfall steelwork. Variation
Day works rate agreed for fabrication of shortfall box-section steel. To be captured as a variation with signed day-works sheets.
C02 Attenuation tank, contract works. Variation
Excavation proceeding as a variation. Arisings re-used as haul road fill, saving to be captured against the variation.
10 Contractual record
PROJECT RECORD: Day works agreed with Delta Steel for fabrication of shortfall box-section steel for the front elevation parapet glazing support. Fabrication off-site Thursday 16 April. Delivery and installation Friday 17 April. Cost to be captured as a variation and substantiated by signed day-works records.
11 Actions tracker
| Ref | Action | Owner | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A01 | Confirm day-works rate and scope in writing, issue variation notice | D. Mercer | 17 Apr | Open |
| A02 | Confirm date for brought-forward concrete pump | D. Mercer | 17 Apr | Open |
| A03 | Set up dedicated pedestrian route alongside fencing | Site manager | 17 Apr | Planned |
| A04 | Chase design team for roof drainage sign-off | Design team | TBC | Outstanding |
12 Photo record
6 photos captured today are embedded in the full record with timestamps and senders. Shown here as placeholders.
13 Daily summary
A productive day on the formwork and groundworks fronts. Level 2 internal upstands are close to completion and the attenuation tank excavation continued cleanly, with arisings re-purposed as haul road fill. The key commercial event was the shortfall identified in parapet steelwork: overnight off-site fabrication was agreed on a day-works basis with delivery on Friday, and the concrete pump was brought forward to protect the hollowcore pour. Both decisions and their costs are captured above as they happened.
14 Sign-off
Prepared by: D. Mercer, Project Manager
Signature: ____________ Date: ______
Reviewed by: Site manager, Your Company Ltd
Signature: ____________ Date: ______
The flash summary sent at the end of the day
Daily flash summary · one page
Millbrook Rise, Phase 2
Thursday 16 April 2026 · Report 017 / Rev 0
The day in four lines
- Weather
- Dry with variable cloud. Early drizzle cleared by 08:00. 8 to 14 C, wind to 22 km/h W.
- Activities
- Internal upstand formwork nearing completion (Harts Civils joiners). Attenuation tank excavation continues. Off-site fabrication of shortfall steelwork for Friday delivery.
- Constraints
- Shortfall in box-section steel being fabricated off-site. Concrete pump availability tightening against programme.
- Commercial
- DAY WORKS AGREED with Delta Steel for fabrication of shortfall box-section steel. Cost to be captured as a variation. Mitigation: concrete pump brought forward for pour next week, protecting programme.
Needs a decision: day works with Delta Steel to be confirmed in writing and issued as a variation notice by tomorrow.
✓ What moved today
- Level 2, internal upstands: Joiner team reported good progress on internal upstand formwork, now nearing completion.
- Attenuation tank: Excavation continues.
- Front elevation, parapet steelwork: Shortfall identified in box-section steel required for the parapet glazing support.
- Concrete pump coordination: Pump requested to be pulled forward, confirmed on site for pour next week.
→ Tomorrow
- Confirm day-works rate and scope in writing, issue variation notice (D. Mercer)
- Confirm date for brought-forward concrete pump (D. Mercer)
- Set up dedicated pedestrian route alongside fencing (Site manager)
The project narrative assembled across the job
Ongoing project narrative
Millbrook Rise, Phase 2
Week commencing Monday 13 April 2026 · updated daily
Ask the record a question. In the live product this searches every day since the group was connected.
Monday 13 April 2026
Week opened with 11 on site. Scaffold adaptation to the front elevation signed off by 09:30 and blockwork resumed to Level 2. A late brick delivery (12:40, rescheduled from the morning) cost the bricklaying gang roughly an hour of standing time.
Tuesday 14 April 2026
Attenuation tank excavation opened up as varied works. First arisings carted to the rear to begin forming the loading-out road. Setting out checked against the latest drainage drawing. One near miss logged: a dumper reversing close to the pedestrian gate, banksman repositioned and route coned off.
Wednesday 15 April 2026
Upstand formwork advanced across Level 2 with three joiners on. Wincro masonry support brackets fitted to the front elevation. Roof drainage design query chased with the design team, no response received by close.
Thursday 16 April 2026
Upstand formwork now nearing completion. The day's key event was commercial: Delta Steel identified a shortfall in box-section steel for the parapet glazing support, and day works were agreed for overnight off-site fabrication with delivery on Friday. The concrete pump was pulled forward to protect next week's pour. Both are recorded as they happened, with the day-works decision flagged as a variation.