Free site diary template
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Free site diary template (PDF). Record weather, labour, plant, deliveries, instructions, delays and incidents as a daily site record. Download free.
Commercial Director
Key takeaways
- A site diary is the daily contemporaneous record of what happened on a construction site: weather, labour, plant, subcontractors, deliveries, visitors, instructions, delays and incidents.
- Because it is written each day, the diary is treated as strong evidence in delay, variation and payment disputes under most AU construction contracts.
- Record facts, times and names, not opinions; note any verbal instruction or direction and confirm it in writing the same day.
- Keep the diary even on quiet or no-work days, and have the site manager sign each entry so the record is dated and attributable.
Updated 4 June 2026
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What is a site diary template?
A site diary template is a structured daily record of everything that happens on a construction site, completed by the site manager or supervisor at the end of each working day. For each day it captures the weather and ground conditions, the labour on site by trade or company, the plant and equipment on site, the subcontractors present, deliveries received, visitors and inspections, instructions and directions given or received, delays and stoppages, and any incidents or safety events. It is a factual log, kept in date order, that records what actually occurred rather than what was planned.
Site diaries are used by head contractors, subcontractors, project managers and superintendents across building, civil and infrastructure work. Their value is contemporaneous: because each entry is written on the day, the diary carries real weight as evidence when a delay, variation, extension of time or payment claim is disputed later. Standard Australian construction contracts such as AS 4000-1997 require records to support claims, and a complete diary is often the first document examined in an adjudication or dispute. In MapTrack, the same daily detail can be captured against the site and the plant on it, so labour, plant hours and deliveries are logged with photos and time stamps rather than written up from memory days later.
Learn more about asset tracking in MapTrack.
Benefits of using this site diary template
- Contemporaneous evidence: a diary written each day carries far more weight in a dispute than notes reconstructed weeks later from memory.
- Delay and EOT support: recording weather, stoppages and their causes daily builds the factual basis for an extension of time claim.
- Variation backup: logging every instruction and direction, verbal or written, links extra work to who asked for it and when.
- Labour and plant proof: a daily count of trades and plant on site supports prolongation, disruption and resource-based claims.
- Dispute readiness: a complete, signed diary is usually the first record an adjudicator or superintendent asks to see.
- Accountability: dated, signed entries make each day attributable to the manager who recorded it, reducing later argument.
- Site handover: a continuous diary gives an incoming manager the full recent history of the site at a glance.
Benefits of digitising forms in MapTrack
When you move your diarys from paper to MapTrack, you get:
- Field users can easily scan a QR code to complete a form on mobile. Unlimited users.
- Automatically get alerts when faults are identified.
- Link every form digitally as a PDF to the relevant asset, location or person.
- Receive a digital PDF copy with every submission to your email.
- Ability to share forms digitally.
- Build conditional logic (show or hide questions based on answers).
- Take pictures or attach photos. Not possible with a paper-based form.
- Electronic signatures.
- Edit forms later without reprinting.
- Restrict permissions (who can view, complete or approve).
- Build forms with AI (describe what you need and MapTrack suggests the form).
- Manage SWMS sign-on digitally so every worker is recorded before entering site.
- Track tool and plant movements between multiple job sites in real time.
- Generate site-specific compliance packs for principal contractor audits.
Book a demo to see how MapTrack handles diarys.
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What to include in a site diary template
This site diary template covers 11 key areas:
- Header: project name, contract or job number, site location, date, day number and the person completing the diary.
- Weather and conditions: morning and afternoon weather, temperature, rainfall and ground or site conditions affecting work.
- Labour on site: each trade, company or crew present with the number of workers and hours worked.
- Plant and equipment on site: each item of plant present, whether owned, hired or idle, and key operating hours.
- Subcontractors on site: each subcontractor present and the work area or activity they are engaged on.
- Deliveries and materials: materials and equipment received, supplier, docket number and any shortages or damage.
- Visitors and inspections: site visitors, the superintendent, principal, regulators or inspectors and the reason for the visit.
- Instructions and directions: any instruction, direction or verbal request given or received, and who issued it.
- Delays, stoppages and disruptions: any delay or stoppage, its cause, the time lost and the work or trades affected.
- Incidents and safety events: injuries, near misses, environmental events, breakdowns or any reportable matter.
- Sign-off: signature, name and date of the site manager confirming the entry as a true record of the day.
How to use this site diary template
- Open the diary at the start of the day and record the date and conditions.: Note the date, day number, project and the morning weather and ground conditions before work starts. Capturing conditions early makes it simple to link any weather-related delay recorded later in the day to the actual state of the site.
- Log the labour, plant and subcontractors on site.: Walk the site or check the gate record and write down each trade, crew and subcontractor present with worker numbers, plus the plant and equipment on site and whether each item is working, hired or idle. These counts underpin any resource-based claim.
- Record deliveries, visitors and inspections as they happen.: Note each delivery with its supplier and docket number, any shortage or damage, and every visitor, superintendent or inspector who attends, with the reason. Recording these during the day, not afterwards, keeps the detail accurate and complete.
- Capture every instruction, direction and verbal request.: Write down each instruction or direction given or received, who issued it and what it concerned, then confirm anything verbal in writing the same day. Unrecorded verbal directions are the most common cause of later disputes over variations and scope.
- Document delays, stoppages and incidents with cause and time lost.: For any delay, stoppage, breakdown or safety event, record what happened, the cause, the time lost and the trades or activities affected. Add photos where they help. This is the factual core an extension of time or disruption claim is built on.
- Sign, date and store the entry the same day.: Have the site manager sign and date the completed entry so it is attributable and clearly contemporaneous, then file it in date order. In MapTrack the daily record is time stamped on capture, so the entry date cannot be argued after the fact.
In MapTrack, you can track construction equipment across every site. Each submission is stored as a timestamped PDF against the asset record.
Get the free templateEnter your email above to download the full site diary template as a PDF.Back to download formHow often should you complete this diary?
Complete a site diary entry every working day for the life of the project, including weekends and shutdown days where work or activity occurs. Keep an entry even on no-work days, recording the reason (weather, holiday, stand-down), because a gap in the record weakens any later delay claim for that period. The diary should be written up the same day while detail is fresh, not batched at week end. In MapTrack, daily labour, plant and delivery records are time stamped on capture, so the contemporaneous nature of the diary is preserved automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Applicable regulatory standards
This template aligns with the following regulations and standards:
- AS 4000-1997 - General Conditions of Contract (records supporting delay, variation and extension of time claims)
- WHS Act 2011, Section 38 - Duty to notify of notifiable incidents (recording incidents and safety events on site)
- Security of Payment legislation (state-based) (contemporaneous records supporting progress and payment claims)
Need to track construction equipment across every site?
Register every asset in MapTrack, attach digital forms, and get a complete history of every inspection, service and compliance record.