Field capture on phones
Daily logs, photos, RFIs and punch items captured on a phone, landing directly in the job record so the office sees what the field sees.
This describes how os.construction is being built. Details may change before launch.
On this page
The jobsite is where most construction facts are born: what got installed, who was on site, what was hidden behind the drywall. In a disconnected stack, those facts are typed into a field app, then retyped, summarized or lost on the way to the office. In os.construction, a super’s entry on a phone is the first step of the record. This page explains how field capture is being designed.
Built for the people who use it
Field software fails when it is built for the office. A super is standing in a corridor with gloves on, a radio going and four trades waiting for an answer. Field capture is designed around that:
- Big targets, few taps. The common actions (log, photo, RFI, punch) are one tap from the job home screen.
- Photos first. A photo with a voice or text note is often the fastest accurate record. Structure can be added later.
- No cost codes required. Field users capture what happened. PMs, or an agent proposing for a PM to confirm, attach cost codes when something turns into cost.
- Location aware. Entries can be tagged to the project area (level, room, gridline) so they are findable later.
What you can capture
| Record | What it holds | Where it goes next |
|---|---|---|
| Daily log | Weather, manpower by trade, work performed, deliveries, visitors, delays | Job history, productivity, potential changes |
| Photos | Photos with notes, location and time | Attached to logs, RFIs, punch, change orders |
| RFI | Question, location, photos, drawing and spec references | Architect, then potential change |
| Punch item | Issue, location, responsible trade, photos | Sub’s punch list, closeout |
| Safety and inspections | Toolbox talks, sign-ins, inspection results | Compliance records |
From the corridor to the cost report
Here is the Riverside Medical example from the field’s point of view:
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Log it
The super opens the L3 corridor ceiling and finds no fire dampers where the drawings show them. Three photos and a short note go into the daily log.
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Turn it into an RFI
One tap turns the log entry into a draft RFI. The RFI agent can propose the question, the spec section (23 33 00) and the drawing (M-301) for the super or PM to confirm.
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The office sees it immediately
The PM sees RFI-212 with photos the moment it is sent, and can flag the likely cost impact as a potential change.
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It follows the record
When CO #14 is priced at $86,400 and approved, the original photos and log entry stay linked. Months later, the pay app line still traces back to the corridor.
Why it matters to the office
The value of field capture is not the app. It is what happens to the data after:
- Change orders start earlier. Hidden conditions become potential changes the day they are found, not when someone remembers at the OAC meeting.
- Backup is attached. When an owner questions a change, the photos, log and RFI are already linked.
- Daily logs mean something. Manpower and work-performed entries can be compared with cost to date, which makes cost-to-complete estimates easier to defend.
- Nothing is retyped. The office does not re-enter what the field already captured.
Offline and connectivity
Jobsites have dead zones: basements, steel structures, rural sites. How the mobile experience works without signal is being shaped with founding contractors right now. If your crews regularly work without coverage, tell us when you join. It directly affects what we build first.
Subcontractors in the field
Subs often know about a problem first. The design allows outside companies to submit records like daily reports, punch completion and photos into the same project, limited to what is shared with them. See Roles and permissions.
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