Site Diary
The site diary app your crew fill in on site, on the day.
Crew log hours, notes and photos on their phone, or clock in at the gate. Every entry shows when it was sent and, with location on, whether it was written on site.
No credit card. Every feature and unlimited users on your first job.
A site diary is the daily record of a construction job: who was on site and for how long, the work completed, deliveries, delays, visitors and instructions, with photos. Australian builders use it to back up variations, payment claims and delay disputes. It carries the most weight when it is written on site, on the day it describes.
Each person logs their own day on their phone. Foreman stamps when and where it was written, and the office sees every job in one list.
Sound familiar?
- The diary gets written on Sunday night from memory and a camera roll.
- A client asks what happened on the 14th, and the answer is spread across three phones and a notebook.
- A client disputes a variation, and the only record is a text message someone deleted.
What you get with Site Diary
Stamped with when and where it was written
Every entry carries the time it was submitted, separate from the date it covers, and flags anything written off site. A record made at the gate reads very differently from one typed up a week later.
Clock in and out at the gate
Turn on clock-in and crew scan the site QR when they arrive and leave. Each shift saves to the diary with the exact time on site, so the hours fill themselves in.
A history on every entry
If anyone changes an entry later, its History shows who changed what, and when. Everyone who can see the entry can see the History.
Photos on the day they were taken
Photos taken in Foreman attach straight to that day's entry, so you have a dated record of work before it gets covered up.
Every job in one list
Filter every diary entry across your jobs by crew, project and dates, with the hours totalled at the top.
Handed over in two taps
Export exactly what is on screen as a CSV for payroll and invoicing, or a PDF with photos to send a client or head contractor.
Every shift, on site and on the day
Crew scan the gate QR when they arrive and tap Check out when they leave. Both times, Foreman checks the phone is within 250 metres of the site, and the shift lands in your diary list.
Your crew
On their phone, at the gate
On site, Brunswick St
Checked in 6:58 am · 8h 22m
Site hours 7:00 am – 3:30 pm
1. They check in at the gate
Checked out
Brunswick St
6:52 am – 3:04 pm · 8h 12m
Saved to the site diary
Add what you did, and photos2. They check out, and it saves to the diary
You
In the office, in any browser
Hours worked
15h 50m
Avg 7h 55m per person
On site now
2
Across 2 projects
Checked in today
- 8h 22m
Sam Nguyen · Brunswick St
6:58 am – now · Frames, garage and bed 3
- 8h 05m
Mia Costa · Carlton North reno
7:15 am – now · Waterproofing, ensuite
Today
- 8h 12m
Josh Reilly · Brunswick St
6:52 am – 3:04 pm · Roof trusses delivered, one cracked
- Off site7h 38m
Dan Kelly · Carlton North reno
7:02 am – 2:40 pm · Stripped bathroom, skip collected
3. You see every shift, on every job, as it happens
Example screens. Names, jobs and hours are made up.
How Site Diary works
- 1
Crew clock in at the gate, or open the job on their phone and start a diary entry.
- 2
They add the hours and a quick note on what got done, including weather, deliveries and anything that held the job up.
- 3
Photos taken in Foreman attach straight to the day's entry, and Foreman stamps when and where it was written.
- 4
The office filters every job's diary by crew and date, and exports it when someone asks.
What each diary entry records
Each entry is one person's day on one job. This is what it holds, and why it matters when a day is disputed later.
| Field | Who records it | Why it matters later |
|---|---|---|
| Date it covers | The person logging it | Ties the work to the day it happened |
| Hours | The crew member, from clock-in and clock-out or typed in | Backs up the timesheet and a subbie's invoice |
| What got done | The crew member, in their own words | Weather, deliveries, delays and instructions go here, in the note |
| Photos | Taken in Foreman, attached to the entry | Shows what went in before it was covered up |
| Time it was submitted | Stamped by Foreman | Separates a record made on the day from one typed up a week later |
| On site or off site | Stamped by Foreman, when location checks are on | Shows whether it was written at the job |
| Edit history | Kept by Foreman | Shows what changed after it was first submitted |
There are no separate fields for weather, deliveries or delays. They go in the entry's note, which the office can search.
What it costs
Your first job is free with every feature and unlimited users, with no time limit. After that it's $29 a month for each person with a login, or $23.20 a month billed yearly, so 8 people with a login, you included, is $232 a month. People who only induct are never counted. See Foreman pricing.
Start free on your first job
Customer story · Tivoli Projects
“I’m not chasing people anymore, and all site information is there if we are audited.”
Free templates and guides
- Free site diary template to print
- Clock-in timesheets for your crew
- How residential builders use the diary
- Logging a diary entry, step by step
- Exporting the diary as a CSV or PDF
- How to keep a site diary that holds up later
- Is a site diary legally required in Australia?
- Best site diary apps in Australia
- Using the diary on older phones and patchy signal
Frequently asked questions
- Why do builders need a site diary?
- A site diary is your evidence when time or money is disputed. A dated, photo-backed record written on the day backs up variations, delay claims and payment claims, and settles arguments with subbies and suppliers about who was on site and what arrived.
- Do my crew need to download an app?
- No. Foreman runs in the browser on any phone, including older ones, so there is nothing to install. Each person has their own login and logs their own day.
- Can entries be changed after they are written?
- Yes, and every change is recorded in the entry's History: who made it, when, and what changed, from the old value to the new one. So it is always clear what was written on the day and what was changed later.
- Where do weather, deliveries and delays go?
- In the day's note, in the crew member's own words, with photos attached. Delays and verbal instructions are the details that matter most later, so it pays to get them down while you are still on site.
- Does it work with patchy signal on site?
- Foreman runs on whatever phone your crew already carry, including older ones. It needs a connection to send an entry, so in a black spot, send it once you are back in range.
- Can I export my site diary records?
- Yes. Filter the site diary to the job and dates you need, then download a CSV for payroll or invoicing, or a PDF with photos to send a client or head contractor. Either way you get exactly the entries on screen.
- Can the site diary work as a timesheet?
- Yes. Turn on clock-in and every shift saves to the diary with the time on site, by person and by job, ready to export for payroll.
Keep your sites in order
Run your next job on Foreman, free.
Your first job is free with every feature and unlimited users. No credit card needed, and paid plans are month to month.