Build a Property Capital-Project Decision Log

Consider a hypothetical exterior-painting project. The first proposal covers surface preparation and coating, but excludes timber repair. During preparation, the contractor reports a deteriorated trim section. Keep the original proposal intact and open a separate decision entry for that discovery. Describe the location, the dated observation and the evidence requested before deciding whether the work belongs in a change order.

The log might now hold three linked entries: the initial painting authorization, the newly reported condition and a later repair authorization. A revised total is useful, but it should not replace those three events. If a repair price is only an estimate, retain that label until the scope and amount are approved. Record who can approve the change and which document communicates that approval.

The printable decision-log worksheet below provides space for the condition, options, evidence, authority and next review. Use one sheet per material decision rather than one sheet for an entire project. Assign a project reference and entry number so an approval email, proposal revision or photograph can be found without reproducing the whole file.

Before a decision, list the unanswered questions and who will resolve each one. At authorization, record the selected scope, amount and exclusions exactly as approved. At closeout, compare that approved scope with completion evidence and unresolved items. The worksheet is blank, stores no entries online and contains no account of a specific RLF Companies project.

A project invoice, completion photograph and inspection record answer different questions. In the painting example, a photograph may document the visible finish, while a dated repair invoice identifies the work described by the contractor. If concealed repair quality remains a question, record the additional review required rather than using the appearance of the finished surface as the answer.

Close an entry with a short reason, a reviewer and the supporting reference. A decision to accept a remaining limitation should identify the limitation and the person making that decision. Carry warranty dates, seasonal observations and incomplete evidence into the next review list. Keep closed entries available so later maintenance begins with the full history.

Open the log with the property area, observation date, source record and the practical decision that must be made. Describe the visible condition or documented requirement without assigning a cause that has not been established. A qualified inspection, vendor recommendation and owner observation should remain separately attributed.

State the consequence of waiting as a question to be evaluated, not a prediction presented as fact. Identify any immediate safety, access or operating issue for the responsible professional process. The log organizes evidence and decisions; it does not replace project-specific technical, legal or insurance review.

List the alternatives actually considered, including continued monitoring, targeted repair, broader replacement or further investigation when those options are relevant. Give every option the same baseline: scope, assumptions, exclusions, useful life as represented, disruption, schedule dependencies and evidence source.

Keep vendor proposals attached in their original form. A comparison row may summarize them, but it should not erase different quantities, warranties or access assumptions. If one proposal answers a revised scope, identify the revision instead of placing it beside an earlier proposal as though both priced the same work.

A recommendation records who proposed an option and why. An authorization records who approved a defined scope, amount and date. Preserve both events. When the owner requests a change, add the reason and the source information available at that time rather than silently revising the earlier entry.

Use a clear status such as evidence gathering, alternatives under review, authorized, in progress, exception open or closed. A verbal update may be noted, but the decision record should point to the written approval that controls the work.

The following fields form a reusable structure, not a record of any particular RLF Companies project. Add rows whenever new information changes the decision or its execution.

At completion, reconcile the approved scope with change records, invoices, warranties, photographs and the verification appropriate to the work. Record exceptions and later monitoring dates. A final photograph can document appearance; it may not establish concealed performance or code compliance.

Retain the alternatives that were not selected and the evidence available at the time. This prevents a later reviewer from assuming that the final scope was always obvious. Over multiple projects, decision logs can reveal recurring planning questions, but comparisons should preserve differences in property, condition, access and market timing.

• Open the printable property capital-project decision log