Reporting, Documentation, and Program Requirements
Documentation as the record of verification
If it is not documented, it did not happen. Reports must be contemporaneous, factual, objective, and traceable. Each entry should identify the project, date, inspector, location, requirement verified, method used, result, and any supporting evidence. Opinions belong in a clearly labeled recommendations section, never mixed into findings.
Writing findings that survive scrutiny
Use neutral language. Write "clearance measured 12 mm against a specified 25 mm minimum" rather than "installer did poor work." Avoid speculation about cause unless the program asks for it, and never assign blame. Distinguish observation, nonconformance, and recommendation as separate categories. A common exam trap is a report that bundles several unrelated issues into one finding, making closure unverifiable; each nonconformance should be discrete and individually closeable.
Photographs and data integrity
Photographs need context: location, orientation, scale reference, and date. Avoid editing beyond cropping and brightness adjustment, and note any adjustment made. Data must be attributable and retained per the program's retention schedule.
Program requirements and confidentiality
Programs impose their own rules on report timing, distribution, corrective action tracking, and confidentiality. Know that reports go only to authorized recipients and that client information is protected. Corrective actions require verification of closure, not merely a contractor's statement that work is complete.
Worked rule of thumb
Apply the "stranger test": could a qualified reader who was never on site understand exactly what was observed, where, against what requirement, and what happens next? If not, revise before submitting. Also confirm submission deadlines, since late reports can invalidate program compliance regardless of content quality.