By Matt Brennan • What the RFI? Episode 5
“Where is it?” is a frustrating question at an airport and an expensive one on a construction project. In Episode 5, Matt Brennan connects a lost-luggage experience at AIA Aspire 2024 with the need for reliable Construction Administration logs.
Lessons from Episode 5
Give each item a traceable history
A useful log tells the team what an item is, when it arrived, who has it and what needs to happen next. RFIs, submittals and changes have different workflows, so their status fields should reflect those differences.
Record issue and response dates consistently. Link to the actual document and identify revisions. When someone asks whether an answer is overdue, the team should be able to check the record rather than rely on memory.
Bring the data to the meeting
Matt describes taking logs to site meetings so questions about response times and outstanding work can be discussed using the same information. That can help separate a genuine bottleneck from a general impression that nothing is moving.
Review the items that affect upcoming work. Assign the next action and confirm the date it is needed. The log supports the conversation; the team still needs to make and communicate the decision.
Choose a system the team can maintain
A spreadsheet can work when it is accurate and available. A dedicated platform may reduce repeated entry and make retrieval easier. The useful measure is whether people can find the current record and trust its status.
Keep your own accessible project record and check how information can be exported. A system that looks organized on one person’s computer is less useful when that person is travelling or away from the project.
Your next step
Identify the item, revision and responsible reviewer.
Keep dates and status current.
Link each entry to the supporting document.
Review critical outstanding items at site meetings.
Watch or listen to the full episode
Watch Episode 5 on YouTube or listen to From Luggage to CA Logs: AIA Aspire 2024 Recap and read the transcript.
Related Construction Administration guides
construction RFI guide • shop drawings and submittals guide • construction meetings guide