Question answered
What project documents and decisions should be recorded before construction starts?
The direct answer
Use one controlled register to show what exists, which revision is current and what decision relies on it.
A residential project evidence register is a working index of the information supporting the next commitment. It should distinguish documents that have merely been mentioned from those received, current, reviewed, approved or externally confirmed.
The register does not prove that every item is correct. Its purpose is to make the basis of decisions visible, identify gaps and stop superseded or unreviewed material being treated as settled evidence.
Decision ruleNever use 'available' as a complete evidence status. Record the document, revision, date, source, review purpose, reliance and next action.
Why this matters
The decision sits across several workstreams.
Project information often sits across email, portals and different consultants. A list of filenames without status or purpose does not establish what the team can rely upon.
The same document may be adequate for one decision and inadequate for another. For example, an early structural note may support feasibility but not construction pricing or site work.
A good register makes unresolved information visible before the contract, payment or programme assumes that it is complete.
The readiness test
Five checks to put on the record.
Identity
Record a clear title, originator, date and revision for each item.
Evidence to identify: The document itself and the issue record.Current status
Distinguish requested, received, under review, reviewed, approved, superseded and unresolved.
Evidence to identify: Issue sheet, review note, approval or written response.Purpose
State the decision or activity the information is expected to support.
Evidence to identify: Decision log, action register, programme or instruction.Professional reliance
Name who reviewed the item, for what purpose and with what limitation.
Evidence to identify: Written professional comment, marked-up review or report.Dependency
Show what cannot proceed, be priced or be decided until the item is resolved.
Evidence to identify: Linked action, procurement item or programme activity.What to do now
A controlled sequence for the owner.
Start with the next commitment
List the information needed to support the actual decision, not the entire historic archive.
Collect and identify
Obtain the files and record dates and revisions from the documents themselves.
Classify the evidence status
Do not mark an item reviewed unless the relevant reviewer and purpose are recorded.
Link gaps to actions
Every unresolved item should have an owner, request, dependency and date.
Freeze the decision record
When a commitment is made, retain the register version showing the evidence relied upon at that point.
Working resource
Minimum evidence register fields
These fields keep identity, status, reliance and action separate.
- Reference and document title
- Originator
- Date and revision
- Evidence status
- Reviewed by and review purpose
- Decision or activity supported
- Dependency
- Owner and next action
- Target date
- Source link or file location
Print or copy this list into the project record. Completion of the fields does not amount to professional verification.
Warning signs
Pause and ask for clarity if any of these appear.
- Documents are described by informal names such as 'latest structural drawings'.
- The folder contains multiple revisions but the register does not identify the current one.
- Approval, review and receipt are treated as the same status.
- Important advice exists only in meeting notes or email fragments without a decision record.
- The contractor's price or programme relies on information that the relevant designer has not issued for that purpose.
From project experience
The practical pattern.
The register is most useful when it records uncertainty honestly. An unresolved status is better project control than a misleading tick.
This is a professional observation, not a statistical claim or a project-specific conclusion.Questions to put on the record
Ask for answers that can be checked.
- What decision is this document expected to support?
- Is this the current revision, and how do we know?
- Who has reviewed it and for what purpose?
- Does an external authority or third party need to confirm it?
- What depends on it?
- What is the next action if the evidence remains incomplete?
Frequently asked questions
What owners usually ask next.
Is a drawing register the same thing?
A drawing register is an important part of the record, but the evidence register also covers reports, approvals, licences, appointments, insurances, decisions and other information supporting the commitment.
Does Start Ready review the evidence register for free?
No. The free check is based on answers. Professional review of actual project evidence belongs to the £950 Resolution Plan or another defined appointment.
Should every historic document be included?
Focus first on current and material evidence. Retain the archive, but do not let historic volume obscure the information supporting the next decision.
Sources, editorial responsibility and boundaries
Published by: Planning & Project Advisory Ltd.
Editorial lead: Anthony Lilley. Planning, design coordination and owner-side project context.
Publication record: Published 26 August 2026. Professionally reviewed 3 September 2026. Geographic scope: England.
Method: Primary sources, professional observations and the use of drafting tools are explained in the editorial policy.
Limit: This material is general information. It is not legal advice, technical approval, a compliance certificate or authority to commence work.