Hey {{first_name | default: "there"}},
Most PMs spend 90% of their CO time on the numbers.
Labor hours, material costs, markup percentages. Getting the math right. Making it look clean.
Then they submit it and the owner comes back asking for documentation — and that's when things get slow.
THE LESSON
The cost breakdown is table stakes. Owners expect it. They're not approving your CO because the math looks good. They're approving it because they can verify the work happened, when it happened, and who authorized it.
The documentation is the argument. The numbers are just the conclusion.
I had a CO on a public works job — directed change, no question about scope, owner acknowledged the work verbally. Submitted a clean cost breakdown. Got a request for documentation. Went back to look for daily reports covering the relevant dates. Found two out of five. Had labor tickets but none of them were signed by the owner's rep. Had photos but they were on a super's phone with metadata stripped.
The CO sat for six weeks. Eventually got approved at about 70 cents on the dollar because I couldn't prove the full labor hours. The work happened. I just couldn't prove it the way the contract required.
Now I run the documentation checklist before I start the work, not after. What daily reports do I need? Who needs to sign what? What photos do I need and when? What emails do I need to get into writing?
A CO with solid backup sails through. A CO without it becomes a negotiation you're losing from the start.
THE TOOL
The Change Order Builder workflow builds the documentation checklist as part of the CO — not as an afterthought. Before you get to the cost breakdown, it asks what you have and tells you what you're missing.
It's the step most people skip on the first use because they want to get to the numbers. Don't skip it. That checklist is why the CO gets paid.
Full toolkit at https://jessgregg.gumroad.com/l/pmedgetoolkit — $29.
INDUSTRY PULSE
On my radar:
• Digital daily logs are becoming standard on public work — Several large agencies are now requiring electronic daily logs as a contract requirement. If you're still doing paper logs, the digitization requirement is coming. Get ahead of it.
• AI photo documentation tools are getting accurate — New tools can now pull quantities and progress percentages from job site photos with enough accuracy to support pay app submissions. Still needs human review, but the gap is closing fast.
• Change order approval times are getting longer — Average CO approval cycles on public work stretched to 47 days in Q1 2026 according to recent AGC data. If your contract has a deemed-approved clause, start using it. If it doesn't, document every day of owner delay.
Document before you submit. Submit before the window closes.
— Jesse
The PM Edge | pmedge.io