Contemporaneous Documents: Explained 7 Ways

Why These Everyday Records Are a Project Controls Essential

In project controls, accuracy is everything. Documenting events as they happen isn’t just good practice, it’s your best defence. Whether you're project delays, conducting delay analysis, managing claims, or guiding project recovery, the truth lives in the details — and those details are best preserved in contemporaneous documents.

But what exactly are contemporaneous documents? Why do they matter so much in project environments? And how should teams handle them to add real value?

Let’s unpack it all, from legal and academic definitions to the kind of notes you'd jot in a site diary.

What Are Contemporaneous Documents?

At the core, contemporaneous documents are records created at or around the time an event occurs. Think of them as the real-time footprint of project activity. They capture context, decisions, conversations, and facts as they happen — before hindsight can shape or distort them.

Key Characteristics:

• Timely – Created in the moment, not after the fact
• Original – First-hand accounts, not summaries or interpretations
• Ideally Impartial – Documenting what occurred, not what someone wishes had occurred

Why Do They Matter?

Contemporaneous records form the factual backbone of any well-controlled project. When collected and maintained consistently, they:

• Provide reliable evidence in disputes or audits
• Show the genuine perception of events as they unfolded
• Help reconstruct project timelines in forensic analysis

They’re often what separates speculation from certainty.

7 Ways to Understand Contemporaneous Documents

To help break this down, we looked at contemporaneous documents through seven different lenses:

1. Legal Definition
Contemporaneous documents are records created at the time an event occurred, used as evidence because they capture details while memories are fresh and without the influence of hindsight.

2. Construction/Project Controls Context
In project work, contemporaneous documents refer to schedules, reports, emails, meeting minutes, or site diaries that were written during the actual progress of the project. They're used to verify what really happened on-site in real time.

3. Plain English
These are documents written or recorded right when something happened, not afterward. Think of them like a timestamped version of events.

4. Forensic Analysis Use
Contemporaneous records are key evidence in forensic delay analysis. They help reconstruct timelines because they were produced during project execution, not as part of a later explanation or justification.

5. Academic Tone
Contemporaneous documentation denotes primary source material that captures events or decisions as they unfolded, offering authentic insight into historical or procedural context.

6. Compliance or Audit Use
They are the paper (or digital) trail created in real-time that proves what actions were taken, by whom, and when—vital for accountability and traceability.

7. Everyday Example
If you wrote in your notebook during a meeting, that’s a contemporaneous document. If you wrote about the meeting a week later from memory, that’s not.

10 Common Types of Contemporaneous Documents

Different types of documents serve different functions, but all can help capture vital pieces of the project puzzle. Here are a few examples (not exhaustive):

Each one helps support a more complete picture of the project timeline — not just what happened, but how and why.

Best Practices: Creating Better Contemporaneous Records

To get the most out of your documentation:

• Record promptly – As soon as possible after the event
• Be accurate – Stick to what actually happened
• Include detail – Capture names, times, locations, actions
• Stay objective – Leave opinions out unless required
• Store securely – Use version control and backups

Your future self — or someone doing forensic analysis — will thank you.

Putting It Into Practice

Contemporaneous documents aren't just formal reports. They're also the everyday habits that protect you later. Told in passing to start work in a different area? Follow it up with a quick email: “Just confirming we’ll be shifting to Area C this afternoon as discussed.” Had a scope clarification during a toolbox talk? Jot it in your site diary before lunch. Noticed materials arriving late? Snap a timestamped photo. Even a screenshot of a Teams chat where a design change was agreed upon can serve as a contemporaneous record. The key is this: don’t rely on memory — document what matters, when it happens. You’re not just covering yourself; you’re contributing to a clearer project history.

Don’t Forget to Notify

Creating contemporaneous documents is one part of the puzzle — notifying the client when delays or disruptions occur is just as critical. A well-documented delay that was never communicated loses impact in a claims situation. Notification not only fulfills contractual obligations, but it also strengthens your position by showing that you raised the issue in real time, not in hindsight. A short, timely message to the client noting the event, potential impact, and any action taken can become a cornerstone of your claim — or your defence against one. Solid records are important, but records backed by proper notification carry real weight.

Whose Responsibility Is It, Really?

While everyone on a project should contribute to contemporaneous records, project controls professionals carry a special responsibility. You're the ones building and maintaining the project’s version of the truth — tracking delays, progress, variances, and decisions. If something becomes a claim later, lawyers and forensic analysts will be combing through your schedules, progress updates, reports, and correspondence. The strength of your documentation can determine whether a delay is excusable, whether a variation is valid, or whether the contractor was actually instructed to proceed.

So if instructions were informal, scope changed subtly, or weather disrupted work — don’t wait. Document it. Even brief entries in daily reports or confirming emails can be the difference between a defensible claim and a costly dispute. In project controls, documentation isn’t admin. It’s protection.

In Conclusion

Contemporaneous documents aren’t just paperwork — they’re a powerful tool for clarity, accountability, and ultimately, better project outcomes. In a high-stakes environment like construction or engineering, they help ensure the record reflects what actually happened, not just what someone remembers later.

Whether you're jotting notes in a diary, updating a schedule, or firing off a project email, you're contributing to the real story of the project. And that’s something worth doing well.

📢 What do you think?
Which definition or use case resonated most with you? Drop a comment, share this with your team, or tell us how you’re using contemporaneous records on your projects.