Production rarely proceeds exactly as planned. Recording progress serves to:
- Document actual vs planned timeline (identify delays and their causes)
- Create evidence for evaluation (demonstrates problem-solving and decision-making)
- Enable reflection on what worked and what could be improved
- Provide a transparent record for assessment
Annotated Gantt chart / production log
- Update the original plan with actual completion dates and times
- Note deviations from the plan in a separate column or by colour-coding
- Simple, visual, easy to compare planned vs actual
Production journal or diary
- Daily or session-by-session written record of:
- What was produced
- What worked well and why
- What problems arose and how they were resolved
- Decisions made and their rationale
- More detailed than a Gantt update; captures the reasoning behind decisions
Photographic documentation
- Photographs at each production stage provide visual evidence
- ‘Before and after’ images demonstrate modifications
- Video can record processes that are difficult to capture in still images
- Photographs should be annotated with labels, dates, and brief explanations
Quality control records
- Checklists recording whether quality standards were met at each checkpoint
- Measurement records (actual dimensions vs specification)
- Surface finish inspection notes
Modification records
- Formal log of changes made to the design, plan, or timeline
- Each entry: what was changed, when, why, and what the expected effect is
Design modifications:
- Material not available as specified → substitute with equivalent or better material
- A graphical feature proves unachievable with available tools → simplify or redesign
- End user feedback during development stage reveals a problem → iterate on the design
- A structural weakness identified during construction → reinforce or redesign that feature
Planning modifications:
- A step took significantly longer than estimated → adjust remaining timeline
- A tool is unavailable or requires maintenance → resequence to use that tool later
- Additional steps required that were not foreseen → insert into the plan
- A risk identified mid-production not covered in the original risk assessment → add control measure
Timing modifications:
- Materials take longer to source than anticipated → adjust start date for dependent steps
- Cure/dry/set time longer than planned → shift subsequent steps
- School timetable interruptions → reschedule missed production sessions
For every significant modification, document:
1. What was changed (be specific: ‘changed from M8 bolts to M6 bolts’ not ‘changed fasteners’)
2. Why it was changed (the trigger: ‘M8 bolts were not available in the required 20 mm length’)
3. How it was implemented (‘sourced M6 × 20 mm bolts from school hardware stock; adjusted pilot hole diameter to 5 mm’)
4. Effect on quality, timeline, or cost (‘no impact on joint strength; added 30 minutes to timeline’)
KEY TAKEAWAY: Recording progress and modifications is a design skill, not paperwork. It demonstrates critical thinking, problem-solving, and design integrity.
EXAM TIP: If asked why modifications to a production plan are important to document, answer on at least three levels: evaluation evidence, quality control, and improvement of future practice.
