Found a mistake in the site diary? Keep the correction visible.

The diary and delivery docket do not agree

Suppose your site diary says a delivery arrived on Tuesday, but the signed docket shows Wednesday. A payment dispute is brewing, and the date may explain why a crew waited. Quietly changing the diary would leave the reader unable to see what you knew at the time.

Treat the discrepancy as something to explain. Preserve the original entry, check the supporting records and make a dated correction or supplementary note through the system’s appropriate process.

Check whether it is an error or a different event

The diary might record an expected delivery while the docket records actual arrival. It might refer to a first load rather than the remaining materials. Compare the order, messages and work log before deciding which description is wrong.

Ask the person who made the entry what they meant, without asking them to adopt your preferred answer. Record the basis of any clarification. If the position remains uncertain, leave that uncertainty visible in the working chronology.

Separate the original from the later explanation

A correction note can identify the entry, describe the error, name the supporting document and record who made the correction and when. Follow the record system’s controls rather than bypassing its history.

business.gov.au advises storing records so they are protected against change or damage. Preserve the original and its history while adding a transparent correction; do not backdate a new account of events to make it appear contemporaneous.

Source: business.gov.au: Record keeping

Do not turn later memory into an original observation

There is a difference between “the diary recorded no access” and “I now remember the gate being locked”. Both may be relevant to an investigation, but they describe different kinds of information.

Write the later recollection as a later recollection. Note what prompted it and any documents that support or contradict it. Avoid guessing exact times, quantities or conversations simply to make the account read smoothly. A neat story can be misleading when the records are incomplete.

Tell the people using the earlier version

If you already supplied the mistaken entry to your adviser, send the correction with the original reference. Explain whether it changes the disputed quantity, sequence or amount. Ask how to handle a correction if the record has been used in formal proceedings.

Keep a record of the version sent and its recipient. Do not assume everyone reviewing the job will discover the correction in a shared folder. Clear communication prevents different people relying on different accounts of the same event.

Use the corrected history to narrow the disagreement

Return to the actual payment issue. Does the corrected date explain a delay, affect a cost calculation or leave the disagreement unchanged? Identify that consequence without claiming the correction proves the entire case.

For help organising a business dispute, provide CRP with the original entry, correction and supporting records. Use Report a Dispute below and explain what the other party contests. A transparent file gives the next conversation a firmer starting point than an unexplained replacement page.