Which drawing did the crew actually work from?
Two people are looking at different plans
Suppose the customer says a doorway is in the wrong place. The office opens the latest drawing, while the supervisor produces an earlier printed copy. Both drawings carry the same project name. Before arguing about the cost, establish which version reached the crew and when.
The newest file in the folder is a useful starting point, but it does not explain the sequence of instructions that produced the work.
Build a short revision history
List the drawing number, revision, issue date and the changes relevant to the disputed area. Keep the accompanying email or issue sheet. Record when the business received each version and who was responsible for distributing it.
If a printed copy has handwritten changes, retain it and ask who made them. Do not silently combine several versions into a new drawing that appears to have existed at the time.
Connect the drawing to the work stage
Compare the issue history with the site diary, progress photographs and work records. Identify whether the relevant work began before or after the revised instruction reached the site.
Mark uncertain dates for checking. A file's modified date may reflect a download or later save; do not treat it alone as proof of when the crew was told to change the work.
Check whether the change was agreed
Put the applicable contract and variation correspondence beside the drawing. business.gov.au recommends recording contract changes in writing and checking state or territory rules for construction variations.
That guidance does not decide this particular dispute. A revised drawing may raise questions about scope, authority, notice and price. Have those questions assessed instead of assuming every new revision automatically creates an extra payment entitlement.
Separate correction costs from additional scope
Explain which work would need changing, which work was already included and which costs have actually been incurred. Keep an estimate of future work separate from invoices for work already done.
Ask for clarification where the proposed solution includes improvements beyond the disputed doorway. That distinction helps the parties discuss the remedy without treating every later design change as the same issue.
Make the next instruction unambiguous
Before the next affected stage, confirm which drawing is to be used through the proper project process. Remove superseded working copies from active use while preserving them in the historical file.
If payment remains disputed, send CRP the revision history, distribution records and amount in question. Use Report a Dispute below. A clear sequence can narrow the disagreement even when responsibility still needs professional advice.