Why it matters
Most commercial leakage is not theft, fraud or fiddle — it is silence. Instructions issued verbally and never logged. Variations agreed on site and never narrated. Notices that should have been served three weeks ago and were not.
The cure is rhythm: a small set of repeated, defensible activities that turn the commercial conversation into a record. Done well, the monthly commercial rhythm protects margin without slowing delivery.
The four anchors
- Instruction log — every instruction received in the period, owner identified, evidence attached.
- Notice register — every notice the contract requires, served on time, with the response logged.
- Variation register — every variation, status (priced / agreed / disputed), evidence index pointing at supporting docs.
- Recovery position — the commercial team's view of where margin sits this month versus last, with movement narrated.
What good looks like
Every Monday: the commercial owner reviews the instruction log and notice register against the past week's site reports. Every fortnight: the variation register is reviewed with the project team and any unpriced items are tabled with a recovery target. Every month: the recovery position is signed off against the cost report and any deltas are explained in plain English.
If a board director cannot open one document and read the answers to 'where did margin move this month and why', the rhythm is not landing. The fix is rarely more reporting — it is fewer, sharper reports landed on a predictable cadence.