Check out our Documentation Excellence resource hub for some additional tools: job narration cue cards, a documentation workshop to run with your team, and more.
In this article:
- The TL;DR Version
- Four Pillars of Strong Documentation
- Description of the Loss
- Property Measurements
- Photo Documentation
- Room Specific Information
Great scopes start with great documentation. In this article, we’ll outline some best practices to follow to achieve the best possible scopes.
Because Encircle Scope creates the scope directly from your job documentation, it relies on the quality of the data captured. If key details are missing, Scope will not make assumptions or make things up.
The TL;DR Version
Ideal Data Set
Our recommendation for best-case scenario documentation. This data set minimizes downstream errors by capturing 80-90% of variables early in the job:
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Day 1
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10+ photos in each affected room
Capture multiple angles - material close-ups, before/after progress shots, thermal images, equipment placement, containment erected if applicable.
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Room-Specific Notes
One note per room detailing materials (e.g., flooring type, wall composition), damages (e.g., extent, cause), potential hazards (e.g., mold/asbestos/lead) and proposed work.
If captured as a video, be as descriptive as possible in your vocal narration.
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OR Description of the loss/damage description
- Overarching summary tying room-level details together, including site-wide observations (e.g., access constraints, environmental factors). State each room name as you enter it, and provide the details about that room.
- Best captured as a video, with as much context as possible in your vocal narration. If done via note, break the info down by room.
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Property measurements
Floor Plan, Hydro room dimensions, or room notes containing room measurements.
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Hydro data (if applicable)
Readings, room dimensions, etc. Helps validate narratives your provide elsewhere on the job.
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Day 2+
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4+ photos in each room
Capture any demo, equipment placed, containments/tenting/floor protection installed, etc. In short, capture the room as-is at the end of each day.
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Daily summary
Ideally one note or video in each room.
If done as a general note, break things down by room. If using video, clearly state each room out loud as you enter > then go on to describe the work, conditions, etc in that room.
Describe the work that took place for that day, steps for next day.
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Any changes to the scope
New discoveries or changes (e.g., you remove baseboards and find mold).
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Hydro data (if applicable)
Daily readings, any movement of equipment.
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When to Run the Scope
Immediate On-Site (within minutes of arrival): a few photos per room and a general damage description will generate a useful preliminary scope for quick client buy-in and communication across all parties
End of Production Day 1: run a new scope with the ideal data set to get SF/LF for tasks, equipment recommendations, and set your team up to execute on Day 2+
Job Completion: an as-built scope for the final estimate, capturing all tasks that were completed
The Four Pillars of Strong Documentation
Generally speaking, strong scopes are built on four key inputs:
- Description of the loss/damage description
- Property measurements
- Photo documentation
- Room specific information
You can capture this information in different ways depending on your workflow, but aim to include all four categories for the best results.
The good news is your team is probably already capturing most of these! Below we'll discuss in more detail why each of these pillars is important, and suggested practices.
Description of the Loss
*Visit our Documentation Excellence resource hub to download some job narration cue cards for your field team.
A detailed damage description is an extremely powerful input for your scope. It gives the system critical context about what happened, where the damage occurred, and what actions are required.
Best practice: Use a video walkthrough
Record a walkthrough starting in the source room and move through the property, narrating out loud as you go. Be sure to include:
- An overview of the situation: What was the source of loss and how did the water or damage migrate through the property?
- Resulting damage: Which rooms are affected and what materials are impacted?
- Safety considerations: Are there potential hazards to consider like mold, asbestos or lead?
- Next steps: What actions will you be taking to mitigate the loss?
Encircle AI extracts the audio narration from your videos but does not yet analyze the visual frames. To ensure the engine "sees" the damage you are narrating, it is critical to take high-quality still photos or 360° images alongside your video walkthrough.
Always state the room name as you enter it so the system can associate your narration with the correct space. For example, "moving into Bedroom 1, we have carpet and baseboards that are affected..."
Watch an example of a walkthrough video:
Other option: use notes
We like to recommend video because people tend to naturally provide more detail when they talk through things. And it's easier for most people to walk and talk.
However if you prefer to use notes for this, make sure your notes are clear about what's happening room-by-room. A damage description note in each room is great. But if you use a general note, break it down room-by-room; something like the sample below.
Property Measurements
If you want equipment calculations and quantities on your tasks, measurements are a must.
You provide the room dimensions, and Scope calculates:
- Square and linear footage
- Task quantities
- Equipment recommendations
Ways to add measurements
- Encircle Floor Plan
- Hydro (room dimensions during setup)
- Room notes: label the note "room measurements" or something similar, and enter length, width, height
While you can generate a scope without measurements, including them will produce a more complete and actionable result.
Photo Documentation
Photos are the "eyes" of the scope.
Encircle Scope uses photos to:
- Identify materials and fixtures
- Confirm visible damage
- Validate what you describe in your notes and narration
- Understand layout and room boundaries
- Cross reference with moisture readings
On Day 1, we suggest 10+ photos in each affected room. Capture multiple angles - material close-ups, before/after progress shots, thermal images, equipment placement, containment erected if applicable.
On Day 2 and onward, we suggest 4+ photos in each room, daily. Capture any demo, equipment placed, containments/tenting/floor protection installed, etc. Also make sure you capture photos of any additional damages you discover or things that would change the scope of work. For example, if you remove baseboards and find mold.
In short, capture each room as-is at the end of each day.
Room Specific Information
To start, it's important to clearly label your rooms, and ideally you want your room names on the job file to match the room names in your floor plan.
We talked earlier about damage descriptions and job summaries.
The video walkthrough is the gold standard for providing a damage description, but notes are another way to provide that information if that’s your preference. For each room, make sure that you’re including details like
- What materials and fixtures are present
- Which materials are impacted
- Salvageable and non-salvageable materials
- Closet and window conditions
- Safety concerns
- Proposed work
By using note templates, you can ensure this information is captured thoroughly and consistently across technicians and across jobs. Pre-filled templates remind your team what to capture, so that critical info is never missed.
Common note templates include daily summaries, source of loss, site checklists, and much more.
Hydro Data
For water mitigation specifically, Hydro data adds another layer of validation. Within the Hydro workflow, you’ll be capturing additional data points for the rooms in your chambers - moisture readings, psychrometrics, equipment recommendations, equipment placement, and daily visit logs.
This Hydro data provides validation against the other documentation in the file. For example if you didn’t mention carpet in your damage description but you’ve got some photos of dark carpets - the AI engine won’t know from visual analysis alone whether that carpet is wet or dry. But with Hydro, you’ve got material readings that show the saturation.
Combined with your damage description, measurements, photos, notes, and other documentation, Hydro data completes the picture.
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