FieldProofShort answer
What makes contractor job photos defensible?
Job photos become useful evidence when the original file is preserved with job, step, author and capture context; required shots are visible; upload status is explicit; and approvals stay attached to the facts the customer saw.
Product status: a limited FieldProof founding-pilot PWA is live at /app/. It implements the bounded workflow described here, but is not a broadly generally available service.
Compare the workflow approaches
| Approach | Useful when | Trade-off to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Camera roll, paper and messages | Very low setup overhead | Context, approval and export are fragmented |
| Broad field-service suite | CRM, dispatch and operations must share one platform | Mobile complexity, contract terms and offline depth vary |
| FieldProof founding pilot | A small crew needs a focused evidence-to-approval layer | Limited pilot; not a replacement for accounting or a full CRM |
Selection criteria
- Required shot lists reflect the job type instead of one generic gallery.
- Annotations never replace the original image and its capture context.
- A portable job pack connects photos, readings, notes and approval history.
Evidence boundary: the complaint counts come from a defined App Store review window and overlapping deterministic themes. They indicate recurring friction, not market share, causality, satisfaction rate or a promise that every team has the same problem.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a camera roll not enough for job documentation?
A camera roll does not reliably connect an image to the job step, author, approval, upload receipt or final export.
Does FieldProof continuously track workers?
No. The product boundary is job evidence, not continuous worker surveillance. Location should be limited to evidence that a team deliberately chooses to capture.
Can teams try the workflow now?
Yes. The limited founding-pilot PWA is available at /app/ and includes offline notes and photos, job records and evidence-pack export.
Before-and-after photos help prove condition, scope and completion. But folders named by date, photos buried in text messages and uploads that fail without warning create a second documentation job at the end of the day.
The five parts of defensible job photos
1. A required shot list
A restoration job and an HVAC service call do not need the same evidence. A reusable job pack tells the technician which wide, detail, serial-number and completion photos are still missing.
2. Capture context
The record should connect the original file to the job, step, author, device time and optional location. Later annotations should not overwrite the original.
3. A visible upload receipt
The crew needs to know whether each photo is saved locally, queued, uploaded or rejected. A thumbnail alone does not prove the server has the file.
4. Approval beside the evidence
When scope changes, the customer should see the relevant photos and explanation before approving. The decision then stays attached to those facts.
5. A portable job pack
The office, customer, insurer or bookkeeper may need different exports. FieldProof provides a structured evidence trail and a human-readable PDF rather than a locked gallery.
Designed for evidence, not surveillance
Job documentation should capture the work required by the job. It should not become continuous worker tracking. Founding-pilot teams help define sensible defaults for location, retention, redaction and customer consent.