A subcontractor in Reno made me rethink how I track change orders

He told me he still uses a paper logbook because every software trial he tried felt like babysitting a spreadsheet, and honestly that stung since I push digital tools on my guys. Has anyone else switched back to old school methods after fighting with a platform for months?

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charlesj462mo ago

Ha! Paper logbook. Might as well tell me he still pays his guys with checks and a handshake. I get it though, those software trials are like trying to teach your grandpa to text. You spend three hours setting up fields and permissions, then the guy on site just writes "stuff" in the notes box and calls it a day. I swear half my job is just herding cats through a user interface. But hey, at least his pencil never runs out of battery or needs a firmware update.

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richard_hall2mo ago

Is it just me or does every industry have that one guy clinging to the old way like it's a life raft? @charlesj46 you're spot on about the software trial thing, but honestly the pencil thing is bigger than just logbooks. I see it with my neighbor who still balances his checkbook by hand and the guy at the hardware store who writes orders on carbon paper. The real issue is people trust what they can touch, even if it's slower and messier. It's not about being lazy, it's about not wanting another thing to break on them when the WiFi goes down at the worst possible moment.

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