Change order log template: spreadsheet or app?
Updated November 10, 2026
A change order log is one list per job that shows every change order, its status and its money. It is how you answer “where are we on the budget?” in ten seconds instead of digging through texts.
Columns to include
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| CO # | 1, 2, 3 per job |
| Date sent | When the client got it |
| Description | One line, client’s words |
| Amount | Change total including markup (negative for credits) |
| Days | Schedule impact |
| Status | Draft, sent, approved, declined |
| Date answered | When the client approved or declined |
| Approved by | Name of the person who approved |
At the top, three numbers: original contract, total of approved change orders, and current contract total. Only count approved change orders in the total. Sent ones are a separate “waiting” number.
Setting it up in Excel or Google Sheets
- Make the columns above as a table.
- Use a data validation dropdown for Status so the values are always the same four words.
- Approved total:
=SUMIF(StatusColumn,"approved",AmountColumn). - Current contract total: original contract plus the approved total.
- One tab per job, or one sheet with a Job column and a filter.
Where spreadsheets break
- The log and the signed form drift apart. The sheet says approved; the signed PDF is in someone’s email.
- Status is typed by hand. Somebody marks it approved after a phone call, and there is no record of who said yes.
- It lives on one laptop. The lead on site can’t check it.
When the change order itself updates the log the moment the client answers, those problems go away. That is the job SignedChangeOrders does: every change order has a status, an approval record and a running job total, with no separate sheet to keep in sync.
Want the client’s yes on record without printing anything? SignedChangeOrders is free for 3 change orders a month, or grab the free printable change order template.