A punch list is a document prepared during key milestones or near the end of a construction project listing work not conforming to contract specifications that the general contractor must complete prior to final payment. The work may include incomplete or incorrect installations or incidental damage to existing finishes, material, and structures. The list is usually made by the owner, architect or designer, or general contractor while they tour and visually inspect the project. In the United States construction industry, contract agreements are usually written to allow the owner to withhold the final payment to the general contractor as "retainage". The contractor is bound by the contract to complete a list of contract items, called a punch list, in order to receive final payment from the owner. The designer is usually also incorporated into the contract as the owner's design representative and agent, to verify that completed contract work has complied with the design. In most contracts, the general conditions to the contract for construction requires the contractor, when he believes it to be so, to declare the construction project to have reached "substantial completion" and request a "pre-final" inspection. According to the General Conditions, the Contractor prepares and submits to the architect a comprehensive list of items to be completed or corrected. This snag list, generated by the Contractor is known as the punch list. Upon receipt of the Contractor's list, the Architect then inspects the work to determine if the Work is "substantially complete." Final contractor payment is made when the punch list of items are completed to meet the project design required by the contract, or some other mutually agreed resolution for each item is reached. Examples of punch list items include damaged building components, or problems with the final installation of building materials or equipment. The phrase takes its name, under one hypothesis, from the historical process of punching a hole in the margin of the document, next to one of the items on the list. This indicated that the work was completed for that particular construction task. Two copies of the list were punched at the same time to provide an identical record for the architect and contractor. A rolling punch list is the most common approach toward minimizing a large number of punch at the end of a project. A rolling punch list is a constant check of work throughout the duration of the project with a rigid closeout schedule assigned to each task. The desire for to finish error-free requires planning, communication, and managing the punch list thru out the project from the day project turns dirt to leaving site.
Starting in 2013 when mobile software became popular on construction sites, many construction teams started using software to manage their punch lists. Today there are a variety of punch list applications, ranging from simple mobile apps to more comprehensive web and mobile platforms.
