Stop Losing Money on Change Orders: Go Digital
By ZonaPlan Team
Change orders are a fact of life in construction. Scope changes, unforeseen conditions, and client requests mean the original contract rarely tells the whole story. Yet many contractors still manage change orders on paper — leading to disputes, unbilled work, and cash flow problems.
The Cost of Paper Change Orders
- **Lost revenue**: Verbal agreements and handshake deals often go unbilled
- **Disputes**: Without signed documentation, disagreements become "he said, she said"
- **Delays**: Tracking down signatures and approvals slows down work
- **No audit trail**: Paper gets lost, damaged, or filed incorrectly
The Digital Change Order Workflow
A modern change order system should handle the entire lifecycle:
- **Create**: Define the scope change with line items and pricing
- **Review**: Send to the client for review with full cost breakdown
- **Sign**: Capture digital signatures on-site or via shareable remote links
- **Invoice**: Automatically generate an invoice from the approved change order
- **Track**: Monitor approval status and payment across all projects
On-Site vs. Remote Signing
Sometimes the client is on-site and can sign immediately. Other times, they're in another state. ZonaPlan supports both:
- **On-site**: Use the signature pad on your phone or tablet
- **Remote**: Send a shareable link for the client to review and sign from anywhere
Auto-Invoice on Approval
When a change order is signed, ZonaPlan automatically creates an invoice with the line items from the change order. No double entry, no forgotten billing.
Tracking Change Order Impact
Every approved change order updates the work order's total price, giving you real-time visibility into how scope changes affect your project budget.