Site data capture that works when the signal does not
Offline-first design is a construction requirement, not a nice-to-have. Here is how to handle sync conflicts sensibly.
01
Connectivity cannot be assumed
Basements, remote sites and steel structures all break mobile connectivity. If a site app fails without a signal, the data never gets captured and the office falls back to messaging apps and spreadsheets.
02
The device holds the truth
Offline-first means the device is the source of truth until the record reaches the server. Entries, photos and signatures are stored locally, queued, and pushed when connectivity returns. The user should never have to think about it.
03
Set a conflict policy
Conflicts need a stated policy. For most site records, append-only history plus last-writer-wins on individual fields is sufficient and predictable. For anything financial or contractual, a conflict should surface to a human instead of being resolved silently.
04
Treat photographs as evidence
Photos deserve special handling. They are large, frequent and often the most valuable evidence on a project. Compress on device, upload in the background, and never block the user's next task on an upload finishing.
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