For many builders, spreadsheets still feel like the simplest way to manage progress claims.
But as projects grow, teams get busier, and compliance expectations increase, spreadsheets can start to create more drag than control. What once felt manageable can become harder to scale, harder to track, and harder to govern.
What Smarter Progress Claims Look Like
A smarter progress claim process means moving away from spreadsheets, emails and manual hand-offs to a purpose-built digital workflow. In practice, that means claims submitted in a standardised format, supporting documents captured in one place, better visibility of status and deadlines, and more structured management of approvals, variations and retentions.
Here are five signs your current spreadsheet-based process may be slowing the team down.
1. Your team is spending too much time updating and checking spreadsheets
If progress claims require regular manual updates, formula checks, or rekeying between files and systems, admin time can build quickly.
2. Claim information is spread across inboxes, folders and PDFs
When supporting documents, approvals and claim details are stored in different places, teams lose time piecing the process together.
3. Subcontractors are regularly chasing claim status
If your team is fielding constant calls and emails asking whether a claim has been received, reviewed or approved, visibility is probably too limited.
4. Approvals are harder to manage as workload grows
A process that works at one level of volume may start to create bottlenecks as more projects, subcontractors and stakeholders are added.
5. The process depends too heavily on a few individuals
If only one or two people really know where information sits, how spreadsheets are structured, or what needs to happen next, the workflow may not be as scalable as it needs to be.
How Payapps Helps
Payapps gives builders a purpose-built digital workflow for managing progress claims. It helps standardise submissions, improve visibility of claim status and deadlines, centralise supporting documentation, and give commercial and finance teams better control across approvals, variations and retentions.
Our latest guide, Smarter Progress Claims for Builders Big and Small, explores the five admin drags slowing teams down, practical ways to improve workflow efficiency, and a simple health check to assess whether your current process is helping or holding the business back.
