DS1140 control plan template: what it must contain, and when an app is better

DS 1140:2019 governs the general control (almen kontrol) of the execution of load-bearing structures: planning the control, carrying it out, documenting it and following up. In the structure used by SBi Guideline 271, the control plan is document B2, the control report that documents what was actually checked is B3, and A5 is the as-built documentation.

The control plan is project-specific. Under BR18, the control type depends on the structural class: KK1 requires self-control, KK2 adds internal independent control, KK3 external independent control, and KK4 third-party control as well. The scope of control is set for the individual project, per control section and execution class. It can't be reduced to a fixed percentage per structural class.

A useful template has a field for everything BR18 expects a control plan to state, so nothing is forgotten:

• Control sections and structural parts: what is being controlled, such as foundations, concrete, steel or timber structures.
• Control points: each individual thing to be checked, with a reference to the drawing or specification it is checked against.
• Control type and control level: self-control, independent or third-party control, as the structural class requires.
• Scope: how much is checked: every element or a sample.
• Documentation requirements: photo, measurement, checklist or signature.
• Responsibility: the organisations and persons who carry out each control.
• Status and date: so the plan shows what has been checked and what is outstanding.

BR18 also requires the control plan to be kept current with the stage of construction. That last requirement is where most templates struggle.

A template you find online, free or not, is a general starting point. It doesn't know:

• Your structural class. It can't tell you whether the building is KK2 or KK3, or what that means for control type and scope. That is established in the project's structural documentation.
• Your project-specific control points. It lists typical points, not the ones your design, materials and construction method require. A template written for a lower structural class rarely covers what a higher one needs.
• Whether it is up to date. Check who wrote it and when. An old template may miss points that have become relevant since.
• What has actually been done. Someone has to enter every completed control, match it against the plan and assemble the B3 control report at the end.

For a single, short project in a low structural class, where one person has the full overview and does most of the control, a well-adapted spreadsheet template works fine. The manual upkeep is manageable, and filling one in is a good way to learn what a control plan needs to contain.

It gets harder when the project runs for months, when several trade contractors each document their own control points in the same file, or when you have several projects running at once. The risk then grows that someone forgets to update the plan, that two people work in different copies, or that photos and comments end up somewhere other than the plan they belong to.

An app records each control as it is carried out (on the phone, on site, with photo and comment), and everyone on the project works in the same plan instead of separate copies. Status is visible as soon as a control is registered, and the report is built from those registrations rather than assembled by hand at handover. For a fuller comparison, see DS1140 app vs manual documentation.

Assurement doesn't offer downloadable templates. Instead, control plans come built into Lite Report, which is available today:

• When the project manager sets up a report on the web, they choose a profession, and the control plans and control points for that trade load.
• You adapt the control points to the project and add your own company or custom control points.
• Workers see their tasks on the phone (control plan, control type, control point number, activity and building parts) and document them with photos stamped with date, time and GPS position.
• If a task slips, the crew raises a time deviation with a new completion date, or the system raises one automatically when a milestone passes.

Lite Report supports your documentation, but it doesn't replace the project-specific control plan required under BR18 and DS 1140. Its export can serve as photo documentation in a DS 1140 case, for example supporting the B3 control report. Documenting is free; you pay 149 DKK excl. VAT (186.25 DKK incl. VAT) per finished report.

The DS1140 module is in development and not available yet. It is being built for structural documentation in KK1–KK4: project-supporting control plan templates that you adapt to the project's execution basis, control sections and execution class, tracking of the control scope, control registration reports and access for independent inspectors. Price and launch date will be announced at launch.

Neither a template nor an app establishes your structural class or judges whether your control scope is sufficient. That takes professional judgement. In KK3 and KK4, a certified structural engineer (certificeret statiker) must be involved in the structural documentation. If you're unsure, or a control plan has been sent back for revision, our sister company KS Danmark prepares DS 1140 documentation for contractors (the B2 control plan, the B3 control report and A5 as-built) and can act as independent inspector.