The job was finished, then part of it had to be done again. A rework log should show what was repeated, why and what conditions made it necessary. Use it to investigate recurring causes and improve the workflow, rather than creating a league table of mistakes.
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Agree what counts as rework
Separate corrections to an agreed requirement from new work requested later. Both affect capacity, but they need different decisions. Keep the original acceptance condition available so the distinction is based on evidence instead of recollection.
Use a small record
Case, step and original expected result.
Work repeated and additional effort, labelled if estimated.
Trigger: missing information, changed requirement, error or other cause.
Effect on the client or downstream team.
Immediate resolution and follow-up owner.
Allow an unknown cause. Forcing every case into a confident category can hide the investigation still needed. Avoid copying unnecessary client details into the log.
An illustrative finding
Several reports need revision because reviewers use different definitions of the required date range. The useful change may be a shared definition and a pre-production input check. Telling report writers to be more careful would not resolve conflicting instructions.
Test one preventive change
Use categories that the team can apply consistently and allow several contributing conditions where needed. Review a few entries together before relying on totals. If one person logs changed scope as rework and another excludes it, the comparison becomes misleading. Keep client-requested new work visible in capacity reporting even when it sits outside the agreed rework definition.
Related guidance: practical process-mapping guide.
Compare similar cases before and after the change using the same rework definition. Include time spent on the new check and any problems moved to another team. Share what was learned with the people doing the work. A log earns trust when it leads to better conditions, not just more reporting. Hili Consulting can help connect rework evidence to a practical improvement trial.
