Understanding Change Order Views

Change orders are one of the most consequential parts of any construction project, and every contractor has a different way of keeping track of them. Some want a high-level snapshot of approval status at a glance. Others need to drill into line-item costs, due dates, and assigned resources across dozens of entries. Because managing change orders effectively looks different for every team, ConstructionOnline provides four distinct, customizable interfaces—List View, Group-by View, Board View, and Card View—to track and manage your project's Change Orders from the industry's leading construction management software. 

This article is designed to give you an overview of each Change Order View as well as cover the tools and capabilities accessible from all four views. The article is organized into the following sections - 

1. Brief breakdown of List View, Group-by View, Board View, and Card View
2. Steps for navigating between views 
3. Instructions for entering/exiting Full-Screen Mode 
4. Details about Search bar functionality in ConstructionOnline Change Orders 
5. Overview of available Filter options for Change Orders 
6. Information on the Adjusted Price & Duration Summary—including the Added Cost/Time and Paid/Remaining tab views—displayed at the top of the Change Orders feature
7. Instructions for navigating to the Change Order Summary 
8. Additional information 

We highly recommend exploring the individual articles dedicated to managing Change Orders from each interface, linked at the end of each view breakdown. These articles provide valuable information and insight into each view's capabilities, empowering you to optimize your ConstructionOnline Change Order management experience. 

List View

List View is the default interface for managing Change Orders in ConstructionOnline. Built on one of the system's dynamic tables, it offers a spreadsheet-style format for easy viewing, organizing, and updating of your project's Change Orders. With features like inline editing, sortable and customizable columns, interactive cell elements, and extensive table styling options, List View provides the most comprehensive view of your Change Order data with unparalleled flexibility and control. 

More information about managing your Change Orders in List View can be found here. 

Group-by View

The Group-by View extends the capabilities of List View by allowing you to group Change Orders by any column header. By simply clicking and dragging one or more column headers into the grouping zone, you can organize your Change Orders into collapsible groups and subgroups, making it easy to identify trends, assess cost impact, and more. 

More details on managing your Change Orders in Group-by View can be found here. 

Board View

Inspired by the Kanban visual framework, Board View organizes your Change Orders into columns based on a selected value—such as Approval Status, Change Reason, or Trade. Displayed on cards in a more visual, interactive format, Change Orders can be dragged from one column to another to update their values in real time for supported column types. Card layout and appearance can also be customized to display the information most relevant to you.

Discover how to get the most out of Board View for your Change Orders here. 

Card View

Card View presents your Change Orders as easy-to-scan cards, each displaying key details at a glance, including Approval Status, Client Price, Approval Due Date, and Assigned Resource(s). Change Orders can also be approved or rejected on behalf of clients directly from Card View, making it a quick and convenient way to monitor and act on the status of your Change Orders. 

Learn more about navigating Card View for your Change Orders here. 

Navigating Between Views

ConstructionOnline makes switching between List, Group-by, Board, and Card Views effortless. Simply click the View icon you wish to navigate to in the top right-hand corner of the Change Orders pane to switch between interfaces. View preferences are user-specific, so each team member can work from the interface that best suits their role.

Go Full-Screen!

Need more visibility on your Change Orders? Full-Screen Mode temporarily collapses surrounding account navigational features to give you a clearer, more expansive view of your Change Orders. Click the Full-Screen icon in the top right-hand corner of the Change Orders pane from any view to enter Full-Screen Mode. Click the same icon to exit. 

Search Efficiently

As seen across the ConstructionOnline platform, the Search Bar at the top of the Change Orders pane in each view allows users to search and retrieve specific Change Order information quickly. Simply type the Change Order name, description, or any relevant detail into the Search Bar and ConstructionOnline will update the interface to match your inquiry. 

Multi-Filter Change Orders

Another way to quickly locate specific Change Orders is by applying one or multiple Filters to your view. The Filters option is available in any view and allows you to narrow your Change Orders by the following criteria: 

• Date 
• Type 
• Resource(s) 
• Change Reason
• Trade 
• Cost Code
• Approval Status
• Tags 
• Order/Delivery Status 

Adjusted Price & Duration Summary 

The Adjusted Price & Duration summary panel provides an at-a-glance financial and timeline overview for your project's Change Orders. The panel can be toggled between two views using the tabs in the top right-hand corner of the summary panel: 

• Added Cost / Time — Displays a real-time financial and timeline breakdown organized into three sections:
  
  
  • Adjusted Price: Shows the Initial Contract Price plus Accepted Change Orders, calculating the resulting Adjusted Contract Price 
  • Adjusted Duration: Shows the Project Duration plus Added Time from accepted Change Orders, calculating the resulting Adjusted Duration in workdays 
  • Pending & Rejected: Shows the total dollar value of Pending and Rejected Change Orders, combined as Total Non-Approved Change Orders 
    
    🗒️Note: The Initial Contract Price and Project Duration values reflected here are managed in Project Details. To make changes, click on the pencil icon next to either field to navigate there directly. 
• Paid / Remaining — Provides an overview of payment progress across all accepted Change Orders, organized into two sections: 
  
  
  • Summary Totals: Displays the overall Approved Total, Paid by Client, and Remaining balance across all accepted Change Orders, along with a progress bar visualizing overall payment completion
  • Per-Change-Order Breakdown: Displays individual donut charts for each accepted Change Order showing percentage paid, with a detailed breakdown of the Approved Total, Paid by Client, and Remaining balance for each entry. Use the arrows to scroll through all accepted Change Orders. 

Go to Change Order Summary 

For a detailed tabular breakdown of your project's Change Order financials, click the blue "Go to Change Order Summary" text in the top right-hand corner of the Change Orders pane. The Change Order Summary provides a structured overview organized into four sections: Contract Price Adjustment, Added Time Summary, Paid vs. Remaining, and Pending & Rejected Change Orders. This summary is also visible to clients through the ClientLink™ Portal and serves as a useful reference for conversations around project cost and schedule impacts. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

• Styling and formatting changes made to Change Order interfaces—including column order, grouping, and view selection—are user-specific, allowing each team member to tailor their Change Order management experience. 
  • However, actual data changes made to Change Orders are reflected in real time for all users, ensuring the underlying data remains consistent across the entire company account. 
• Subscription Level: Change Orders are available in all active ConstructionOnline subscriptions.
  • For legacy plans that do not include ConstructionOnline's Change Orders feature, it is available as a Per-User Add-On.   
• Permissions: Admin Users and Company Users with Change Orders permissions set to "Can View" or "Can Create, Edit, & Delete" can view Change Orders from all four interfaces. Available actions within each view will vary based on the user's permission level.    
  • ClientLink Access: Clients with Change Order permissions enabled can view and approve Change Orders from the Portal. Refer to this article for more information on ClientLink Change Order access. 
  • TeamLink™ Access: Subcontractors and vendors with TeamLink Portal access and Change Order permissions enabled, can view Change Orders assigned to them from within the Portal. Refer to this article for more information on TeamLink Change Order access.
• CO™ Mobile App: Change Orders can be accessed and managed via the mobile app; however, the full suite of Change Order Views requires browser access to ConstructionOnline. 

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

• Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about Change Orders can be found in the article FAQ: Change Orders. 
• If you need additional assistance, chat with a ConstructionOnline Specialist by clicking the orange Chat icon in the bottom left corner or visit the UDA Support Page for more options.