Project delivery · Receiving checklist
Elevator Delivery Checklist: How to Record Missing, Damaged or Mismatched Parts
An elevator delivery check should connect each received package and item to the shipment documents and the elevator unit it belongs to. Record package receipt separately from contents verification, classify any discrepancy, and keep it open until the agreed resolution has been checked.
Record arrival and visible package identity.
Match the list line, quantity and elevator unit.
Keep evidence and unresolved questions visible.
In this guide
Matching the number of crates is only part of that task. Contents may still be unopened, an item may belong to a different elevator, or a component may be scheduled for another shipment. A useful receiving register preserves these distinctions so the project team knows what has been checked and what still needs action.
This guide covers administrative receiving and discrepancy records for project teams. Handling, authorized unpacking, storage, installation and technical acceptance follow the actual equipment instructions, site arrangements and assigned professional responsibilities. The register does not replace those procedures.
Prepare the documents and the people before checking the shipment
Collect the project reference, order reference, current packing list, shipment reference and elevator unit schedule. Confirm whether the shipment is intended to be complete or forms part of an agreed sequence of deliveries.
Keep a simple document register with the title, revision, date and source of each file. If the packing list supplied with the goods differs from the version used to prepare the receiving plan, record the difference and request confirmation of the applicable version. Do not silently reconcile against whichever copy is easiest to find.
Identify who will:
- Record arrival, visible package identification and external condition.
- Carry out contents checks when opening is authorized under the project procedure.
- Resolve technical identity or revision questions.
- Communicate with the relevant supplier and delivery contacts.
- Verify and close a discrepancy after the agreed action.
One person may hold several roles, but an unresolved item should still have a named owner. Follow the actual agreement for notification channels and timing; there is no universal reporting deadline in this checklist.
JAFITA’s Installation Commissioning guidance identifies equipment grouping, package and component identification, drawing references, packing information and shipment documents as coordination needs. Those references form the starting point for the register below.
Record package receipt without overstating what it proves
At the agreed receiving stage, record the arrival date, shipment reference, visible package IDs, package count and observed external condition. Add photograph references where the project’s procedure permits photography.
Describe the observation precisely. “Outer panel visibly split at one corner” is more useful than “bad packing.” Do not infer the cause of damage or assign liability from the appearance alone.
Keep the status of the contents separate. A package can be recorded as received while its contents remain not yet checked. An intact-looking crate is not evidence that every listed item inside it is present or assigned to the correct elevator.
| Package record | Information to enter |
|---|---|
| Shipment identity | Shipment reference and project or order reference |
| Package identity | Exact visible box, crate or package mark |
| Expected unit | Intended elevator unit from the agreed documents, if stated |
| Receipt | Arrival date and the person recording it |
| External condition | Factual observation and photograph references |
| Contents status | Not yet checked, checked without an identified discrepancy, or exception open |
| Document basis | Packing-list reference and revision used for the record |
Where a package mark is missing or unreadable, record the uncertainty. Do not assign the package to an elevator merely because it was unloaded beside that elevator’s other packages.
Reconcile contents against both the packing list and the unit identity
When the project procedure permits the package to be opened, the assigned team can record its contents against the appropriate packing-list lines. The key connection is:
Shipment reference → package ID → packing-list line → item identity → intended elevator unit.
For each item, compare the expected quantity, observed quantity and visible identification. Record relevant model, part or revision information where the documents provide it. Where technical compatibility needs assessment, refer the question to the responsible technical party; a receiving count cannot establish interchangeability.
Use this line register. Add columns for the actual project’s identification requirements rather than forcing every component into the same description.
| Package / list line | Intended elevator unit | Expected item and quantity | Observed item and quantity | Check status | Evidence / exception reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enter package ID and line | Copy the documented unit ID | Copy the description and quantity | Record what was actually checked | Not yet checked, matched or exception open | Link the label photo, document or discrepancy record |
A quantity that has not been checked should remain unverified. Do not enter zero simply because the package is still closed; zero received and not yet checked describe different situations.
JAFITA’s Parts information can help frame an identification enquiry. Send the actual label and document references, rather than treating a visual resemblance as technical confirmation.
Classify the exception before asking for a solution
Different discrepancies need different evidence. Separating them also prevents a scheduled later delivery from being treated as an unexplained shortage.
| Status or exception | What it means in this register | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Not yet checked | The relevant contents or identity have not been verified | Assign the authorized check; do not mark the line complete |
| Scheduled later shipment | Current documents identify a later delivery for the item | Link that document and track the expected receipt separately |
| Missing package | An expected package cannot be accounted for in the received shipment | Reconcile shipment and package records, then document the unresolved difference |
| Missing item | An authorized contents check finds fewer items than the applicable list specifies | Record expected and observed quantities with the exact package and list line |
| Visible damage | A factual condition requiring review has been observed | Record the condition and evidence; refer handling and use decisions to the responsible party |
| Identity or revision mismatch | Quantity may match, but the label or document does not agree with the intended item or unit | Preserve both references and obtain a documented technical resolution |
| Unidentifiable item | The available information cannot establish the item’s identity or destination | Record available marks and photographs without guessing a match |
If several conditions apply, retain them. An item can have both visible damage and an unresolved identity. Closing one question does not settle the other.
Worked example: the quantity is correct, but the unit is wrong
The following is a hypothetical teaching example, not a JAFITA shipment incident.
Packing list R2 identifies package C07 for elevator unit L02 and lists two items. Both items are present, but one label identifies unit L03.
The package count and contents quantity can be recorded as checked. The identity line remains an exception. Record the R2 list reference, C07 package ID, expected L02 assignment, observed L03 label and relevant photographs. Ask the named technical contact to resolve the discrepancy.
Do not relabel the item or move it into another unit’s installation sequence based only on that comparison. The mismatch could involve a document, a label or the item itself; the responsible party needs to establish which. Until that happens, the identity question remains open.
Send a discrepancy packet that another person can act on
An email saying “parts missing” leaves the recipient to reconstruct the shipment. A compact evidence packet should make the item, expected condition and observed difference clear.
Include the project and shipment references, package ID, packing-list revision and line, intended elevator unit, item identification, expected and observed quantity, date of observation, factual description and evidence references. Add the name of the person coordinating the enquiry.
Use a question tied to the evidence. For the hypothetical case:
Package C07 is assigned to unit L02 on packing list R2. The listed quantity is present, but the attached item label identifies L03. Please confirm the correct item and unit assignment, identify any document correction or other action required, and reference the information used for that conclusion.
The packet supports clarification. Notification, claim handling, responsibility for cost and any replacement arrangement still follow the actual agreement. Do not put an assumed deadline or liability conclusion into the record as though it were an agreed term.
Track the agreed action through verified closure
A reply is progress, but it is not automatically a resolved discrepancy. Record what was agreed, who will act, which documents or items will change, and how the responsible person will verify the result.
| Exception reference | Agreed action | Action owner | Agreed follow-up date | Verification evidence | Final status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use the original reference | Record the confirmed action | Name the responsible party | Record the agreed date | Link the corrected document, received item or recorded check | Open or verified closed |
If a replacement is supplied, retain the connection between the original exception and the subsequent receipt. If a document is corrected, record the accepted revision and its relationship to the original record. If the response does not resolve the question, keep the item open and state what is still needed.
Any decision about segregation, handling or use of unresolved items belongs with the responsible project and technical parties. Record their direction rather than inventing a general rule for every component.
Hand over a record that distinguishes facts from open work
Before passing the receiving record to the next project team, check that:
- Each received package has a traceable shipment and package identity, or a visible unresolved identity record.
- Contents marked as checked have an actual check record.
- Split shipments, unopened packages and technical exceptions remain distinguishable.
- Each open discrepancy has evidence, an owner and a recorded next action.
- Items marked closed have a documented resolution and verification.
The receiving register can be handed over with clearly identified open items. Do not describe the delivery as fully reconciled while required contents checks or identity questions remain unresolved.
Administrative closure is also separate from installation, commissioning and permission to operate the elevator. Keep those records with their own responsible parties and acceptance requirements.
References and method notes
The sources below support the stated context and limits. The worksheets and hypothetical examples are editorial tools.
- International Trade Administration — Common export documents — The packing-list guidance identifies quantity, description, package type, package count, package marks and other shipment details. It supports the document fields used for reconciliation; it does not establish a universal damage-claim deadline.
- JAFITA — Installation and commissioning — The project guidance establishes equipment identification and coordination context. The exception register and wrong-unit example are editorial tools, not a record of an actual customer delivery.