How to Use AI Pre-fill for Change Orders

AI Pre-fill automatically extracts change order details from your uploaded PDF documents, saving time on manual data entry per change order. The AI scans your document and populates change order titles, contract references, amounts, dates, and time impacts in seconds.

Before you start:

• Have your change order document saved as a PDF
• Ensure the PDF is clear and well-formatted (avoid poor quality scans)
• Verify the relevant contract exists in Mastt and has a Completion Date if the change order includes time impacts

Create a New Change Order

Step 1: Navigate to the Change Order form

• Navigate to the Cost module from the left navigation bar
• Choose one of three ways to add a change order:
  • From the Overall page, click the blue + Add button in the upper left corner and select + Add Change, or
  • Locate the contract you want to add a change order to, click the Action button next to it, and select + Add Change
  • Click Changes in the top navigation to view your Change Order register, then:
    • Click the blue + Add Change button in the upper left corner, or
    • Select Add Your First Change in the center (only visible if you have no change orders)

Result: The Add Change form opens. Selecting from a contract pre-select that contract for you.

Step 2: Upload the Change PDF

• At the top of the Add Change form, locate the AI upload section.

• Upload your document using either method:
  • Click Upload File to open your file browser, select your PDF, then click Open
  • Drag and drop the PDF file directly onto the upload area

Result: The upload progress indicator appears while your file uploads.

Step 3: Wait for AI Extraction

• After uploading, a progress banner displays while Mastt AI analyzes your document.

• The AI extracts:
  • Change title
  • Contract reference (matches with your existing contracts)
  • Change amounts and values
  • Time impact information

Result: Form fields automatically populate with extracted information. AI-populated fields display with highlight styling (except the Description field, which does not show highlighting).

Step 4: Verify the Contract Selection

• Locate the Varying Contract dropdown
• Confirm the AI selected the correct contract
• If incorrect, click the dropdown and select the correct contract

Step 5: Complete Basic Details

• Review and adjust these required fields:
  • Change Title: Verify accuracy or edit as needed
  • Change Category: Select the appropriate category (Scope Change, Buildability or Quality, Force Majeure, Compliance, etc.)
  • Status: Select the current status (Forecast, Pending, In Principle, Approved, Rejected, Withdrawn). Learn more about change order statuses.

Step 6: Review the Description Tab

• Click the Description tab
• Review or edit the extracted description text to capture the full scope

Step 7: Adjust Line Items

• Scroll to the Line Items section and review extracted line items.
• For each line item:
  • Verify the description and amount
  • The Contract Line Item field defaults to "Entire Contract"

• Only change this field if the change affects a specific contract line item:
  • Click the Contract Line Item dropdown
  • Select the specific contract line item the change order affects
• To add additional line items not in the original document, click Add Line Item.

Step 8: Add Time Impacts (If Applicable)

If the change order affects the project timeline:

• Click the Time Impact tab
• Enter the time impact in days (use negative numbers for time reductions)

Step 9: Attach Additional Documents (Optional)

The uploaded PDF is automatically attached to the change order.

To add supporting documents:

• Scroll to the Attachments section
• Upload additional files (PDFs, images, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets)

Step 10: Save the Change Order

• Review all details for accuracy
• Click the blue Add button (bottom right)

Result: A success notification confirms the change order is created. The change order appears in your Changes list with all configured details.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: What if the AI selects the wrong contract?

Click the Varying Contract dropdown and manually select the correct contract from the list.

Q: Why aren't time impacts saving?

Check that the contract has a Completion Date set. Navigate to the contract settings and add a Completion Date before entering time impacts.

Q: What if the AI extraction misses information?

Manually enter or adjust any missing or incorrect information in the form fields. AI Pre-fill provides a starting point, but you should always review for accuracy.

Q: Why does the Description field not show AI highlighting?

This is expected behavior. The Description field does not display highlight styling even when populated by AI.

Q: What if I need to record a time impact without cost changes?

Add a line item with $0 change order amount. Mastt requires at least one line item for the change order structure, even for time-only change orders.