Fieldwork fails on logistics more often than on science: a permit arrives late, a vehicle is booked for the wrong week, or the safety kit stays behind. This free coordinator organises fieldwork tasks by category, transport, permits, equipment, and safety, with progress you can see.
What the tool does
You add tasks with a category and a due date, tick them off as they are done, and the tool groups them by category with an overall progress percentage. Grouping matters because fieldwork problems cluster: a permits list that is half done while transport is untouched tells a different story from a list that is uniformly half done. Everything is stored in your browser, so the plan is private and available without an account, on the device you take to the planning meeting.
How to use it
Start planning from the field dates backwards: permits and vehicle bookings first, since they have the longest lead times, then equipment checks, then safety briefings last, when the team is final. Add one task per concrete action, such as submit park permit application, not vague items like sort permits. Tick tasks only when truly complete, review progress weekly, and treat any category stuck below half with two weeks to go as an emergency, not a concern.
Worked example
A team plans a two-week survey with eight tasks: two transport, two permits, two equipment, and two safety. With four tasks done, progress reads 50 percent, but the grouped view shows permits fully done, transport half done, equipment untouched, and safety half done. The coordinator’s real message is in the grouping: equipment needs attention now, while permits need none. Without grouping, the flat 50 percent would hide exactly where the risk sits.
Reading the results honestly
Progress percentages flatter plans with many easy tasks. Eight ticked paperwork items and two unticked safety briefings read as 80 percent, yet the team is not ready to leave. Weight safety tasks mentally above the rest: a field team with perfect transport and no safety briefing should not depart, whatever the percentage says. Also remember that a ticked task is a claim, not a verification; confirm permits in writing and test equipment before departure, rather than trusting ticks.
Honest limits
This tool tracks tasks on one device. It does not send reminders, share the plan with a team, store documents such as permits, or know local regulations, weather, or site conditions. Clearing browser data erases the plan, so keep a printed copy for the field. It organises preparation; it cannot make a field site safe, and the team’s safety judgement on site always overrides the plan.
Practical tips
Hold a pre-departure check where the team reviews the plan together and each person confirms their own tasks aloud. Pack a printed copy of the plan and emergency contacts, since field sites often lack connectivity. After the trip, note which tasks were late or unnecessary, and reuse the improved list for the next field season instead of starting from scratch.
When plans change in the field
Field plans change: roads close, permits are reinterpreted on site, and weather moves faster than forecasts. The coordinator’s job ends at departure, and the team’s judgement takes over, but a good plan still helps, because it tells the team what was supposed to happen and what resources exist. Keep the printed plan accessible, note changes on it by hand, and debrief afterwards: which tasks proved unnecessary, which were missing, and what the next plan should contain. A plan that learns from each trip becomes one of the team’s most valuable tools, and the next team inherits a system instead of a blank page.
Related tools
Spanish version: Coordinador de LogÃstica de Trabajo de Campo Gratis y Online · All free online tools.
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