A Comment Resolution Sheet (CRS) is a structured log used in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) projects to record, track, and formally close review comments on technical documents. Each comment raised during a design review becomes one tracked entry with a unique ID, the document author's response, a response code, and a status that moves from Open to Closed only when the reviewer verifies the resolution.
You will also hear it called a comment review sheet, comment response sheet, comment log, or comment resolution log — different names for the same instrument. In EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) projects it is often a contractual deliverable: proof that every client and third-party comment was formally addressed before a document was approved for construction.
Technical documents on capital projects rarely pass review on the first submission. A drawing or specification may receive dozens of comments from multiple disciplines, and each comment is a potential design error, safety issue, or contractual gap. The CRS exists to guarantee three things:
| Step | Who | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Submission | Author | Document revision is issued for review |
| 2. Review | Reviewers | Each discipline logs comments as individual CRS entries |
| 3. Consolidation | Lead / Document Controller | Reviewer input is merged into one sheet; duplicates and conflicts flagged |
| 4. Response | Author | Every comment gets a written response and a response code |
| 5. Resolution | Reviewers | Responses are accepted, rejected, or escalated to discussion |
| 6. Verification | Reviewers | The revised document is checked; verified comments are closed |
| 7. Close-out | Lead | All comments closed → document is approved; the CRS is archived as the audit record |
Steps 3 and 6 are where manual processes fail most often — consolidation creates conflicting copies, and verification gets skipped under deadline pressure. We cover the recurring failure patterns in 7 Mistakes You're Making with Manual CRS Workflows.
A minimal, well-formed CRS entry contains:
If you want a ready-made structure with all recommended columns and status codes, use our free CRS template for Excel.
A common misconception is that marked-up PDFs or email threads are comment resolution. They are comment creation. A markup shows what a reviewer thought; it does not track whether the issue was resolved, in which revision, and who verified it. The CRS is the lifecycle layer on top. For a full comparison of the three approaches, see Excel vs Email vs Dedicated CRS Software.
Spreadsheet CRSs work until reviewer count, revision count, or audit requirements grow. Dedicated platforms like Contrat.io make each comment a live, tracked item: statuses change only through role-based permissions, open comments carry forward automatically between revisions, reminders chase overdue responses, and every change is recorded in an audit trail. If your team is spending more time consolidating spreadsheets than resolving comments, that is the signal to switch — you can try Contrat.io free for 30 days, no credit card required.