Variation
A variation is a change to the scope of work set out in the contract, whether an addition, an omission or a change in how something is to be done, usually with an adjustment to the price and the programme.
Australian and British contract language. In the United States the same thing is a change order. Either way it has to be instructed or agreed in writing to be paid.
Variations and defects get confused on the register when a change made on site produces something that looks wrong. A door swing changed at the client’s request that now catches on the carpet is not a defect, and counting it as one puts the cost on the wrong party.
How IssuesId holds it
IssuesId records a variation as a Type on the record, Variation or Contract Variation, with a cost category of variation, so it drops out of the defect counts and reads correctly in the cost reports. The trade can dispute a defect that is really a variation, and the ruling stays on the file.
Two questions people ask
Definitions describe common usage and the usual shape of standard-form contracts. Your contract and your jurisdiction’s building law set the terms that apply to your job. The whole list is at the glossary.