Replacing paper site checklists with an online forms system

The problem

Spennteknikk’s project leaders send installers out to sites with a stack of technical forms: records, checklists and data sheets. Each job needs its own version of each form.

• Forms were filled in by hand, on paper or in Word and Excel
• Some details had to be filled in before the form went out
• Calculations and totals were worked out manually
• The first idea, an off-the-shelf form tool linked to Excel, couldn’t fill in their existing templates

Mapping the process first

Before building anything, we took a deep dive into how Spennteknikk actually works. A paid consultation and a small trial, turning one form into a PDF, came first. Then a discovery workshop where we mapped the whole process:

• Every form type, and which details are filled in before a form goes out to site
• Who prepares each form, who completes it on site, and who checks it afterwards
• Every calculation the installers were doing by hand
• Where entries need correcting after they’ve been submitted
• What the finished PDF report has to show

What we built

• Forms built from templates. Project leaders prepare each job’s forms and assign them to a named installer, who sees only their own.
• Calculations on the form. The figures installers used to work out by hand are calculated automatically.
• Smarter checklists. Pick several items at once and the totals are added up for you.
• Finished PDF reports. Every completed form produces the report, ready to file or send.
• An admin area. Project leaders manage jobs, forms and installers, and correct entries after submission.