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The daily life of a building inspector can be chaotic: making a dozen phone calls to schedule and reschedule inspections, navigating through piles of paperwork, trying to remember the latest ICC updates… Not to mention the pressure of knowing that people’s safety depends on getting every detail right.
Don’t let inefficient processes make inspectors’ lives harder than they need to be.
Ensuring that your inspection processes are as streamlined and straightforward as possible helps you boost morale and maximize productivity.
In this blog, we’ll share four steps you can take to make inspections easier:
- Provide Up-to-Date Checklists
- Plan and Schedule Effectively
- Include All Relevant Documentation
- Minimize Data Entry
While permitting software (such as GovBuilt) will facilitate some of these steps, there are plenty of things you can do for your inspectors today, even if you’re not ready to invest in software.
1. Provide Up-to-Date Checklists
Inspectors need to have an up-to-date checklist for every type of inspection that they’re responsible for. Checklists help to:
Reduce Inspectors’ Mental Load. Seasoned inspectors may feel like they don’t need checklists because they can remember everything to look for—and probably they can! But they shouldn’t have to. Having a list to reference reduces the mental strain of remembering each little thing to check on each type of inspection, helping them work faster and more accurately.
Keep Track of Updates. While inspectors need to be educated about building code updates, providing an accurate checklist means they don’t need to memorize every detail.
Ensure Compliance. Relying on team members to keep track of codes on their own can lead to problems with compliance and safety.
Help Get New Inspectors Up to Speed. If you have someone new to the job or a particular type of inspection, having a standard checklist helps them learn their role faster.
Best Practices for Checklists
- Use digital platforms to manage and distribute checklists. Digital checklists can be easily updated and shared so all inspectors have access to the most current information.
- Gather feedback from your inspection team on existing checklists. Their on-the-ground insights can help identify gaps and areas for improvement.
- Regularly review and update checklists to reflect the latest building codes and regulations. An outdated checklist can lead to missed compliance issues.
GovBuilt allows you to import the newest codes directly from the International Code Council (ICC) to minimize the manual labor of creating and updating checklists. Once checklists are created, inspectors can use them in the field from their mobile devices.
2. Plan and Schedule Effectively
A building inspector’s day often starts by driving to the office to pick up a list of inspections for the day, then zigzagging across the community for inspections, and finally driving back to the office to type up notes. Effective planning and scheduling can make inspectors more efficient.
Use Scheduling Tools. With GovBuilt’s calendar integration, contractors can schedule inspections directly onto the inspector’s calendar. Alternatively, you can allow contractors to pick a window for their inspection, and have inspectors plan the exact schedule. GovBuilt can then automatically send a notification to the contractor with the time.
Incorporate Buffer Time. Inspectors can run into delays like traffic or an inspection that’s more complex than expected. Planning for the unexpected helps maintain the overall schedule without significant disruptions.
Pre-Plan Inspection Routes. GovBuilt’s integration with Google Maps enables inspectors to easily map their route for the day and visualize what will require the least amount of driving.
Minimize Trips to the Office. If your inspectors currently start and end their day at the office, consider whether you can eliminate one of those trips. For instance, could inspectors type up the previous day’s notes first thing in the morning instead of at the end of each day? Better yet, digitize their schedule so they don’t have to come in the morning, and allow them to add notes digitally from the field to cut out the evening trip. (GovBuilt allows both of these functionalities.) You may find that inspectors need only come to the office once or twice a week.
3. Include All Relevant Documentation
All too often, inspectors are sent into the field with little but a clipboard, an address, and an inspection type. If they want more information, they have to call and hope that someone in the office has access to the information they need.
It’s helpful for inspectors to have access to the following at the building site:
Previous Inspections. Has the property been inspected before, and if so, what were the results? If it’s a re-inspection, inspectors can save time by focusing only on the areas that caused it to fail before.
Building Plans. Plans provide a visual reference that helps inspectors understand the layout and specific areas of interest or concern on a complex structure. Inspectors can quickly refer to marked-up plans during the inspection process, saving time compared to verbally describing or searching for specific areas.
Parcel History. Parcel history includes records of compliance with building codes and other regulations. Inspectors can verify that all past work was compliant and determine if any part of the current structure might be compromised due to past construction or renovations.
But it’s not always practical to print out that information and give inspectors a physical copy for each property they’ll visit that day. Ideally, inspectors can access that information in a digital format from the field. This can be done with a content services platform (CSP) like Laserfiche. It’s best if there’s an integration between the CSP and other inspection tools to minimize time spent switching between applications. Inspectors can view the entire history of a property from the GovBuilt app thanks to its integration with Laserfiche or other systems.
4. Minimize Data Entry
When inspectors have to return to the office to type up their notes for the day, it effectively doubles the amount of time spent on paperwork. This excessive manual data entry can lead to errors, delays, and burnout. Plus, it means inspectors can perform fewer inspections in a day.
That’s why you need:
Data Entry from the Field. Use mobile apps and inspection software that allow inspectors to input data directly into digital forms. GovBuilt forms come with features like drop-down menus, checkboxes, and auto-complete options, which means less typing and overall easier data entry.
Integration with Other Platforms. Integrate inspection and permitting software with other systems used in your department. That way, data only needs to be entered once and it’s automatically populated across all relevant platforms.
Next Steps
To learn more about how GovBuilt’s permitting solution creates a more efficient, compliant, and satisfying work environment for your inspectors and other staff members, fill out the form below!