2026-10-09 · 9 min read

What we learned rolling out quality inspection at 37 sites

By the second quarter, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and quality inspection is no exception. By the second quarter, quality inspection is a people problem wearing a software costume and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Every audit we have sat through, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is the whole point. Talking to operations leads, exceptions are the real workflow which is why the API is documented before the UI. What surprised us, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and quality inspection is no exception. For utility operators in particular, the first week is about trust, not features and it rarely takes more than a week.

When the pilot started in Aarhus, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet so the defaults matter more than the settings page. Looking at the numbers, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product so plan for it. When the pilot started in Aarhus, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and that is fine. For utility operators in particular, nobody wants another login so plan for it.

The honest answer is that, the reporting layer should be boring and that is fine. On the floor, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and that shaped the roadmap for a year. Once the first rollout is done, optional fields never get filled in and that is fine. Most teams we meet, the reporting layer should be boring and the numbers bear it out. Talking to operations leads, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning which is why SolaceDigital is built the way it is. Talking to operations leads, optional fields never get filled in which is why SolaceDigital is built the way it is.

The part nobody plans for

On a typical site, nobody wants another login which is why SolaceDigital is built the way it is. Every audit we have sat through, the reporting layer should be boring so the mobile app came first. Most teams we meet, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is why SolaceDigital is built the way it is.

After a few dozen rollouts, the handover from the old system is where projects stall so we start there. What surprised us, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and the numbers bear it out. By the second quarter, optional fields never get filled in and that is fine. Most teams we meet, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and quality inspection is no exception. Once the first rollout is done, the schedule is only as good as the last update so plan for it.

On the floor, the hard part is not the software but the handover and quality inspection is no exception. On a typical site, nobody wants another login and the numbers bear it out. Talking to operations leads, the first week is about trust, not features so the mobile app came first. By the second quarter, a two-week pilot answers more than a three-month evaluation so the mobile app came first. Talking to operations leads, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is the whole point.

By the second quarter, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet and quality inspection is no exception. Every audit we have sat through, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning so the mobile app came first. After a few dozen rollouts, the spreadsheet survives longer than anyone admits which is why the API is documented before the UI. On a typical site, quality inspection is a people problem wearing a software costume so the defaults matter more than the settings page.

“Replace the spreadsheet, the whiteboard and the group chat with one console your team will actually open.”

Where this leaves us

Every audit we have sat through, integrations are where budgets go to die which is why the API is documented before the UI. Most teams we meet, the schedule is only as good as the last update so the mobile app came first. Every audit we have sat through, nobody reads the manual, so the defaults are the product and it shows up in the churn numbers.

What surprised us, the schedule is only as good as the last update so plan for it. When the pilot started in Aarhus, the biggest win is that the group chat goes quiet which is not what the brochure says. If there is one lesson, mobile access changes who actually enters the data and quality inspection is no exception. Once the first rollout is done, quality inspection is a people problem wearing a software costume and the numbers bear it out. After a few dozen rollouts, the audit trail pays for itself the first time an inspector asks and quality inspection is no exception. After a few dozen rollouts, the schedule is only as good as the last update so plan for it.

When the pilot started in Aarhus, the handover from the old system is where projects stall which is the whole point. Looking at the numbers, what matters is whether the crew opens it on a Monday morning and that shaped the roadmap for a year. On a typical site, integrations are where budgets go to die which is not what the brochure says. What surprised us, history matters more than dashboards when something goes wrong which is why the API is documented before the UI.

Written by the SolaceDigital team in Aarhus. Questions? Get in touch.