Standardize the site record
Store one canonical site per customer location. Use the existing Sites table for customer, address, contact, access notes, readiness, and target go-live.
Open Sites ↗01 / Getting started
Use the app as a stage-gated delivery system
Start with one live pilot site, make the gate fields mandatory, and only then scale the pattern across your installation portfolio.
Run the survey before dates
Create a Site Survey work order and complete the survey checklist. Do not create an installation start date until the survey decision is Ready.
Open Work Orders ↗Build the project plan
Link the site to an Installation Project, define phases, add work orders, assign a lead and technicians, then add work dependencies for sequencing.
Open Installation Projects ↗Pass the four-part gate
Before scheduling, confirm survey, government approval, crew, and inventory. Record the decision and any override reason in a readiness record.
See the gate design →Recommended rollout rule
For the first 3 to 5 pilot sites, treat a missing readiness decision as a hard stop. This exposes gaps in the operating process before automation hides them.
02 / Fit assessment
What the app supports today
This is the direct answer to the brief shown in your image. Green means the current structure is usable, amber means it needs a control or process wrapper, and red means add a small data model extension.
| Requirement | Current fit | Evidence in Field Installation PSA | Action before rollout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-installation site survey gates scheduling | Partial | Sites has Readiness Status. Work Orders has Site Survey as a work type. | Add a Site Readiness Checks table and block scheduling unless the decision is Ready. |
| Crew + inventory + site checked together | Partial | Projects have a Field Lead. Work Orders have a technician and equipment array. Sites have access and readiness notes. | Add a Scheduling Readiness record with four explicit checks and a gate formula. |
| Pending government approval outside team control | Gap | No approval entity or status was found in the inventoried tables. | Add Government Approvals with Pending, Submitted, Approved, Rejected, and Expired states. |
| Track work and timelines across sites | Ready | Projects, phases, work orders, due dates, dependencies, progress formulas, overdue flags, and analytics are present. | Adopt the weekly plan review and activate only the notifications you want. |
| Find the same site/customer for AMC in 8 months | Partial | Sites is a canonical searchable record linked to projects and completion records. | Add Service Agreements and AMC Visits, both linked back to Sites, with a Next Visit field. |
03 / Operating procedures
The solar installation control loop
Use this sequence for every site. The important change is that scheduling is a decision, not a date entry.
01
Intake and site identity
Create or find the canonical Sites record. Search by customer plus address before creating anything. Capture access notes, site contact, and the target go-live date.
- One site record per physical location
- Use a stable site naming convention: Customer - Location
- Do not use a project as the site master
02
Survey and evidence
Create a Site Survey work order under the project. Capture roof condition, shade, structure, cable route, inverter location, access, safety, and photos or attachments in the readiness extension.
- Set Site readiness to Survey Scheduled before the visit
- Set it to Ready only after the checklist is complete
- Use Blocked with a reason when the site cannot proceed
03
External approvals
Create one Government Approval record for each authority or permit. Keep Pending visible even when the team has done everything it can. This is a real status, not an exception note.
- Owner: the person who follows up, not the approving authority
- Record submitted date, expected date, and expiry date
- Attach the approval reference or evidence when available
04
Four-part scheduling gate
Set the project to schedulable only when all four checks are true: site ready, approval ready, crew ready, and inventory ready. If an emergency override is needed, require manager sign-off and a reason.
- Use the same planned install date across the project and readiness record
- Check dependency blockers before assigning the date
- Never treat an empty check as a pass
05
Execution, handover, and AMC
Run phases and work orders through completion, record completion evidence, then create or update the Service Agreement and schedule the next AMC Visit against the same site.
- Use Field Updates for site-level progress notes
- Close work orders only after acceptance criteria are met
- Start AMC from the completed site, not a copied project
04 / Role academies
Learning paths by responsibility
Each course is short, practical, and tracked only in this browser. Select a role, read the lesson, complete the exercise, reveal the quiz answer, and mark the course complete.
05 / Product walkthroughs
Where to work in the app
Installation Console
Use the console as the daily dispatch surface for active projects, work orders, phase status, blockers, and field updates.
Open console ↗Installation Overview
Use the overview for portfolio health: projects by status, progress, milestones, and overdue work across sites.
Open overview ↗Installation Analytics
Use analytics for read-only trend review, overdue work, technician load, phase gates, and delivery performance.
Open analytics ↗Canonical record links
Sites, Installation Projects, Work Orders, Installation Phases, Equipment, Technicians, and Completion Records are the core navigation spine.
See the data model →Daily 15-minute dispatch check
06 / Workflows & automation
Keep automation behind visible controls
The app has six workflows. Three are active and three are inactive. Activation is a business decision because notifications can create noise or false confidence.
Installation Auto-CompletionActive · Completes a project when all installation phases are complete
↗
Phase Gate Auto-CompletionActive · Recomputes phase gate status when work orders change
↗
Stamp Work Order Completed AtActive · Keeps completion time synchronized with completion status
↗
Work Order Assignment NotificationInactive · Notify assigned field personnel
↗
Work Order Overdue NotificationInactive · Notify when work becomes overdue
↗
Installation Lead NotificationInactive · Notify the field lead when assigned
↗
Automation recommendation
Do not automate scheduling until the four-part readiness record exists. First automate reminders for missing checks and pending approvals. Then automate the scheduling decision.
07 / Data model
Keep the site as the long-lived customer asset
Projects are delivery events. Sites and service agreements are the long-lived relationship. That distinction is what makes an AMC visit findable eight months later.
Existing model to use
Recommended extensions
01
Site Readiness Checks
Site ref, survey status, survey date, checklist flags, decision, evidence, blocker reason.
02
Government Approvals
Project ref, approval type, authority, status, owner, submitted date, expected date, expiry date, evidence.
03
Scheduling Readiness
Project ref, site/approval/crew/inventory checks, planned install date, decision, override reason.
04
Service Agreements + AMC Visits
Keep next visit and history linked to the Site so the same customer location remains searchable.
08 / Troubleshooting
When a project is stuck
Site is ready but cannot be scheduled
Check all four readiness flags. A Ready site alone is not enough. Review government approvals, assigned crew, equipment array, and open dependency blockers.
Government approval is still pending
Keep the approval status as Pending or Submitted and record the next follow-up date. Do not overwrite it with a team-controlled status such as Blocked unless the team itself is the blocker.
Inventory looks assigned but is not available
Work Orders can reference equipment, but the current model does not distinguish reserved, issued, returned, damaged, or consumed. Add an inventory movement or allocation table before using assignment as stock proof.
AMC visit cannot find the old installation
Search Sites by customer and address, not by project name. When the AMC extension is added, link the Service Agreement and AMC Visit back to the same Site record.
Progress does not match the field reality
Review the status reference on Work Orders and the completion formulas. Use Field Updates for context, then make the record status reflect the agreed acceptance criteria.
09 / Glossary
Shared language for the team
Ready to make the app production-ready?
Start with the four-part scheduling gate, pilot it on one site, and then add AMC history before your first recurring visit.