Tips for creating effective digital inspection checklists with Smartflow.

Welcome to the third edition of Inspector's Digital Portal Newsletter by Smartflow .

This edition zooms into three parts: 

1. Tips for creating effective inspection checklists
2. Upcoming inspection events. Where can you meet us
3. News from Smartflow’s Digital ISGOTT Solution. Short overview. 

Part 1. Tips for creating effective inspection checklists 

At Smartflow, we work with tank storage, oil and gas, TIC, and maritime professionals who are looking for efficient ways to tackle inspection processes and field inspections.

This is how you can build effective inspection checklists that consistently lead to thorough and reliable inspections.

1. Divide the inspection process into smaller tasks where each task is atomic and can be executed independently. 
2. Capture clear responses like a Yes/No or OK/Not OK instead of text responses.
3. List the checks in a logical order that the inspector can easily follow. Where possible, plan a day to observe the inspector on the field when performing checks to understand how checks can be grouped and ordered to make them simple to use and save time.
4. Capture remarks/ comments/ pictures during the process, if possible, for individual checks to have a comprehensive inspection report. 

Here are some insights into how Smartflow's approach to checklist design balances comprehensiveness with ease of use.  

Developing a checklist that captures all essential inspection criteria while remaining user-friendly can be a challenge. 

1. Smartflow provides a comprehensive framework where checks are divided into checkgroups, and the checkgroups can have a further hierarchy. This allows an inspector to navigate through a checklist easily using a drill-down approach and quickly browse/reach the checks to be performed.
2. Smartflow's data-driven inspection framework supports defining properties on objects and checks, also on checkgroups. They contain relevant information for the inspector when they are performing checks in the field. Having all relevant information easily accessible while performing a check is a big convenience for the inspectors.
3. Responses to checks are color-coded, like OKs in green and NOKs in red, which makes the checklist design intuitive.

Technology and digital tools enhance the effectiveness of inspection checklists. Here’s how Smartflow's platform integrates with these advancements

1. Digital checklists provide real-time availability of data. If any urgent follow-up action is noticed during a check, inspectors can be notified to the concerned immediately, and such actions can be executed quickly. Time is of the essence when it comes to safety, and digital inspections using platforms like Smartflow provide that necessary advantage.
2. Checks can be configured with different validation rules at design time. These rules validate the inspector's responses and alert them if the response is not valid to ensure the accuracy of the checks.
3. Smartflow keeps an audit trail of user tasks, captured responses, and handovers. 

Customization enables users to tailor inspection checklists to suit their specific industry and organizational needs.

Using the Smartflow platform, we have built checklists targeted to various industries ranging from standard ATEX inspections to custom tank, pump, and rig inspections specific to an organization. 

The platform provides a framework for inspections where checks can be organized and divided into manageable tasks. 

It comes with a rich toolset to capture various types of data in the field, ranging from yes/no answers to capturing images and reading bar and QR codes. 

Additionally, there is a rich library in the low code segment of the platform to integrate with NFC or IoT devices. All these combined make the platform a powerful option for building tailored inspection checklists to suit specific industries or organizations.

Enabling inspectors and teams to use data and insights gathered from completed checklists to refine their inspection protocols over time. 

Smartflow provides design tools to build custom dashboards using grids, charts, and maps. 

These advanced tools can be used to present the data from completed as well as ongoing checklists for information and review. 

For enterprise users, Smartflow also exposes the inspection data in a data lake that can be easily accessed using tools like Tableau, Power BI, Qlik, etc., to build informational and analytical reports. These reports can then further be used to refine the inspection process.

Part 2. Upcoming inspection events. Where can you meet us

Take your first steps with AI: increase the efficiency and effectiveness of your inspections. Sign up here.

On-site. Free Event 

Date & Time: October 10th, 14:00 - 16:30 CEST

Place: Heijplaatstraat 17 Rotterdam, Netherlands

We are excited to embark on iTanks ' new journey, iTravel, as your designated tour guide. We are organizing a one-of-a-kind experience intended for inspection and tank storage companies who are curious about the benefits AI can bring to their inspection processes. 

Do you want to learn more about the benefits of powering up your inspections with AI? Meet our experts, Jelle Swanenberg and Bart Musters , to understand how AI can help you improve your inspection processes by making them more efficient, effective, and accurate.

Calamiteiten Kantine

On-site. Free event 

Date & Time: September 29,  14:30 onwards

Location: Gezamenlijke Brandweer - Hoofdkantoor Moezelweg, Europoort Rotterdam, Netherlands 

We are excited to participate in the event together with our customer Aboma , expert in the field of safety, quality, and sustainability in the construction and vertical transport industry for over 60 years. Our colleagues, Jelle Swanenberg and Aidin Yavari , together with Mario Rovers , Manager AMTeK at Aboma, who brings his strong knowledge in machinery, health and safety, and regulation supplies, will welcome you to engage in conversations over the benefits of digital inspections and workflows. 

Part 3. News from Smartflow’s Digital ISGOTT Ecosystem 

NSW Ports goes live with Smartflow Digital ISGOTT Solution. 

The successful implementation of Smartflow and our partners Platform8 at NSW Ports in Australia is now officially live. As an international standard, ISGOTT ensures safe and efficient operations within the maritime and tank storage sectors. NSW Ports is home to terminals like Vopak, Quantem, Elgas, and Qenos.

By leveraging the Smartflow Digital ISGOTT Solution, ports gain a centralized view of operations and facilitate efficient communication among key stakeholders, including vessels, port authorities, ports, and terminals. This transformative solution not only enhances safety and operational efficiency but also simplifies compliance with the international ISGOTT standard.

What can you do next?

>>> Contact us for a free demo session

>>> Talk to a consultant about your specific needs 

>>> Follow the Smartflow Digital ISGOTT page if you are interested in digitizing the ship-shore process at your tank storage terminal 

About the authors

This Newsletter is a compilation of in-house expertise from Smartflow’s digital transformation specialists. It is brought to you by Stefana Sopco , FortyUnder40 Award winner by StocExpo and Tank Storage Magazine and one of the Top 100 Tank Storage Influencers by Storage Terminals Magazine . In the last three years and a half, she has been working closely with organizations from the #Energy, #TankStorage, #Maritime, and #TIC sectors to facilitate a smooth transition to digital inspection models.