Compliance Management for Carpentry Contractors
Handle job documentation, equipment safety, and quality assurance with digital tools built for carpentry businesses.
The Challenge
Carpentry contractors must document custom work, maintain equipment safety, handle site-specific requirements, and demonstrate quality workmanship - while managing materials, meeting specifications, and protecting against disputes. One missing fire door certificate, lost design approval, or incomplete installation photo can create liability, fail building control inspection, or make warranty disputes impossible to resolve. Paper job sheets get lost, specification approvals are forgotten, and proving work quality months later without systematic photo documentation is nearly impossible.
How Assistant Manager Solves Carpentry Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges carpentry businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
Carpentry work is often custom and gets covered up - without photos at key stages, proving workmanship and specifications later is impossible
The Problems
Why This Matters for Carpentry
- Custom joinery projects need design approval and progress photos, but rushed jobs mean you forget to photograph key stages before they're covered up
Customers dispute specifications or workmanship, and you have no photos to prove the work was done correctly or to agreed designs
- Fire door installations require certificates and proper installation procedures, but keeping track of which doors need certification and retaining installation records is difficult
Building managers request fire door certificates for compliance audits and you can't provide them, creating liability and damaging professional reputation
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Job-specific checklists with mandatory photo points for key stages, fire door installation documentation with automatic certificate generation, and customer sign-off capture
Every installation has photo evidence at key stages, fire door certificates are automatically generated and stored, and customer approvals are captured before work proceeds
Use Cases:
- • Fire door installation with certification documentation
- • Custom joinery design approval and progress photos
- • Staircase installation with building regs compliance
- • Timber frame construction with sequential photography
- • Kitchen fitting with appliance and service routing photos
- • Flooring installation with subfloor condition documentation
- • Customer sign-off before and after each stage
- • Material specification records for warranty purposes
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Custom joinery projects need design approval and progress photos, but rushed jobs mean you forget to photograph key stages before they're covered up
Real Scenario
"A customer claims bespoke kitchen cabinets aren't to specification. You know you built exactly what was agreed, but you have no photos of the approved design or build progression. The dispute goes legal, and you have no evidence to defend your work."
Example 2: Fire door installations require certificates and proper installation procedures, but keeping track of which doors need certification and retaining installation records is difficult
Real Scenario
"A building manager conducts a fire safety audit and requests certificates for the 12 fire doors you installed 2 years ago. You can't find the certificates or installation records. The building fails its audit, and you're blamed for inadequate documentation."
Document Management
Carpentry documentation needs 5-15 year retention (fire doors, building regs, warranties) - paper systems can't maintain organized records over such periods
The Problems
Why This Matters for Carpentry
- Design drawings, material specifications, and customer approvals are paper documents that get damaged on site or lost between jobs
Specification disputes arise and you can't prove what was agreed, customers claim work differs from plans, and warranty questions can't be answered
- Fire door certificates for installations from years ago need to be retained permanently, but paper certificates are lost or stored in boxes you can never find
Building managers need certificates for audits or property sales, you can't provide them, and customers blame you for 'losing' critical safety documentation
The Solution
How Document Management Helps
Cloud-based storage for all drawings, specifications, and approvals, automatic fire door certificate generation and permanent retention, and instant search by customer or property
Every design, specification, and approval is instantly retrievable forever, fire door certificates are permanently retained, and warranty questions can be answered years later
Use Cases:
- • Fire door installation certificates with permanent retention
- • Design drawings and customer approval records
- • Material specification documents with supplier details
- • Before and after photo documentation
- • Building control notification and certificate storage
- • Warranty registration and maintenance instructions
- • Timber treatment certificates and specifications
- • Customer handover documentation with digital delivery
Feature Screenshot
Document Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Design drawings, material specifications, and customer approvals are paper documents that get damaged on site or lost between jobs
Real Scenario
"A customer disputes the timber specification used for decking 18 months ago. They claim you used standard timber not the premium grade they paid for. Your paper quote is water-damaged and illegible, and you can't prove what was specified."
Example 2: Fire door certificates for installations from years ago need to be retained permanently, but paper certificates are lost or stored in boxes you can never find
Real Scenario
"A property sale requires fire door certificates from 4 years ago. You search everywhere but can't find them. The sale is delayed, the customer is furious, and you end up paying £800 for replacement fire door assessment."
Time Clock & Attendance
Carpentry pricing depends on accurate time estimation - without real data on how long work actually takes, quotes are guesswork and profitability suffers
The Problems
Why This Matters for Carpentry
- Pricing for custom jobs is based on estimated time, but you have no accurate data on how long different types of work actually take
You consistently under-quote complex work because you guess at timings, and profitable-looking jobs end up making losses
- Site-based work has no attendance verification, and apprentices complete timesheets from memory with rounded hours
You're paying for hours not worked, have no proof of site attendance for customer queries, and can't accurately cost jobs for future pricing
The Solution
How Time Clock & Attendance Helps
Mobile clock in/out with GPS verification at customer sites, job-specific time tracking for accurate costing, and automatic timesheet generation
You know exactly how long each type of work takes for accurate quoting, site attendance is verifiable, and historical time data improves pricing accuracy
Use Cases:
- • Mobile clock in/out when arriving at customer sites
- • Job-specific time tracking by work type (kitchens, stairs, doors, etc.)
- • GPS timestamp verification for site attendance proof
- • Historical time data analysis for more accurate quoting
- • Apprentice break compliance monitoring
- • Travel time recording between jobs
- • Weekly timesheet generation for payroll
- • Job costing analysis to identify profitable work types
Feature Screenshot
Time Clock & Attendance
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Pricing for custom jobs is based on estimated time, but you have no accurate data on how long different types of work actually take
Real Scenario
"You quote £2,500 for a bespoke wardrobe based on 'probably 3 days work.' It actually takes 5 days. You've made minimum wage on a job you thought would be highly profitable, and you've learned nothing for next time because you don't track actual hours."
Example 2: Site-based work has no attendance verification, and apprentices complete timesheets from memory with rounded hours
Real Scenario
"A commercial client queries your invoice, claiming your carpenter was only on site 4 hours, not the 7 hours charged. Your timesheet says 7 hours, but it was filled in from memory at week-end. You have no proof of actual attendance times."
Vehicle & Equipment Management
Carpentry contractors depend on power tools and material management - site work requires current PAT certificates and knowing where specific materials are stored
The Problems
Why This Matters for Carpentry
- Power tool PAT testing dates are paper certificates that get lost, and you don't remember when tools were last tested until site inspections ask for proof
Construction sites reject tools without current PAT certificates, jobs are delayed while tools are tested, and site access can be refused
- Material stock for ongoing projects is stored 'somewhere in the van or workshop,' and you discover missing materials only when needed on site
Jobs are delayed while you source missing materials, timber acclimatization timelines are disrupted, and rushed material purchases cost more
The Solution
How Vehicle & Equipment Management Helps
PAT testing certificate storage with expiry tracking, material inventory management with location tracking, and vehicle maintenance monitoring
All PAT certificates are current and instantly accessible for site inspections, material location is always known, and vehicle compliance is automatic
Use Cases:
- • Power tool PAT testing certificate tracking with expiry alerts
- • Material inventory by project with location tracking
- • Timber acclimatization scheduling and reminders
- • Tool inventory management across van and workshop
- • Van MOT, service, and insurance expiry warnings
- • CSCS card expiry tracking for site access
- • Equipment purchase records and warranty documentation
- • Safety equipment inspection schedules
Feature Screenshot
Vehicle & Equipment Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Power tool PAT testing dates are paper certificates that get lost, and you don't remember when tools were last tested until site inspections ask for proof
Real Scenario
"You arrive at a construction site for a second fix. The site manager asks for PAT certificates for your power tools. You can't provide them - the last certificates are lost and you're not sure when testing was due. You're sent away and lose 2 days of work."
Example 2: Material stock for ongoing projects is stored 'somewhere in the van or workshop,' and you discover missing materials only when needed on site
Real Scenario
"You're due to install a bespoke staircase. The timber should have been acclimatizing in the customer's home for 2 weeks. You can't find it - it's still in the workshop. The job is delayed by 2 weeks, the customer is furious, and you've disrupted their renovation timeline."
Other Trades & Services Solutions
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