Track™ — Installation & Field Operations

Your site team shouldn't be running your business over WhatsApp.

Q: What photos should I require at install?

Mandate four photo categories per job: a wide pre-install shot of the surface or area before any work begins, close-up shots of any pre-existing damage or condition issues, a wide post-install shot of the finished work from the same angle as the pre-install shot, and detail shots of every joint, edge, or fixing point. Photos must be timestamped and attached to the job record before the crew can mark the job complete. This is the single biggest predictor of whether a dispute three weeks later resolves quietly or becomes a formal claim. Track refuses to advance status without the mandatory photo set captured.

Track™ connects your office, factory and field into one live loop. Teams check in via QR scan, clients get automatic ETAs, delivery is confirmed with a digital signature, and your invoice fires the moment the job is done — all without a single phone call.

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Product preview

Sample install board based on the Slabr workflow model.

Preview crew status, snag tracking and client sign-off workflows using sample data.

Track™ · Operations

Install & site coordination

Live crew status, snag tracking and client sign-off across active sites

Active sites↑ 2

Sign-off rate↑ 3 pts

95%

Open snags↓ 4

Today

Site activity board

J-1791Sample kitchen installSigned off
Sample site·2 fitters · Themba lead· on-site 09:48· 12 photos
J-1794Sample fit-out — lobbyInstalling
Sample site·3 fitters · Marco lead· 14:00 today· 7 photos
J-1789Sample metal balustradeQueued
Sample site·2 fitters · Sipho lead· tomorrow 08:00
J-1786Sample glazing — foyer3 snags open
Sample site·2 fitters · Lerato lead· snag rectification· 14 photos

QR scan

No app, no login — works on any phone browser

Sign-off

Digital delivery confirmation captured on the client phone

Auto invoice

Triggered on confirmed delivery

Snags

Client raises items from the portal, team resolves on site

The honest comparison

Stop duct-taping WhatsApp to a delivery note

The old way

Site manager sends a WhatsApp photo as proof of delivery. Nobody files it.

The Track™ way

Team uploads site photos directly from the field. Photos attach to the job record automatically.

The old way

Client calls the office four times asking 'is the team en route?' You don't know.

The Track™ way

Client receives an automatic notification when the team checks out of the workshop and again when they arrive on site (email and WhatsApp where enabled).

The old way

Delivery sign-off is a carbon-copy paper form that gets lost in someone's bakkie.

The Track™ way

Client taps a link on their phone, reviews the job, and signs digitally. Timestamped, logged, done.

The old way

Invoice goes out three days after installation because accounts didn't know it was complete.

The Track™ way

Invoice is triggered automatically when the client confirms delivery — same day, in most flows.

The old way

Punch list is a WhatsApp thread between the site manager and client. Items get missed.

The Track™ way

Client logs snags through the portal. Items appear on the team's task list immediately with priority flags.

The old way

No visibility on which team is where. Scheduling is done by phone call and gut feel.

The Track™ way

See every team's check-in status and assigned jobs on a live schedule board. Gaps are visible before they hurt.

What Track™ does

Every tool your field operation needs

⬡

QR Scan-to-Update

Every job gets a unique QR code. Site teams scan from any phone browser — no app download, no login. Status updates instantly: arrived, in-progress, complete. Works on any Android or iPhone on mobile data.

📅

Installation Scheduling

Assign teams to jobs, set time windows, manage capacity across multiple crews. Drag-and-drop schedule board with conflict detection. Client notification fires automatically on assignment.

📍

Check-In / Check-Out Tracking

Teams check in on arrival and check out on completion. Exact times are logged against the job, giving you accurate on-site duration data for every installation — useful for quoting future jobs.

📱

Automatic Client Notifications

Email and WhatsApp (where enabled) fire at key moments: team assigned, team en route, team on site, job complete. Clients stop calling because they already know where the team is and what has been done.

📷

Site Photo Upload

Teams photograph the installation from the field — before, during, after. Photos link directly to the job record in Vault™. Searchable, shareable with the client, and attached permanently to the delivery record.

✍️

Digital Delivery Sign-Off

Client receives a link on job completion. They review the job summary and sign digitally on their phone. Signature is timestamped and attached to the job record — legally binding and instantly available to your accounts team.

🔧

Snagging & Punch List

Client flags issues through the portal or on site. Each snag gets a priority, a photo, and an assignee. Team resolves on-site and marks complete. Client approves each item. Full audit trail is kept — no he-said-she-said.

⚡

Invoice on Delivery Confirmation

The moment a client confirms delivery, Finance™ is triggered. Invoice is drafted with correct line items pulled from the job. Review and send — or configure auto-send. Cash collection starts the same day the job ends.

How it flows

From factory floor to signed delivery

Track™ is the final stage of Production™ — the handoff from your factory to your client's site.

Production marks job ready for delivery

When the final production stage is complete in Production™, the job status advances to "Ready for Installation". Track™ is notified automatically — no manual handover needed. The job appears in the installation queue immediately.

Scheduler assigns team and time window

The office assigns an installation crew from the team roster, sets the date and arrival window, and confirms the site address. The client receives an automatic email confirmation with the scheduled slot (WhatsApp where enabled).

Team checks in on arrival via QR scan

On site, the team leader opens the camera app and scans the job QR code. Status updates to 'On site'. The client receives an arrival notification. No app, no account, no friction — any phone, any carrier.

Site photos captured and uploaded from the field

Before and after photos are uploaded directly from the team's phone. They're attached to the job in Vault™, timestamped and geotagged, giving you a visual record of every installation that you can share with the client or keep for warranty purposes.

Client reviews and signs off digitally

On completion, the team scans out and the client receives a delivery summary link. They review the items, raise any snags, and sign on their phone screen. The digital signature is locked to the record — available instantly to your accounts team.

Invoice fires, cash collection starts

Sign-off triggers Finance™ to create the invoice with the correct line items pulled from the original job and quote. Invoice is ready to send — or auto-sent if configured. Your team installed today, your client owes today.

Tight integration

Track™ is the final act of every job

Track™ sits at the end of your operational loop. It pulls the job from Production™ when manufacturing is complete, and pushes a confirmed delivery event to Finance™ the moment the client signs. Every department stays in sync without anyone sending a message.

Snags logged by the client flow back into the job's issue list in Production™. Resolution times are tracked. If a snag requires re-manufacturing, a new job is raised with one click, linked to the original — full traceability from first quote to final sign-off.

Production™

Receives job when factory is done

Finance™

Triggered on delivery sign-off

Clients™

Portal used for sign-off & snags

Sales™

Line items pulled from original quote

Designed outcome · workflow example

Track is designed so a site manager logs delivery from the field, the client signs digitally on their phone, and the invoice is drafted from the original job line items — without anyone manually telling accounts the install is done.

Workflow example · not a customer testimonial

Field-ops failure modes

5 mistakes that turn a clean install into a dispute

Most installation arguments aren't about the work itself — they're about the paper trail around the work. These five gaps are the ones we see most often.

MISTAKE 01

No GPS arrival/departure capture

Without a timestamped check-in and check-out, you have no proof of how long the team was on site. When a client claims the crew "left at lunch", you have no defense — and your labour burden calculation drifts away from reality.

MISTAKE 02

No mandatory before/after photos

Three weeks after install, a client phones to say a panel was scratched on arrival. Without a timestamped photo set captured the moment the crew finished, you cannot prove the surface was clean at sign-off. Photo discipline is non-negotiable.

MISTAKE 03

Verbal scope additions on site

The site foreman tells the crew "while you're here, also fit the splashback". Three weeks later, nobody remembers if it was free or chargeable. Every scope change must become a written change order before the work starts — not after.

MISTAKE 04

No structured snag list

Punches captured as WhatsApp voice notes get lost. Items missed at sign-off resurface six months later as warranty claims. A structured snag list with photos, priority, and an assignee per item is the only thing that holds up in a dispute.

MISTAKE 05

Sign-off not captured digitally

A paper sign-off form lost in the bakkie means the warranty boundary is unclear: when did the defects period start? Without a timestamped digital signature, you cannot anchor practical completion — which means retention release and warranty triggers all sit in limbo.

Frequently asked

Install, sign-off, and the legal edges

What's the legal status of GPS-tracking technicians?

GPS tracking on company-owned devices used for company-issued work is broadly lawful in the US, UK, EU and South Africa, but each jurisdiction adds conditions. The US Department of Labor's wage-and-hour guidance treats location data as part of legitimate time-tracking records when used to confirm work hours. In the EU and UK, GDPR requires a documented lawful basis (usually legitimate interest), a privacy notice to the worker, and a data-protection impact assessment for continuous tracking. South Africa's POPIA mirrors this. The safe playbook: only track during scheduled work windows, store timestamps not continuous traces, document the policy, and let workers see their own data. Track™ captures arrival and departure events only — not movement between.

What photos should I require at install?

Mandate four photo categories per job: (1) a wide pre-install shot of the surface or area before any work begins, (2) close-up shots of any pre-existing damage or condition issues, (3) a wide post-install shot of the finished work from the same angle as the pre-install shot, and (4) detail shots of every joint, edge, or fixing point. Photos must be timestamped and attached to the job record before the crew can mark the job complete. This is the single biggest predictor of whether a dispute three weeks later resolves quietly or becomes a formal claim. Track™ refuses to advance status without the mandatory photo set captured.

How do I structure a snag list that holds up in dispute?

Every snag item must have five fields populated: a clear title, a photo, a priority (critical / major / minor), an assignee, and a target resolution date. Capture them in a single structured list — not as WhatsApp voice notes or scribbled paper. The client signs against the list at sign-off, acknowledging that any item not on the list at that moment falls outside the practical-completion scope. Critical snags must block sign-off; minor items can be resolved during the defects period. Without this structure, snags become a moving target and you end up doing free work months later. Use the same template every job.

What triggers the start of the defects period?

Practical Completion (PC) is the legal trigger. Under JCT contracts, PC is the moment the works are sufficiently complete that the client can take occupation, with only minor outstanding items remaining. The Mears v Costplan judgment (2019) confirmed that "trifling" defects do not prevent PC — but the client and contractor must agree what is trifling. Once PC is certified, the defects liability period starts (typically 6-12 months), retention may release in tranches, and the warranty clock begins. AIA A201 Article 9.8 calls the same concept Substantial Completion. Track™ records the PC date as the timestamped digital sign-off, so every downstream date is anchored to a single auditable event.

How does sign-off interact with retention release?

Retention is typically held in two tranches: half released at Practical Completion, half at the end of the defects period. So the sign-off event has direct cash consequences for both parties. If sign-off is captured loosely — a paper form, a verbal nod, a WhatsApp emoji — the contractor cannot reliably trigger the first retention release, and the client cannot reliably argue the second tranche should be withheld. A timestamped digital sign-off, attached to a structured snag list, gives both sides a clean reference point. Track™ ties the sign-off event directly into Finance™ so retention schedules update automatically and disputes have a clear factual anchor.

Can the customer see install progress in real time?

Yes. Each job has a client-facing portal at a unique tokenised URL. From the moment the team is assigned, the client sees the scheduled window. When the crew checks in via QR scan, the portal updates to "On site" with the arrival timestamp. As photos are uploaded, they appear in the client's gallery. The client raises snags directly from the portal during or after install. At sign-off, they review the summary and sign on their phone. This kills the "is the team there yet" phone call, kills the post-install surprise dispute, and gives the client one place to look — which is also one place that automatically becomes the legal record.

Sources & references

The legal and regulatory frame behind the playbook

The guidance on this page draws on time-tracking law, construction-contract case law, and industry-standard photo-evidence practice. Primary sources below — verify against the regime that applies to your contract.

US Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #21: Recordkeeping Requirements (FLSA)
Federal recordkeeping baseline for hours worked, including timestamped check-in/out data.
AIA A201-2017 General Conditions — Article 9.8 (Substantial Completion) summary
US standard contract language for the Substantial Completion event and its consequences.
JCT — Practical Completion (overview)
UK construction-contract definition and consequences of Practical Completion.
Bevan Brittan — Mears v Costplan: Practical Completion case-law update
2019 Court of Appeal judgment clarifying when "trifling" defects do or do not prevent PC.
Designing Buildings Wiki — Construction site photography and photographic evidence
Industry-standard guidance on photo cadence, metadata, and admissibility in disputes.
ICO (UK) — Guide to GDPR: Lawful basis for processing employee location data
UK regulator guidance on the lawful-basis test for tracking workers — applies to GPS check-in/out.
NEC4 — Defects and the Defects Date (contract clause overview)
NEC4 contract framing of the defects period that begins at completion.

This page is informational and does not constitute legal advice. Practical completion, sign-off, snag definitions, and retention mechanics vary by jurisdiction and contract form — confirm with your legal counsel before relying on any specific framing.

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Close the loop between factory and client

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The legal and regulatory frame behind the playbook