Storm Shelter Website vs Installation Project Software: What Should Own What?

Overview

Storm-shelter sales and storm-shelter installation are different information problems.

The public front office needs to know:

The technical project needs to know:

• who is asking;
• where;
• capacity;
• shelter type;
• property/site context;
• timing.
• exact selected product;
• verified site;
• engineering requirements;
• permit;
• installation schedule;
• crew;
• QA;
• inspection/certification;
• closeout.

What the public website should own

Usually:

Current OneStudio features fit this layer.

• shelter/product education;
• buyer pages;
• service areas;
• verified trust/certification presentation;
• public quote request;
• ordinary prospect/client history;
• consultation request;
• marketing analytics.

What project/engineering systems should own

Usually:

Do not collapse these into CRM.

• selected product/configuration;
• site verification;
• engineering;
• drawings;
• permits;
• procurement;
• installation schedule;
• field evidence;
• QA;
• inspection/certification;
• closeout.

Keep the quote separate from the installation project

Prospect:

Above-ground shelter for six people in a garage, existing slab, North Texas.

Accepted project may later contain:

Keep both.

The quote preserves the customer’s request.

The project system controls the technical work.

• exact product;
• approved placement;
• slab/site verification;
• engineering documents;
• permit path;
• final install date.

Keep product selection controlled

The website can educate about:

The project record should own the actual selected model/configuration.

• above-ground;
• in-ground;
• capacity ranges.

Keep site verification specialist

A customer can submit:

A qualified installer/project team should verify:

• photos;
• rough measurements;
• slab information.
• placement;
• access;
• substrate/site condition;
• project-specific constraints.

Keep engineering separate from marketing

Engineering may involve:

Use the qualified engineering workflow.

Do not store calculations in ordinary CRM notes.

• anchoring;
• foundation/slab;
• drawings;
• calculations;
• custom configuration.

Keep permits specialist

A project may need:

Use the relevant permit/project system.

• jurisdiction;
• application;
• permit number;
• inspection.

Keep installation QA specialist

A controlled installation record may include:

The exact record depends on the manufacturer and project.

• crew;
• product ID;
• installation checklist;
• photos;
• anchor/fastener evidence where required;
• site conditions;
• sign-off.

Keep certification wording precise

A product may have:

The website can display verified evidence.

The operational project should retain the documents associated with the installed product.

• manufacturer test report;
• engineering report;
• standard compliance evidence;
• association/certification record.

Use one explicit handoff

Choose:

Storm shelter quote accepted into installation operations

Before handoff:

After handoff:

• website;
• quote;
• ordinary prospect/client;
• consultation;
• marketing source.
• selected product;
• site verification;
• engineering;
• permit;
• schedule;
• installation;
• QA;
• inspection/certification.

Source-of-truth matrix

A 28-point buyer test

1. Website and technical project systems have explicit roles.
2. Quote and installation project are separate.
3. Customer and site are separate.
4. Submitted capacity/site data remains historical.
5. Handoff has one explicit trigger.
6. Selected product has one owner.
7. Product serial/ID has one owner where applicable.
8. Verified placement has one owner.
9. Site verification has one owner.
10. Engineering drawing has one owner.
11. Calculation has one owner.
12. Permit has one owner.
13. Procurement status has one owner.
14. Installation date has one owner.
15. Crew has one owner.
16. Installation checklist has one owner.
17. Field photo/evidence has one owner.
18. QA decision has one owner.
19. Inspection has one owner.
20. Certification/closeout has one owner.
21. Public CRM excludes engineering truth.
22. Public CRM excludes permit status.
23. Public CRM excludes installation QA.
24. Public booking is not crew dispatch.
25. Public website does not certify compliance.
26. Website can survive project-software changes.
27. Public analytics exclude technical safety records.
28. Staff can explain the boundary in one sentence.

Give the website the customer relationship and the project system the technical truth

The public layer should make the company easy to trust and request.

The project layer should make the installation technically controlled.

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Questions businesses ask