Custom as-built file software development for electrical engineering
Appfront builds software that helps electrical installation firms keep track, for each installation, of how it has actually been built and modified: the drawings, the circuit schedule, the components used and every change since handover, including who made it and when. So the as-built file is accurate when a technician, an inspector or a client asks for it.
What is as-built documentation software?
As-built documentation software records, for each installation, how it has actually been built and what has changed since. The drawings, the circuit schedule, the list of components with their specifications, the commissioning test reports and every change afterwards: a circuit group added, a cable rerouted, a distribution board replaced. Each change comes from the engineer's job sheet and results in a new drawing revision, with the previous revision kept on record.
Without software, the as-built file is a folder that was correct at handover. Afterwards, an engineer changes a circuit during a fault repair, a colleague adds an extra distribution board during a refurbishment, and after three years nobody knows whether the drawing still matches the installation. During an inspection, an out-of-hours fault or a handover to another maintenance contractor, it then becomes clear that the installation differs from what the file says. That is a safety risk and a liability issue.
We build custom software because the real work lies in the link between the work order and the file. Which changes lead to a new drawing, who updates that drawing, how the group declaration is kept up to date and in what format the client wants to receive the file: all of this differs from one company and one client to the next. The software should follow your way of working and connect to the work orders and drawings you already produce.
File per installation
Drawings, circuit schedule, components, test reports and documents per installation and per distribution board, with the history since handover.
Changes from the job sheet
A change the engineer records on the job sheet becomes an open revision in the file until the drawing has been updated.
Revisions and delivery
Every drawing with its revisions and the reason for each one, and a file delivered in the format each client requires.
How we build your as-built documentation software
We start with an installation whose file is currently inaccurate, and with the job sheets that should have shown what changed. From that we work out what the software needs to record and how a change reaches the file.
Which installations you manage, what the file currently contains, and how changes currently come in. We follow a few changes from the job sheet through to the drawing, or to the point where they were left behind.
For each installation, the distribution boards, circuits, components, drawings and documents, with version control and the commissioning test reports.
A change on the job sheet becomes an open revision with the engineer's photo and description, assigned to whoever updates the drawing.
The file for each client in the required format, linked to your work order software and drawing package. After that, we take over management of the software.
What revision file software actually does
The components below feature in almost every electrical contractor with a maintenance portfolio. Which ones you need depends on your installations and your clients.
Installation and distribution boards
For each installation, the distribution boards and circuits, with the circuit schedule updated whenever a change is made.
Drawings with version control
Every drawing with its versions, the reason for each version and the previous versions kept. You never have to ask which drawing applies again.
Component list
Distribution boards, circuit breakers, residual current devices and other components, with make, type and installation date.
Open revisions
Changes from the job sheet that have not yet been incorporated into the drawing, with photo, description and owner.
Test reports and inspections
The measurements from commissioning and from later inspections of the installation, comparable over time.
Delivery to the client
The file as a package in the format the client requires, with a version number and date.
Who we build revision file software for
The software is intended for companies that manage installations over many years and who, in the event of a fault, an inspection or a handover, need a file that is accurate.
Electrical contractors with maintenance contracts
You are responsible for installations that you or someone else built, and the drawing needs to be right when your engineer is standing at the distribution board at night.
Maintenance companies
You take over installations from other parties and start with a file you cannot be sure is correct. The software makes discrepancies visible and brings them up to date.
Technical services of building owners
Your own installations in your own buildings, with changing contractors making alterations and a file that must remain yours.
Companies with inspection obligations
Periodic inspections that require a current file, where a drawing that is not accurate becomes a finding.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
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Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
The software is a web application with an integration to your work order software and your drawing package. The changes come from the engineer's work order; we have a separate page on engineer work order software for that. For periodic inspection with an installation register, there is the NEN 3140 inspection app, and you can read about our approach at building software.
For the engineer who marks changes on site with a photo, there is our app for the revision file.
Why choose Appfront for your revision file software?
A revision file is only worth something if it is accurate at the moment someone asks for it. That only works if every change reaches the file, and that is what we build for.
The change starts on the job sheet
On site, the engineer records what they have changed, with a photo. That becomes an open revision that does not disappear until the drawing has been updated.
Versions, not overwrites
Every drawing has versions with a reason and a date. Anyone who wants to know what the installation looked like last year can see it.
The file belongs to you, in your format
Your installations, your structure, your drawings. A client who wants the file in their own format receives it from the same source.
Security and privacy in revision file software
Revision files describe installations in buildings and therefore contain information that affects the safety and security of those buildings. Access is managed per installation and per role: a technician sees the installations they maintain, and a client sees only their own files. Every view and every download is logged.
Drawings and measurement reports are immutable per version. A new version has a reason, a date and a name; the previous one is kept. If an incident occurs, you can therefore trace how the installation was documented at that moment and what has changed since.
Frequently asked questions about revision file software
Questions installation businesses ask before getting started.
It keeps track of how each installation has actually been built and modified: versioned drawings, the group schedule, the components, the measurement reports and every change since handover. Changes come from the technician's job sheet and remain open until the drawing has been updated.
Via the job sheet: the technician records on site what they have changed, with a photo and a description. This becomes an open revision on the installation, assigned to whoever updates the drawing. Only once the new version has been saved is the revision closed.
Yes, as DWG, PDF or image. The drawing receives a version and a date, and the software helps you record the distribution boards and circuits shown on it. A file that currently sits in folders can be brought into the software without redrawing everything.
Yes. The software stores the versions and the reason for each change, while your drawing package remains the tool you use to edit the drawing. An updated drawing is saved as a new version; we build the integration with the package you use.
Yes, with a dedicated role that shows only their installations, and with delivery in the format they request. Everything a client views or downloads is logged.
No. An inspection app records what was measured and found during a periodic inspection. The as-built file records how the installation was constructed and modified. The inspection uses the file and produces test reports; the two should be linked.
Document management stores files. A revision file knows what an installation is, which distribution boards and circuits it contains, and which change led to which version. If you only want to store drawings, document management is enough, and we will tell you so.
Keep your revision files accurate from the job sheet onwards?
Tell us how many installations you manage and where the file is currently falling behind. We will follow a few changes from job sheet to drawing and show what the software concretely delivers in your situation.