Recently DataSpace-Live has seen the addition of a new ‘Client’ folder to the application ‘Documents’ tab. The ‘Client’ folder enables authorities to quickly and easily share documents with the applicant/agent such as completion certificates or inspection documents. Sharing documents is as easy as dragging and dropping them from the main list of application documents into the new ‘Client’ folder, which will automatically cause the documents to appear in the applicant/agent’s own Submit-a-Plan account where they can view them. The applicant or agent will also receive a notification email that documents have been shared with them. 

The addition of the client folder follows our recent release of ‘Standard Documents’, a facility enabling authorities to create a range of documents online within DataSpace-Live itself. Authorities can create and edit their own templates for initial notices, approval certificates, inspection reports and standard letters which can then be shared as a final document with an applicant, agent or another contact straight from DataSpace-Live itself. The ‘Client’ folder makes sharing such a document with the applicant or agent even quicker, meaning it will take authorities as little as 4 or 5 brief steps to create and share a document.

This module is comprised of both a cutting edge mobile and tablet App for Site Contacts and a specialised 'Inspections' section within both the authority and Site Contact's DataSpace-Live account where they can communicate with one another about inspections.

Using the App on their phone or tablet a Site Contact can view details, updates and results of site inspections, contact the authority and even request an inspection visit.

The Site Contact App along with our corresponding Surveyor's Inspections App is designed to offer a complete and advanced electronic inspection solution that is intuitive of the processes, requirements and conditions related to Local Authority building control inspection.

Our new plan-checking solution PlanCheck will be located under a new tab within each online application and will enable authorities to assess and comment on plans against a comprehensive ‘Check List’ in DataSpace-Live. As an authority works their way through the check-list  the user can assign a status, report an outstanding condition and even add comments to them. Coloured flags that change from red to green also indicate when each check has been completed. 

Once they have completed all the checks in the list the authority can then press a ‘Notify’ button to send an automated email or text message of the results to the agent straight from DataSpace-Live. If the message the applicant or agent receives has alerted them to issues or outstanding conditions that need their attention they can then login to their Submit-a-Plan account to view the details as well as respond with a comment or by uploading any documents as required.

PlanCheck like DataSpace-Live can be accessed from anywhere with internet accesses and also allows you to invite plan-checkers in, meaning not only can plan-checking be carried out by members of your team working from home but also by freelancers, providing you with flexibility.

*Just added: If you use our 'Reports' facility you can now run reports on Plan-Checking activity, statuses and fees across the applications in your DataSpace-Live account.

Also recently developed is our new 'DataSpace-Live Reports' facility. Built right into DataSpace-Live this solution will enable authorities to create reports across all applications and inspections and other items in your department which can be defined by a range of different DataSpace-Live fields.

'DataSpace-Live Reports' developed from the 'Inspections Report' button we added to DataSpace-Live last year. As part of the 'Inspections' package that enables authorities to schedule, manage, carry-out and sign-off on inspections electronically in DataSpace-Live, the 'Report' button added the additional ability to create a report on all inspections connected to a specific application, therefore allowing the authority to keep track of the progress, results and outstanding conditions of its inspections. The resulting report is attached to the application but can also be downloaded or shared as a PDF document, meaning authorities will find it easier to share inspection information with new home owners or other individuals or groups. 

'DataSpace-Live Reports' takes this concept one step further. The reporting facility will enable you to define which applications or inspections you wish to report on by choosing your own criteria, whether for all applications or inspections currently in your DSLive account, or those by month, period or year, by location, agent or applicant, by fee or other data. The resulting report can then be viewed, saved, exported to PDF or excel, printed or shared. 'DataSpace-Live Reports' is aimed at helping authorities manage and keep track of the work and money coming in to their department.

*Just added: If you are using our new 'PlanCheck' facility, you can now run reports on the plan-checking activity, statuses and fees across the applications in your DataSpace-Live account.

Our standard forms facility enables you to create a range of documents online within DataSpace-Live itself, such as initial notices, approval certificates, inspection reports and standard letters which can then be shared with an applicant, agent or another contact. By pressing the new ‘Create Document’ button in the ‘Documents’ tab of an application you’ll be able to select the document you wish to create from a list and a standard template form will open on your screen.

When your new document template opens you will find various fields where your document information will appear. Some of these fields are pre-populating fields ie. information the system can pull and merge from DataSpace-Live ie – application submission IDs, applicant or agent name, work locations etc. Other fields will be editable which you can type your information or comments into. You’ll then be able to save the document and share it with the applicant or agent.

All of these template fields, both pre-populating and editable, can be added or removed by you, meaning that you can decide how you would like your different document templates to look and what you would like them to contain. This means that if you would like your approval certificates to contain the same series of information each time, you can set these fields up as a template which open in DataSpace-Live every time you click the ‘Create’ button to fill in a new certificate. You can have as many templates as you like for different types of documents and manage them in our new User Admin Tool.

*Just added: Using our new 'Client' folder in an application's 'Documents' tab, you can now instantly share approval certificates and other documents with the applicant and agent.

Our 'User Admin Tool' will enable authorities to manage some of their own users and DataSpace-Live settings. The admin tool will be accessible to a department manager or administrator as decided by you where that person will be able to add, edit or remove users, as well as similarly managing those elements of different DataSpace-Live modules and tools which are changeable such as inspection types, templates, standard notes and the checks included in the PlanCheck check-list etc. The 'Admin Tool' section will also be the home of 'DataSpace-Live Reports'.

Ever thought it would be handy to add important comments or notes to an application? Well now you can using the new ‘Comment’ button now added to most application tabs with DataSpace-Live. Whether related to a phone conversation with a client, discussion with a consultee or a detail about a plan-check or inspection, you can now add your comment to the application which will be visible under the application ‘Details’ tab for all your team to review. 

Next time you visit the ‘Details’ tab within an application be sure to take a look at the ‘Edit Details’ button. The existing ‘Edit’ button has been redeveloped to allow you to edit a wider range of application details from the applicant and agent’s name, address and communication details to the work location and description. Further still, for those authorities using DSLive as their Back Office System a Back Office Reference ID can now be generated for each application automatically here in the ‘Edit Details’ section. The authority can initially setup how they would like these references to be configured in the ‘User Admin Tool’ and each reference can be overridden and edited if required. 

For those applications with a large number of documents we have now released our ‘Document Search’ tool, making it quick and easy to locate a specific document in an application’s document list. You can search by word or if you happen to know it, a document number. We have also now configured an application’s documents list to load in sets of 25 documents at a time with forward and back buttons to move through each page of 25 items. This should make loading the application documents list even quicker.

As well as all of the other application types, initial notices can now be registered into DataSpace Live. We will also shortly release a new form that can be made available for Approved Inspectors to fill in online and which will be submitted instantly to the building control team and into DataSpace Live. This can be enabled on a per Authority basis so please let us know if you would like to be added.

Following the release of our Local Authority Building Control Jobs Board last year, this year we are considering the creation of a Local Authority 'Resource Hub', where authorities can advertise work they need carrying out for them such as plan-checking. For this project we would like to hear what else you might like to see on the Resource Hub. You can send any suggestions to: helpdesk@resolutiondm.com