Why run compliance in software
MCS has moved away from judging the manual on your shelf. What it and the consumer codes still ask for is evidence, job by job. Here is why that is easier to produce from a system than from a folder.
Your assessment starts with the records
A certification body assessment begins at your office, where the assessor goes through your management systems, documents and records before looking at any installation.
Every document is already filed against its job, so you pull up the installs they ask for instead of preparing folders the week before.
MCS now looks for controls, not a manual
The redeveloped MCS installer scheme puts less weight on a written quality manual and more on the processes and controls that produce a good installation.
A workflow with a traffic light on each step is a control. It shows the process being followed on every job, which a manual on a shelf cannot.
Surveillance follows risk
Under the redeveloped scheme, how closely you are watched depends on a risk model, and a non-compliance found on one site can mean more of your sites are assessed.
Consistent jobs keep you low-risk. Missing steps show red in the office long before an assessor finds them.
Each installation's records must last years
Guidance for installers is to keep the records for every installation for at least six years.
Records are stored centrally and searchable by customer or address, and do not depend on one laptop or a filing cabinet.
Contracts and cancellation rights trip installers up
When the Renewable Energy Consumer Code published its audit results, quotes and estimates were the most common failing, followed by contracts and cancellation rights.
Proposals and contracts come from the same templates every time, and the signed contract is a step the job cannot pass without.
Handover and supervision are checked
Assessment checklists include handover documentation, customer feedback and complaints records, and supervision records for staff and subcontractors.
Handover engineer, commissioning certificate and handover pack are steps in the job, and responsible persons and certifications sit in the back office.
Certificates have a deadline
MCS certificates must be created within a set window after commissioning. The redeveloped scheme sets it at 30 days.
Registering the MCS certificate is the last light on the job, so an install that has not been certified is easy to spot.
Fixes have to stick
If an assessment finds a non-conformity, you must show its root cause and the corrective and preventive action you have taken.
Change the workflow once and every future job follows the corrected process.
Folder and spreadsheet, or one system
| Paper manual and spreadsheets | PaperClip MyOffice | |
|---|---|---|
| Where a job stands | Ask whoever is running it | Traffic lights on every step, visible to everyone |
| Roof design and proposal | Separate tools, figures re-keyed | Designed, calculated and proposed in the job |
| DNO submissions | Tracked in email | Steps in the job, with the schematic attached |
| Assessment day | Assemble evidence beforehand | Open the jobs the assessor picks |
| Keeping records | Filing cabinet, shared drive, someone's laptop | Held centrally, searchable, open from site |
| Changing a process | Reissue the manual and hope it is read | Change the workflow once |
See PaperClip with your own jobs in it
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