Three Ways to Create IAQ Inspection Reports

If you are in the business of performing IAQ inspections, you already have experience producing reports. And you know how much your customers rely on those reports to ensure they have healthy homes. But do you ever wonder if you are using the best method for report development? This article touches on the purpose of a report and what it should contain. Then it dives into three report-development options, to help you choose the most beneficial approach.

The Purpose of an IAQ Report

This type of report serves to summarize key findings and prescribe recommendations for improving indoor air quality.

What an IAQ Inspection Report Should Contain

That depends on the type of indoor air quality inspection you are conducting. If you are summarizing a residential or small-business inspection, you probably can keep the content concise and only a few pages in length. On the other hand, if you are creating a report for a large commercial, industrial or municipal building, the content is likely to be extensive and will fill a large number of pages.

Various Methods of Creating Reports

Essentially, you have three different approaches to consider:

• The Basic, No-Frills Method

• The Advanced, Do-It-All Method

• The Happy-Medium, Mobile-Floor-Plan Method

Let’s look at those individually.

1. The Basic, No-Frills Method

What You Need:

• A laptop or desktop computer

• Word-processing software (e.g., Microsoft Word)

Software Cost:

This method to create reports for indoor air quality checks will cost zero dollars if you already have word-processing software installed on your business computer. If not, you have options: buy software outright by paying a relatively economical, one-time fee, or choose to subscribe and pay ongoing, monthly subscription fees.

Advantages:

• You’re probably already comfortable producing written documents

• You can insert basic extras that you think will be helpful (such as photos you take during inspections, or do-it-yourself tables you create with your word-processing software)

Disadvantages:

• No easy-to-use, baseline report template (you have to create your own from scratch)

• No ability to generate and present a report immediately, at the end of each inspection (because a computer-generated report takes time to complete… and that step is better suited for your home or business office)

Key Takeaways:

The Basic, No-Frills Method is ideal if:

• You actually enjoy spending a lot of time creating reports

• You’ve been doing it this way for a while and you don’t feel comfortable trying something new
  

2. The Advanced, Do-It-All Method

What you need:

• A laptop or desktop computer

• Full-featured, IAQ-specific reporting software

Software Cost:

This may be an upfront purchase price of several hundred dollars, or perhaps a monthly subscription fee.

Advantages:

All kinds of software “bells and whistles” that allow you to do things such as:

• Select from a list of pre-defined, plug-and-play report elements

• Pull in extensive tech info (such as government and industry guidelines) to include for each inspection parameter

• Choose from and edit canned text blocks

• Create and insert graphs, from a menu of predetermined styles
  

Disadvantages:

• Necessitates hours of self-training time to become familiar with all of the different features

• Requires practice to become skilled at using all of the different features

• May be way more complicated than what you need – and that can be a downfall if it means report drafting is too complex and takes up too much of your time

• Does not give you the ability to generate and present a field report immediately, at the end of each inspection (because a computer-generated report takes time to complete… and that step is better suited for your home or business office)

Key Takeaways:

The Advanced, Do-It-All Method is ideal if:

• You typically perform inspections for large commercial, industrial or municipal buildings

• You intend to perform multiple types of indoor air quality testing onsite

• You often must wait for extensive lab results, and then spend time analyzing and interpreting those results, before you complete and submit your inspection reports

• You intend to produce (and your customers expect) extensive and lengthy reports
  

3. The Happy-Medium, Mobile Floor-Plan Method

What You Need:

• A mobile phone or tablet

• A mobile data plan (if you want to be able to email reports from the field and store reports in the cloud)

• A floor-plan sketching and reporting software application that automates the sketch creation process and has built-in reporting capabilities

Software Cost:

Most likely, this will be a monthly or annual subscription fee, with different pricing tiers available (i.e., the more features/capabilities you choose to use, the higher the fee).

Advantages:

A high-quality floor-plan app will allow you to build your report for IAQ assessments speedily, in real time, as you move through an inspection. Here’s how you do it:

• Connect a Bluetooth digital tape measure, and use the app to collect room measurements and create a scaled floor plan quickly

• Easily convert the floor plan into a baseline report document

• Enhance the floor plan by adding room features and objects

• Quickly authenticate your findings by adding photos for emphasis and clarity

• Add notes and markups to record details on the go

• Share your report and discuss it with your customer before you leave

Disadvantages:

• Does not provide the advanced functionality needed for complex reports about large commercial, industrial and municipal buildings

• If you want full Internet access, this method requires a monthly fee for a mobile data plan (which is a non-issue if you already have one)

Read more: 5 Reasons to Create a Floor Plan Sketch During an IAQ Inspection

Key Takeaways:

The Happy-Medium, Mobile Floor-Plan Method is ideal if:

• You want to use software that is designed to streamline the reporting process

• You normally perform inspections of smaller structures (residential homes, small businesses)

• You typically do not perform a lot of IAQ testing that requires lab analysis

• You don’t plan to include graphs and tables in your reports

• You intend to produce concise reports that are just a few pages in length

• You like the idea of creating a report onsite, as you perform each inspection (instead of investing time later, at your office)

• You like the idea of presenting and discussing a report at the end of each inspection, to help the customer immediately, provide closure, and be able to invoice the inspection sooner

Conclusion

Report development is an important part of your IAQ inspection business. By taking time to evaluate different methods for producing reports, you’re sure to find the one approach that suits you the best.

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