Why a checklist
The costliest installation mistake is a crew driving out and coming back because a part was missing or a detail was wrong. A day of crew, van and lift is wasted, and the customer sees the appointment slip again. Most of these mistakes are simple: a forgotten box of anchors, a wrong address, a shop found closed, a crew that does not know where the power comes from.
The checklist below has three parts. Extend or trim it for your work; what matters is using the same list on every job and ticking it. It is general guidance and does not replace occupational health and safety rules or your own risk assessment.
Before you leave
- Approved artwork: does the crew have the final file the customer approved, and does the job match it?
- Measurements: mounting height, letter spacing, surface type and survey photos with the crew?
- Product: every part packed and numbered, illuminated parts lit and tested in the workshop?
- Fixings: anchors and screws for the surface, standoffs, sealant and the mounting template
- Electrics: power supply, cable, junction box, breaker details; agreed with the customer where the power comes from?
- Permits: municipal permit or building or mall management approval, if needed?
- Access: lift, cherry picker or scaffolding booked; parking and pedestrian safety thought through?
- Customer: who will be there, is their number with the crew, is the shop open, was the appointment confirmed the day before?
- Crew: how many people, and are qualified people along for work at height and electrics?
- Tools and protective equipment: drill, level or laser line, ladder, helmet, harness, gloves
On site
- 1
Make the area safe
Cordon off the area below and think about pedestrians and traffic. If wind or rain makes work at height risky, postponing is always an option.
- 2
Work at height by the rules
Follow safety rules and the equipment maker's instructions for lifts, scaffolding and harnesses. A ladder is not a work platform for long or heavy jobs.
- 3
Check the surface
Is the surface what the survey found? Non-structural cladding, a rotten frame or glass changes the fixing method. If something does not match, call the workshop and the customer before drilling.
- 4
Mark, then drill
Mark positions with the template or by measurement and check alignment and height with the customer. Moving a sign after drilling costs time and leaves holes in the facade.
- 5
Have a qualified electrician connect it
The connection should be made by a qualified electrician with the power off. Outdoors, use rated power supplies and fittings and route cables so water cannot get in.
- 6
Take photos
Photograph the facade before you start, the fixing points, and the finished job. A before photo settles any argument about who caused old damage to the facade.
After installation
- Test: switch the sign on and check every letter and module; set the timer if there is one.
- Check: alignment, fixing and spelling against the approved artwork one last time.
- Clean up: remove protective films, drilling dust, packaging and offcuts.
- Handover photo: photograph the finished job by day and, if possible, lit.
- Handover: show the job to the person in charge, get a written or signed acceptance, give care and warranty details.
- Waste and the old sign: agree beforehand where a removed sign and the packaging go; a pile left at the customer's door spoils the impression of a good installation.
- Record: write down anything left open, extra requests or a return visit straight away.
Planning the installation day
As important as the checklist is when and in what order jobs are done. With several installations in a day, order the addresses along the route and group jobs that need a lift into the hours it is hired. For large or illuminated jobs, early mornings before the shop opens or evenings after it closes cause fewer problems for the customer and for pedestrians; agree these hours in advance.
Check the weather the day before, and if work at height looks risky, call the customer early and offer a new day. Give the crew the artwork, measurements, address, on-site contact and notes in writing; what is passed on by word of mouth goes missing on site. When the crew is back, get anything left open or any extra request to the workshop and sales the same day so the next visit finishes in one go.
Finally, treat installation as part of the handover, not the end of the job: it is when the customer forms their first impression. A clean facade, a light that works and a short care note at handover often bring the next job on their own.
Keeping the list between workshop and field
A checklist only works if the installation details are in the crew's hands. In SignFlow an installation is its own record linked to the order: date, address, who to call on site, notes and the crew, and rescheduling on the calendar never loses the address. Installers see their own jobs on their phone, call the customer with one tap and open directions. An installation cannot be completed without at least one installation photo, and an order that needs installation cannot be closed until the installation is complete.