Buyer's guides
Choose the software, then defend the choice.
Category comparisons and a demo checklist, written for the reviewer who has to sign the recommendation.
How to use these guides
Three decisions, in the order they come up.
Most inspection-software purchases stall on the same three questions. First, is this a job for the maintenance system you already own or for an inspection data management system (IDMS)? Second, at what point do the spreadsheets and PDFs that run the program today stop being defensible? Third, once vendors are in the room, which questions separate a demo from the product you will live with for ten years?
Each guide answers one of those. They describe the categories and the trade-offs plainly, name no vendors, and end in a checklist you can take into the meeting. Read them in order if you are starting from scratch, or jump to the demo questions if the shortlist already exists. The standards hubs and calculators linked from each guide carry the code references and the math behind the criteria.
IDMS vs CMMS: different jobs, one thread
An inspection data management system and a CMMS do different jobs. What each should own, where the seam sits, how they connect, and why merging them fails.
Read the guide Buyer's guideSpreadsheets vs an IDMS: what the switch actually changes
Spreadsheets carry an inspection program until history, CMLs and audits scale. What an IDMS changes, what the switch costs, and how to keep history intact.
Read the guide Buyer's guideTwelve questions for any inspection software demo
Twelve questions to ask in any inspection software demo, from airplane mode at the start to total cost at the end, and what a good answer looks like.
Read the guideAnswers
Buyer's guide questions
Who are the buyer's guides for?
The people who have to choose and then defend the choice: inspection and integrity leads, reliability managers, IT architects, and procurement. Each guide ends in a checklist you can take into a meeting.
Are the guides vendor-neutral?
They describe the categories and the trade-offs plainly and name no vendors. Where intelliSPEC is mentioned it is one short passage, and only for capabilities the platform actually ships.