The Standards and Quality Assurance (SQA) module allows NYSERDA and contracted Quality Service Providers (QSPs) to identify projects that are eligible for field or photo inspections. A random sampling of projects are selected for inspection to verify that program and technical requirements have been met. The SQA module allows inspectors to document evidence of any non-conformance through photos and written documentation. Information collected by the inspector is uploaded into the Salesforce QA checklist and an inspection report is generated. The SQA module allows the Contractor/Builder to submit corrective action documentation as needed and for the program implementer (either initiative staff or an external company providing support) to respond.
Audience: Participating Contractors
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The diagram below outlines the SQA Process Steps for the complete inspection process. The standard inspection process is outlined in the All Inspections row. Additional requirements for Photo Inspection are outlined in the Photo Inspections Only row. Lastly, if an inspection requires Corrective Actions, this process is included in the Correct Action Required Path. Generally speaking, Inspections without major or critical failures will typically end at the Approve Inspection step in the All Inspections row. If there are any CAR Tasks, the process will include the Corrective Action Required Path.
Once an inspection has been completed and submitted by the Inspector, an Inspection Report is generated and appended to the Inspection Record. An email is systematically sent to the Contractor/Builder with a link to the Inspection Report.
Below are examples of the heading for an Inspection Report for both a passed and failed inspection. In an actual Inspection Report, below the Pass/Fail heading displays details on all aspects of the inspection results.
The Standards and Quality Assurance (SQA) module is built within the NYSERDA Partner Portal (Salesforce). All activity related to scheduling, conducting, reviewing and approving inspections, and managing corrective action responses and resolutions, is documented and managed from within Salesforce.
Access the portal login page at https://portal.nyserda.ny.gov/login.
Enter your Username and Password.
| Username: | Your username is the email address used when creating your NYSERA Partner Portal (Salesforce) account with .nyserda added to the end as shown in the example screenshot above |
| Password: | You created this password when registering for the NYSERDA Partner Portal (Salesforce) account. If you have forgotten the password, click the Forgot Your Password? Link and follow the prompts to reset your password. |
Below is an example of the NYSERDA Partner Portal (Salesforce) Home page after logging in. Many of the menu options along the top will be reviewed throughout this guide and provide navigation access to other parts of the Standards and Quality Assurance Salesforce build.
The Dashboard page provides an overview of your projects and to the available reports for Contractors/Builders.
After logging into Salesforce, click the Dashboards tab to access the Dashboard.
The Dashboard includes several visual charts to help you track your projects.
| A | If you have access to several dashboards, use the dropdown menu to navigate between them |
| B | Click Refresh to update the dashboards and display the most up-to-date information |
| C | Hover your mouse over any data elements in any graph to reveal a tooltip with granular details |
| D | Each chart in the Dashboard has an underlying report that can be accessed by clicking the chart |
To access all of the reports available to Contractors/Builders, follow the instructions below.
After logging into Salesforce, access the Dashboards tab.
Then click the Go to Dashboard List link.
Select the Program folder to access the report list. Once clicked, the reports will show to the right.
Below is a list of all reports available to Contractors/Builders.
| Report Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Contractor Inspection Dashboard | High-level overview of completed inspections. |
| Photo Inspection Score | Overview of all photo inspection score over a set period of time. |
| 2018 Inspection Scores* | List of all projects from 2018. |
| 2019 Inspection Scores* | List of all projects from 2019. |
| Invoices by Payment Status** | Groups projects by invoice status and displays invoice amount. |
| Status and System Size* | Groups projects by project status and system size. |
| Waiting and Response* | Lists all projects that require input/response for process participants. |
| Number of Projects by Utility* | Groups projects by electric utility company. |
| Open Projects with Completion Deadline* | Lists all approved projects at risk for termination. |
| Inspection List | Lists all approved/completed field or photo inspection projects. |
| * Includes links to Project records ** Includes links to Project and Invoice records *** Includes links to Project and Inspection records | |
After accessing a report, use the Filters at the top of the page to define how the information in the report should be displayed.
| Run Report | Click to update the report information based on the filters set. |
| Hide Details | Hides the details of each heading in the report table. Click again to unhide these details. |
| Printable View | Click to open the report in a print friendly format. |
| Export Details | Exports the report into an excel format. |
Click any Underlined Link in a report table to open the corresponding Project Record.
Some NYSERDA Programs stipulate in their respective Program Manuals that photo inspections may be scheduled. If Contractors or Builders are performing an installation for a project under a NYSERDA program that conducts photo inspections, Contractors or Builders should be taking photos of their work at the time of installation or during project completion, regardless if any future scheduled inspection will be a field or photo Inspection. These photos will only need to be uploaded to the inspection checklist when a photo inspection has been scheduled.
When NYSERDA requests a photo inspection, Contractors or Builders will upload photos to Salesforce. NYSERDA will review all uploads, provide a QA score, and issue CAR reports if necessary. Contractors or Builders have fifteen (15) days to upload installation/project photos after receiving an email notification requesting a photo inspection and will be reminded, via email, on the sixteenth (16) day if photos are not submitted. Below is an example of the NYSERDA email communication that Contractors or Builders will receive when the QSP QA Scheduler schedules a photo inspection. The highlighted links open the Salesforce page where users can provide evidence/photos*.
If Contractors or Builders use the link in the email notification to access the Project Inspection Record, they will not need to log into Salesforce and navigate manually.
After accessing the correct Project Inspection Record either by logging into Salesforce or clicking the link in the email notification, click the Inspection Checklist button to open the checklist where photos can be uploaded.
The first page of the inspection checklist outlines the first series of Inspection Tasks. Each series of Inspection Tasks is associate to a specific Measure, and each Measure is associated to a specific Category . There may be multiple Categories (and therefore multiple Measures and Tasks ) assigned to an inspection.
To upload photos, scroll to the bottom of the inspection checklist Measure and click Choose File. To locate and select the photo(s) from your computer.
After a photo is successfully uploaded to the Measure you will see it as a list item underneath the Choose File button.
To advance to the next Measure, click the Save & Next button.
Repeat steps 3-5 above until the Save & Next button is no longer visible. This means you have reached the last page of the Inspection and can click Submit .
Multiple photos can be uploaded for each Measure at the same time by simply selecting multiple photo files during the upload process.
There may be cases when a Measure in the inspection checklist should be marked as Photo Not Applicable. If you need to mark a Measure this way, follow the steps in the Uploading Photos section on this page but replace step 3 with the below instructions.
Check the Mark entire measure as N/A box. This will systematically mark all Tasks in the viewable Measure as N/A.
Additionally, Contractors or Builders should also click Edit underneath the Contractor Notes window to activate the text box and document a note in the Contractor Notes section as to why the Measure was marked as N/A. Be sure to hit Save when done with the note.
If a photo that has previously been uploaded by a Contractor/Builder does not adequately provide information for the Inspector to assess the associated Measure was installed properly, the Inspector will mark the Measure as Could Not Verify. Once the Inspector has completed the inspection process and submitted their findings, Contractors/Builders will receive an email communication notifying them that a photo(s) associated with a Measure(s) must be re-submitted to show evidence of proper installation.
To re-submit a photo, access the Inspection Report (PDF Document) from the Project Inspection Record. This report will help you easily and quickly identify all Tasks that are marked as CNV.
Next, access the Inspection Checklist for the Project Inspection. This can be done either by:
- Clicking the link in the email notification
- Logging into Salesforce, Accessing the Project Inspection Record and clicking on the Inspection Checklist.
- Once in the Inspection Checklist, use the Category and Measure drop down fields, in conjunction with the Inspection report, to navigate to the first Task marked as CNV.
Follow the process in the Uploading Photos section of this guide to upload new photos for each Measure where a Task was marked as CNV.
- Continue until all tasks marked as CNV have a newly uploaded photo, then click Back to Inspection and log out.
Corrective Action Required (CAR) tasks may be assigned to specific Measures or Tasks for an inspection. CARs, in general, highlight major or critical deficiencies of the installation or project.
Contractors/Builders who receive CAR tasks related to a prior inspection must resolve all Critical and Major failed tasks. This may require performing additional work on the build site to fix any documented issues. Once these issues have been resolved, Contractors/Builders should follow the following process to update the inspection record.
Contractors and Builders respond to Corrective Action Required (CAR) tasks through the Review Failed Tasks page in Salesforce. Access to this page can be found in the email communication sent to Contractors and Builders when an inspection uncovers CARs.
On the Review Failed Tasks page, use the side navigation bar to locate all CAR eligible failed tasks. Failed tasks that require a response are denoted with a Red X to the right of the task. The first failed task will already be visible.
For each CAR eligible failed task, click the Action dropdown list and select Mark as Resolved, then add a note in the Notes section. Finally, click Insert to update the failed task and open the attachment window.
Note that an Action must be selected, and Notes documented before you are able to click the Insert option to upload new files or photos.
In the Attachment column, click the Paperclip icon to open the CAR Failure Review Attachment window.
Click Choose Files in the new window to locate the files on your computer. Choose the appropriate file(s) for upload.
Multiple files or photos can be uploaded at the same time. Simply select multiple files or photos during Step three of this section.
After a file is uploaded, a thumbnail of the file will display in the Attachment window. Click the Close button when complete.
After successfully responding to all Failed tasks, click Submit at the bottom of the page to submit your CAR replies for review.
After resolving the CAR tasks, the Program Implementer will review the submitted resolution. If the resolution is approved, no further actions are necessary for that specific CAR tasks. If the resolution is denied, the Program Implemented will reach out to request additional corrections.
Complete the above steps for all other CAR tasks.