Prioritise
Make severity explicit so scheduling and reporting are consistent.
Resources
Fire door remedials prioritisation: from findings to sign-off
A practical checklist for turning inspection findings into prioritised remedials, grouping work into projects, and keeping sign‑off evidence attached to the right doors.
Remedials
Prioritisation
Sign-off
Remedials
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Guide summary
Keep context
Tasks point back to the door record and inspection evidence that created them.
Close out
Before/after evidence + sign-off + outputs trace back to the same history.
At a glance
Prioritisation works best when severity, tasks, and close-out evidence are consistent across the team.
Make severity explicit
Define simple Low/Medium/High rules so office and site teams can sort the same way.
Group work into projects
Turn fails into tasks linked to the door record, then group by building so visits are deliverable.
Close out cleanly
Capture before/after evidence and sign-off notes so audits and client questions are easy to answer.
Step 1: Make prioritisation explicit
Teams lose time when severity is hidden in notes. Use a consistent scheme so everyone can sort work the same way.
- Define severity: use a simple Low/Medium/High (or equivalent) so it’s reportable and filterable.
- Separate “what” vs “how urgent”: keep fail reasons consistent, then add severity as its own field.
- Agree rules: decide what qualifies as “High” for your workflow so office and site teams don’t argue later.
Example severity rubric (adapt to your policy)
- High: issues your competent person policy treats as urgent, requiring prompt action and clear evidence of closure.
- Medium: issues that need remediation but can be planned into a project/visit window.
- Low: minor issues to bundle, monitor, or address during planned maintenance.
Step 2: Convert findings into tasks (door-by-door)
Remedials should inherit context: which door, what failed, what evidence exists, and what needs to happen next.
Do
Group by site/building
Keep work deliverable: one crew, one visit plan, and a clear list of doors per building.
Do
Keep tasks tied to doors
A remedial task should always point back to the door record that created it.
Do
Keep scope clear
Scope creep happens when tasks are vague. Make the “action required” explicit.
Common remedials workflow mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Detached tasks: remedials tracked in spreadsheets lose the door context and evidence trail.
- Duplicate work items: the same door issue appears in multiple lists; fix this early so reporting is clean.
- Scope drift: unclear “action required” leads to site teams doing different work than the office expected.
- No closure proof: “completed” means little without before/after evidence and who signed it off.
Step 3: Plan, schedule, and close out with proof
Audits and handovers don’t just ask “was it fixed?” — they ask “what evidence proves it?”
- Schedule by project: plan visits by building or block so work is deliverable on site.
- Capture completion evidence: attach before/after photos and notes to the door record.
- Record sign-off: who approved completion, when, and what outputs were issued.
- Export from the source record: PDFs and portal outputs should trace back to door history.
Minimum close-out pack per door
- Before/after photos (overview + detail).
- What was done (short factual note tied to the door/task).
- When it was done (date/time and visit reference).
- Who signed off (name/role where required by your process).
Step 4: Keep clients aligned
Clients move faster when they can see the same outputs and sign off without email chains.
- Share a single source of truth: let clients see door-level evidence and outputs in a portal.
- Keep billing connected: invoices and “Pay now” links work best when they reference the same jobs and doors.
- Reduce re-typing: avoid rebuilding lists of doors and actions in spreadsheets for every report.
Common questions
Quick answers on prioritisation, close-out proof, and client alignment.
What does “severity” mean here?
A workflow field used to prioritise and schedule work consistently (for example Low/Medium/High). It helps teams filter, plan visits, and report progress.
How do we avoid remedials being tracked in spreadsheets?
Keep tasks tied to door records so each remedial inherits inspection context and evidence, and close-out proof stays attached.
What’s the minimum close-out pack per door?
Before/after photos, a short “what was done” note, date/time, and who signed off (where your process requires it).
How do we keep clients aligned without email chains?
Share progress and outputs from the same record (portal/PDF) so everyone sees the same scope, status, and evidence trail.
Close the loop on one building.
Run a full cycle: inspection → prioritised remedials → sign-off evidence → client outputs.