Digital PDI Guide For Developers

Pre Delivery Inspections are one of the most sensitive touchpoints in the homeowner journey. A rushed, paper based PDI usually means missed deficiencies, confused trades, and frustrated owners.

This guide walks through how to move from paper or Excel checklists to a digital PDI workflow that your site team will actually use.

Why move from paper to digital

Paper and ad hoc spreadsheets create problems that only show up months later.

• Checklists live in binders and are hard to audit.
• Photos are stuck on phones with random file names.
• Handwriting is hard to read and easy to dispute.
• Follow up depends on whoever remembers to chase trades.
• Reporting across buildings is almost impossible.

A digital PDI workflow centralizes everything in one place and gives you standardized checklists, clean deficiency records, and real visibility across buildings.

What a good digital PDI workflow looks like

A strong workflow usually has five stages.

1. Prepare

• Define standard checklists by unit type and common area.
• Set up buildings, floors, units, and templates.
• Assign roles for site staff, trades, and customer care.

2. Inspect

• Complete PDIs on a tablet or phone.
• Capture issues with photos and clear descriptions.
• Tag items by category, trade, and location.

3. Assign and communicate

• Route deficiencies to trades or internal teams.
• Include context like unit, location, and photos.
• Use due dates that reflect occupancy timelines.

4. Track and close

• Monitor open items by trade, building, or category.
• Re inspect or verify work before closing items.
• Close items only when verified on site.

5. Report and improve

• Identify recurring issues or high risk areas.
• Improve your next phase or next building.
• Provide clear updates to leadership and ownership.

Key features to look for in a PDI tool

• Works offline on site. Most PDIs happen in areas with weak connectivity. Offline mode is essential.
• Structure that matches real buildings. Communities, buildings, floors, units, and common areas should be modeled accurately.
• Real deficiency tracking. You need more than pass or fail. Capture photos, categories, severity, and due dates.
• Roles and permissions. Site supers, trades, customer care, and partners should see only what they need.
• Useful reporting. Dashboards and exports should reflect real project activity.

How to roll out digital PDIs on your next project

Step 1: Choose a pilot building

Pick a building where PDIs have not started or where you are early in the turnover process. You want enough volume to learn from but not total chaos.

Step 2: Standardize your checklists

Decide which spaces must be inspected for each unit type and how issues should be categorized. Build templates so your team uses them consistently.

Step 3: Train the site team

Keep training short and practical. One walkthrough is more useful than ten slides.

Step 4: Bring trades into the loop

Trades should know how they will receive deficiencies and what is expected of them. If possible, give them access instead of sending screenshots.

Step 5: Measure and adjust

After the first cycle, adjust templates and categories instead of asking inspectors to work around missing options.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Trying to mirror every legacy form exactly.
• Using too many categories on day one.
• No single owner for configuration.
• Waiting for a perfect setup before starting.

Where Unitwise fits

Unitwise is built specifically for digital inspections and deficiency tracking on residential and mixed use projects.

• Create standard PDI templates for unit types and common areas.
• Capture deficiencies with photos and location context.
• Assign items to trades or internal teams with due dates.
• Track completion across buildings and phases.
• Surface trends that inform your next development cycle.

If you want help designing a digital PDI flow for your next project, get in touch and share a recent building. We can map your current PDI or deficiency process into a clean digital version.