Rules and reference

Part 1

Your role

Take responsibility for each job allocated to you, from the first plan review through installation, snag resolution and signed handover. Keep the client, consultant and office informed. Each job has one accountable installation manager. A consultant, fitter or admin name is not proof of technical ownership. Avoid two managers giving the fitter different instructions.

Installation manager: Review scope, drawings, quantities, finish, special items, fitting allowance, delivery dates and dependencies before allocating labour. Plan fitters, assistants, vehicles, tools, parts and visits with Tashiana. Track progress against the fitting allowance. Own technical follow-through: shortages, remakes, factory queries, site decisions, return visits and final inspection.
Site supervisor: Brief fitters, inspect workmanship, resolve technical questions, and coordinate with the client, builder and other trades.
Site checker: Measure and mark out the full approved layout and services, record actual site conditions, and report clashes before manufacture or fitting. Keep a marked-up plan, dated photographs, a visit report and an updated action list. Attend site meetings and circulate decisions.

Part 1

Five habits

Use the correct job number and latest approved drawing revision. Never guess.
Compare what is on site with what is on the plan, and record the difference.
Every outstanding item needs an action, one owner and a target date.
Report a delay or error as soon as you find it. Give the next step, not only the problem.
Check the result yourself before calling an item complete.

Part 1

The rules at a glance

Drawings: Use the latest approved drawing revision and the correct job number. Never guess.
Differences: Differences over about 20 to 30 mm are flagged for attention. Smaller differences that affect fit still count.
Site check: Measurement before manufacture, readiness before delivery, quality after fitting. Passing one does not pass the others.
Pre-delivery check: About two weeks before the proposed delivery date.
Fitting allowance: Keep one or two days in reserve for returned parts, adjustments and cleaning. Refer unrealistic allowances to Dane.
TGS measuring schedule: Sent every Thursday for the following week.
Payment: Never rely on a client saying they paid. Delivery needs confirmation from accounts or the authorised person.
Outstanding items: One action, one owner, one target date.
Reporting: Daily report the same day. Urgent items immediately, not at day-end.
Weekly review: With Dane and Tashiana: missed dates, fitting days, remakes, quality, sign-offs.
Completion: Physical completion, client acceptance and commercial closure are three separate steps.

Part 1

What you can decide, and what you cannot

Do not promise discounts, free extras, a revised design, unapproved labour or a factory delivery date. Get written approval from the relevant decision-maker and file it.

You can, and should: Report, measure, inspect and coordinate within the approved scope. Stop the affected task where drawings, dimensions, services or safe fixing are unresolved. Brief fitters and inspect workmanship. Raise shortages, remakes and factory queries. Keep one register of missing, damaged, incorrect and returned items.
Get written approval first: Discounts or free extras (consultant or authorised approver). A revised design or specification change (consultant). Extra labour, travel or accommodation (Dane, before committing). A manufacturing change (confirm with Tashiana who can authorise it). Release of an AMBER or RED site check (the designated approver). Any payment change (accounts).
Never: Promise a factory delivery date. Improvise design changes or hide a mismatch with an unapproved site alteration. Move electrical, gas or plumbing services unless authorised and qualified. Certify specialist work outside your competence. Mark a job fully complete while agreed scope remains. Treat a payment message or a document title as proof of payment.

Part 4

The site check procedure

Separate three checks: measurement before manufacture; readiness before delivery; quality and completion after fitting. Passing one check does not pass the others.

Book and prepare: log the request with Danielle and Tashiana, and confirm the current booking and allocation arrangement with Dane. Keep snag visits separate from pre-installation site checks. Obtain job/order number, address, purpose, consultant, site contact, requested date, full factory plans, approved design drawings, revision/date and appliance specifications. If versions disagree, obtain written clarification before releasing affected work.
Confirm the site and measure: identify every room/unit against the plan; walk the site with the client or builder. Confirm finished-floor level and agreed measuring datum. Circle dimensions that agree; write the actual measurement alongside any difference. Include units, datum and location. Do not overwrite the original dimension.
Resolve discrepancies: photograph and label each clash. Record plan dimension, actual dimension, effect, required correction and responsible person. Notify the consultant and site manager/foreman before leaving. Escalate unresolved technical decisions to Dane or the other installation manager. Do not move electrical, gas or plumbing services yourself unless appropriately authorised and qualified.
Report and release: submit the marked plan, checklist, photos and action list to Tashiana/Danielle and the consultant the same day. Recheck corrections, attach evidence and obtain the designated release approval. If release authority is unclear, refer to Dane.

GREEN: Checked scope is ready, with no unresolved blocking items.
AMBER: Corrections or a recheck are required. Not permission to manufacture or install the affected work.
RED: The affected work cannot proceed.

Part 4

Marking service points

Incorrectly marked plugs, LEDs and pipes have caused relocations and installation delays. Marking and checking service points is the site checker's control.

Check every service against the marked cabinet layout, not just the wall.
Agree who marks and who checks each service. Do not accept “I never mark these” as closure.
Record who will mark, move, approve and recheck each service.

Part 5

Before unloading and starting

Match delivery note to the job, rooms and pack labels. Count packages/components; inspect damage and verify critical/remade parts before committing the team.
Photograph shortages, damage and incorrect items the same day. Note them on delivery records and send to Tashiana; retain packaging/labels where useful.
Walk the scope with the lead fitter; confirm protection and datum. Check cabinet set-out and service clashes before fixing, drilling or cutting. Stop the affected scope if a critical mismatch remains.

Part 5

Controlling quality as you fit

Check carcasses for level, plumb, alignment and secure fixing to suitable construction. Check supports and manufacturer fitting instructions.
Check fillers, scribes, end panels, joints, exposed edges and finish quality. Inspect the first example before repeating a detail.
Test doors, drawers, hinges, runners, pull-outs and clearances. Confirm handles, accessories, shelves and internal fittings match the approved specification.
Coordinate LED work before closing panels; protect access to valves, sockets, drivers and appliance maintenance points.
Before TGS measurement, confirm cabinets are fixed, level and in final position; approved sink/hob details and supports are ready. Send dated readiness photos and obtain TGS acceptance.

Part 5

One shortage and remake register

For each item record: job/order; room/unit; drawing revision and component reference; defect; required dimensions; finish/colour/grain; quantity; handedness; photo; proposed remedy.
Consultant/authorised approver confirms any scope or specification change. Factory acknowledges the exact request and reference; Tashiana records production and dispatch ETA.
Track separately: requested > approved > factory acknowledged > dispatched > received and inspected > fitted > verified closed.
Physically inspect returned parts for size, finish and damage before booking the return visit. Return wrong parts using labelled paperwork and keep evidence.

Part 5

When things go wrong

If the plan cannot be followed: pause the affected work, make the area safe, record the issue and obtain a written technical/design decision. Never conceal a mismatch with an unapproved site alteration.

Plug, LED point or pipe is in the wrong place: Mark it, photograph it with measurements, tell the consultant and the responsible trade before leaving. Confirm the correction before fitting. Do not move it yourself.
Goods arrive short, damaged or wrong: Photograph before anything is altered or fitted. Note room, item and quantity. Raise it with Pravesh and the factory manager. Tell the fitter so the sequence can change.
The plan cannot be followed: Pause that part of the work and make the area safe. Get a written technical or design decision. Confirm cost and date impact with the authorised person. Reissue the correct revision and brief the fitter.
Client says they have paid: Not enough. Ask accounts or the authorised person to confirm that delivery may proceed.
Client asks for an extra or a discount: Refer to the consultant. Do not promise anything.
Fitter wants to change the design to make it fit: No. Stop, speak to the consultant, get advice, then explain the approved solution to the fitter.
The site is not ready: Record what is blocking delivery or fitting. Tell the client, consultant and factory promptly. Recheck before you promise a new date.
Client will not sign: Record the reason, contact attempts and remaining disagreement. Escalate unresolved disputes to Dane.

Part 6

Completion and client handover

Treat physical completion, client acceptance and commercial closure as separate steps.

Before inviting the client to sign: full agreed scope installed; every room checked against the approved plan and variation list. Doors/drawers, gaps, alignment, handles, mechanisms, panels, fillers and trims checked. Cabinetry secure; finishes free of damage. Specialist connections checked with the responsible trades. Site cleaned; spare items and care information handed over. Compare against the shortage/snag register.
Walk through with the client/site representative. Record each remaining item by room, photo/reference, remedy, owner and agreed date.
If only one area is signed off, identify that area explicitly. A guest-vanity sign-off does not close a whole job.
Do not mark a job fully complete while agreed scope remains. Arrange the next visit only after parts/access are confirmed.
Close the file: obtain dated client acceptance and file it with the final photos, drawings, variations and completed snag list. Send the close-out position to Tashiana and the consultant. Accounts/consultant confirms commercial closure separately.

Part 7

Escalation

When you ask for help, give the job or client, the area, the plan or item reference, photos or video, and the specific question.

1. The person responsible: Use the contacts list. Include job, area, reference, photos and the specific question.
2. Technical / management: Technical: consultant, then Ashlen, then Jody. Management: Rodney or Dane.
3. Dane: Unresolved disputes, unrealistic allowances, extra labour or cost, unclear release authority, anything affecting the client relationship.
Money or HR: Seema: salary, HR and financial queries.

Part 8

What goes in the job file

Client name, contact details and site address
Signed contract and invoicing instructions
Latest approved factory plans and design drawings, with revision and date
Approved variations and client instructions
Marked-up plans from every site check
Site visit records, dated photos and short videos, by job and area
Shortage and remake register, delivery notes and delivery photos
Daily reports and the action list
Snag list, signed completion or snag documents and client acceptance
Relevant wage records for the job

Part 8

Photos and video

Name files: job number, client, area, date, then a number (for example 4521_Smith_Kitchen_2026-10-22_03).
Take a wide photo to show location, then a close-up to show the measurement or clash.
Photograph existing damage before any work starts.
Use a short walkthrough video where a photo cannot explain layout, access or movement.
Keep photos with the job in the job file, not only on your phone.

Part 8

Working safely

Fitters and installers do not make live electrical, gas or plumbing connections. Qualified trades do.
Check for hidden pipes and cables before drilling into walls, especially around service points.
Wear the protection the site and the task require. Follow estate and building rules.
Heavy panels and stone need enough people and the right handling equipment. Plan the route first.
Use stable steps for work at height. Control dust when cutting.
Report injuries, damage and near misses to Dane the same day.

Part 9

Taking over an existing job

Each job has one accountable installation manager. Dane and the other installation manager agree who is accountable. Tashiana keeps admin coordination.
Where more than one manager's name appears on a job, resolve the conflict before the job is transferred.
Visits and promises made in the past need confirmation. Do not treat them as completed.
Amounts quoted in old status notes are unverified until accounts confirm them.
Keep jobs with similar client names separate. Confirm identity by order number before you act.
Get the outgoing manager or admin to brief actual work, outstanding scope and previous client promises; hand over latest plans, variations, photos, snag list, factory orders, delivery notes and prior sign-offs.
Physically locate parts; check remakes, specifications and confirmed ETAs. Check the site or arrange a visit; escalate any complaint or urgent risk.
Agree the next action, owner and date. Tell the client and consultant who the working contact is.

Glossary

Datum: The agreed reference point or line that all measurements are taken from.
Finished-floor level: The height of the floor after flooring is laid. Measure from this, not the bare slab.
Filler / scribe: Pieces that close a gap between cupboards and a wall or ceiling. A scribe is cut to follow an uneven surface.
End panel / return: Panels that finish the exposed side or end of a run of cupboards.
Kickboard / fascia / cornice: Trim pieces at the base, front and top of cupboards.
Plumb / square: Plumb means truly vertical. Square means corners are truly 90 degrees.
Handedness: Which way a door, hinge or appliance opens.
Buyout items: Bins, appliances and other items bought in rather than made in the factory.
Shortage / remake: A missing, damaged or wrong part, and the replacement that is made for it.
Snag: A remaining defect or unfinished item recorded at a walkthrough.
TGS: Worktop measuring, manufacture and installation. Scheduled through Charlene.
Quick Control: The sheet of debtors and ongoing jobs, with status, owner and amount owed.
POP: Proof of payment.
JHB: Johannesburg.
Richmond / Mobeni: TKS factories. Richmond (Sharm) normally produces Johannesburg jobs. Mobeni (Jody) produces some.
Midrand: The Johannesburg base. The distance from Midrand is checked for every job.

The daily report layout, forms to copy, message templates and tracker sheet links are in the downloadable PDF guide.