Spreadsheets out. One system in.
It works like the forms your team already fills in. The same fields, the same sign-offs, the same Microsoft or Google sign-in. The difference is that nothing waits on a desk.
Three things to learn. You already know two.
Fill in a form, read a message, click a button. The system does the routing, the reminders and the filing.
-
1
Fill in the form
The same fields as your paper copy.
BSH-3810 BushingOD 38.16 mm, over toleranceSubmitSent to R. Singh for a decision -
2
Get a message
In the Outlook or Teams you already use.
NCR-2026-0142 needs your decisionBSH-3810, lot L-24117. 12 parts on hold. Due today.Open the recordReminder tomorrow at 9:00 if it’s still open -
3
Click Approve
Your name and the time go on the record.
Rework to drawing, re-inspectApproveSend backSigned · R. Singh · 10:42
Your form, without the walking.
Datum starts from the paper your team already uses. Bring one form to the first meeting, and it comes back on screen with the same boxes, in the same order, in the same words.
- Same fields, same order
Nobody learns a new form. Your form numbers and revisions carry over.
- Prints like your form
Every record prints in your layout, for the binder or the auditor.
- Signed by name
Each sign-off carries a name and a time, like initialling the sheet.
- Paper still works
If a computer is down, fill in the printed form and enter it later. The record shows when it was entered.
An NCR doesn’t fail. It waits.
On paper or by email
- Day 1Printed and left in the review tray.
- Day 4Emailed to the approver, who is out until Monday.
- Day 9Parts still on hold. Nobody is sure who has it.
- Day 23Found unsigned during audit prep.
In Datum North Sample data
- Day 1Raised. Hold placed. Approver notified.
- Day 2Reminder sent. Disposition signed.
- Day 3Re-inspected. Hold released.
- Day 3Closed, with the full history on file.
One system. Start with the part that hurts most.
Every module works on the same records. A part, a lot, a supplier or a person is entered once and shows up wherever it’s needed, so a module added later starts with the data already there.
Sales and commercial
Purchasing and procurement
Project management
Operations
Quality
- NCR and CARRouted, reminded, signed and closed, with repeats flagged for a person to decide.
- CalibrationNo overdue gauge in use, every certificate on the instrument's record.
- Design and change controlThe new revision reaches every desk; the old one is pulled.
- Document controlReview, approve, publish and acknowledge procedures.
Analytics
- Operations dashboardWhat needs attention this week, across every module.
- Test data and SPCControl charts built from instrument files as they're saved.
- CapabilityCp and Cpk from your own measurements, with the curves that explain them.
- Reports and packagesDimensional reports and certificate packages from data already entered.
- Process mapsDraw the process once; record routes follow the published map.
How clients usually grow into it
- PilotOne or two modules
Usually the process that hurts most, such as NCRs or calibration. Fixed price, signed off before anything else starts.
- Next phaseThe modules it touches
The NCR leads to corrective actions and change control; purchasing leads to inventory. Each one plugs into records that already exist.
- Over timeThe whole system
Sales to shipment on one set of records, at the pace and budget that suits you.
The records ISO 9001 and AS9100 ask for are kept at the step where the work happens. Certification itself comes from a registrar’s audit of your whole quality system.
Four stages, in order.
Each starts only when the one before it is agreed in writing.
- 2 to 3 weeks
Discovery
Your process is mapped as it runs today. Scope and acceptance criteria are agreed in writing.
- Every 2 weeks
Phased build
Working software to try, a demo every two weeks and a weekly status report.
- End of each phase
Acceptance
Signed off against the agreed criteria before final payment.
- Ongoing
Support
Remote updates and fixes on a monthly plan. Your system and data stay on your own machines.
Every record keeps its history.
Generated is not signed.
Blank, none and unknown are different answers.
The software flags. People decide.
Problems show up early.
The questions worth asking first.
Do we have to change all our forms at once?
No. Start with the one that causes the most chasing, often NCRs or calibration. Everything else stays on paper until you decide otherwise.
Can we still print for the binder or the auditor?
Yes. Every record prints in your existing form layout, with its signatures, dates and history.
What if a computer or the network goes down?
Datum runs on a computer in your own building, so your records don’t depend on an outside service. If a PC or the network is down, fill in the printed form by hand and enter it when things are back. The record shows when it was entered.
Do my people need to be good with computers?
If they can fill in a form and read an email, they can use it. The screens are your own forms, and training is part of every phase, signed off before the phase is accepted.
Who owns the records?
You do. They stay on your machines, you can export them at any time, and the contract says so.
What if Datum North stops trading?
You choose the protection when you sign: a copy of the source code held by an independent escrow agent and released to you if that happens, or a source licence for your own use.
What does it cost?
Each phase has a fixed price agreed before it starts, after a short discovery. A one-module pilot is the usual first step.
Who’s behind Datum North
I’m Vijay Banoor. I build software for teams that still run on spreadsheets, paper forms and email chains. I’m based in Milton, Ontario, and work with companies across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
- CQTASQ Certified Quality Technician
- ISO 9001Internal auditor, 2015 standard
- BEngMechanical
Start with the spreadsheet, or the email chain, that costs the most time.
Send a short note about the process and the tools in use today. The reply comes within two business days, with questions, then a decision on whether a pilot makes sense.