Spreadsheets out. One system in.
Schedules in spreadsheets, approvals in email chains, inspection on paper. Datum North moves them into one system, one module at a time or as a complete ERP.
An NCR doesn't fail. It waits.
By hand or by email, an NCR waits on whoever holds it next. In a binder, a shared folder or a SharePoint library, it is still just a file in a folder. E-signature tools don’t change that: someone still has to send it, chase it and file it.
Datum North makes the NCR a live record. It is drafted, routed, approved and signed in one system, with reminders and escalation built in. Each NCR links to its part, lot and supplier, so supplier performance builds itself from the records, not from a spreadsheet.
Nothing waits on a desk again.
Pick a record type, or let it cycle. Each step has an owner, a due date and a reminder, and the route itself is set to your procedure.
The same route breaks for corrective actions, open audit actions, change requests, drawing revisions, work orders, purchase and sales orders, and calibration. Unsigned records and skipped steps are what auditors find, and enough of them put an ISO 9001 or AS9100 certificate at risk.
The order and its paperwork travel together.
A sales order becomes a work order, material, machining, a dimensional report, inspection and a shipment. Each step adds its record to the same package, in the order ISO 9001 describes.
The system doesn’t certify anyone. Certification comes from a registrar’s audit of how your whole quality system is run. What the system does is keep the records each clause asks for, at the step where the work happens, so the evidence is there when the auditor asks. Clause numbers refer to ISO 9001:2026, published September 2026.
Start with the process that hurts most.
Start with one module as a pilot. Each card opens its live demo.
Sales
Quotes to shipments, with certificates ready before shipping.
See it work ↓Purchasing
Late suppliers flagged and scorecards kept for you.
See it work ↓Projects
Launches where a slipped date shows up the same day.
See it work ↓Inventory
Every lot’s location and status, without walking the shelves.
See it work ↓Work orders
Shortages and holds seen before the job is late.
See it work ↓Approvals
Decisions on the record, not buried in email chains.
See it work ↓Design and change control
Drawing changes reach every desk; the old revision is pulled.
See it work ↓NCR and CAR
No NCR left on a desk: routed, reminded, signed, closed.
See it work ↓Calibration
No overdue gauge in use, every certificate on file.
See it work ↓Test data and SPC
Drift and capability from your own test data, before scrap.
See it work ↓Documents and tools
Reports, packages and procedures built for you, not retyped.
See it work ↓Quotes, orders and suppliers without the chasing.
Ship on time with the paperwork already done
Every order moves through one pipeline from quote to invoice. Revenue, on-time delivery and the orders at risk update week by week, so a late shipment shows up before the customer calls.
Late and rejected lots go on the supplier’s record
Purchase orders move from draft to received on one board. Late orders, missing certificates, and each supplier’s on-time rate, rejects and lead time update from the records, not from memory.
A slipped milestone shows up the day it slips
Launches and process changes as timelines tied to the real records: drawings, first articles, change requests. When a step slips, the plan shows it and the linked records explain why.
Stock, jobs and approvals that don’t wait on anyone.
Know what’s on the shelf without walking to it
Every lot has a location, a status and a history. Reorder points suggest the purchase order before the shelf runs out. A quarantined lot can’t be issued until quality releases it, and every count adjustment carries a reason and a name.
A shortage turns into a purchase order, not a phone call
The short lot shows on the work order list, the purchase order is raised and approved from it, and the row clears when the stock is issued.
Decisions that live in email chains get lost
Someone is left off the copy line, the answer sits in a reply nobody opened, and two days later the question goes round again.
In Datum North the request, the approver and the reason stay on the record. Emails and Teams messages still go out, but they only say which record to open.
The new revision, on every desk that needs it.
Nobody builds to the old drawing
The change request names what it touches. Quality, production and purchasing review the impact, the approver decides, and the drawing revision is released. The old revision goes obsolete, affected work orders are flagged, and shop copies are acknowledged by name.
Every change request starts with a person’s decision: after a repeat NCR, or directly from engineering, sales or a customer request. The dashboard shows where each one stands and what raised it.
Nothing unsigned, nothing overdue, nothing buried.
NCRs signed in days, not buried on a desk
Raise the NCR, place the hold, and every step after is added with a time and a name. Try to change an earlier entry and the record refuses. A corrective action raised from it stays linked until its effectiveness check is done.
A repeat NCR is flagged, never acted on by the software. A person decides whether it calls for a corrective action (CAR) or a change request. Either can also be raised directly, from an audit finding or a customer request. Supplier rejects count toward the supplier’s record as they happen.
No overdue gauge in use, no surprise at audit
- Every instrument with its range, resolution, location, owner and interval.
- Reminders before the due date. Once overdue, an instrument can’t be picked on an inspection record.
- As-found and as-left results, the certificate and its traceability kept on the instrument’s record.
- Out of tolerance as found: every inspection it was used on since its last good calibration is listed for review, and an NCR is raised.
- In-house checks against reference standards, with the same history.
- Interval changes suggested from the instrument’s history. Quality decides.
See the drift before it becomes scrap
X̄-R charts are built from instrument files as they’re saved, with run rules that flag drift while parts are still in spec.
Capability is computed from the same data using within-subgroup sigma (R̄/d₂). Cp says whether the spread fits the tolerance. Cpk says whether it fits where the process is actually centred. A process can have a good Cp and still make scrap if it sits off-centre, and the curves show why.
Stop retyping reports and renaming PDFs.
Reports, certificate packages and procedures are generated from data already entered, so nobody retypes, renames or hunts for the current version.
Process flow map editor
Draw the process as boxes and arrows, name an owner for each step, and publish it as a controlled revision. The record routes follow the published map.
PDF merger
Drop files in, set the order, get one PDF with a cover sheet and bookmarks.
Package compiler
Reads the sales order, lists every document each line needs, collects what exists and flags what's missing.
Dimensional report generator
Enter readings once. Each is judged against its tolerance and the report is generated in your controlled format, ready to sign.
Document control
Review, approve and publish a revision. The old one is marked obsolete, and everyone who needs it acknowledges the change.
Your best people, back on real work.
Chasing signatures and retyping numbers is time a skilled person isn't spending on the part, the root cause or the next improvement.
Left to people
- Judging the part and the process
- Finding the real root cause
- Improving how the work is done
- Talking to customers and suppliers
- Training the next person
A manual step is retired only when its replacement is measurably faster. That's company policy, not a slogan.
Four stages, in order
Each starts only when the one before it is agreed in writing.
- 2 to 3 weeks
Discovery
The process is mapped. Scope and acceptance criteria are agreed in writing.
- Every 2 weeks
Phased build
Working software on a staging site, a demo every two weeks, a weekly status report.
- End of each phase
Acceptance
Signed off against the agreed criteria before final payment.
- Ongoing
Support
Remote updates, fixes and small changes on a monthly plan. Your system and data stay on your own machines.
How the software behaves
- 01Every record keeps its history.
- 02Generated is not signed.
- 03Blank, none and unknown are different answers.
- 04The software flags. People decide.
- 05Problems show up early.
How Datum North works
These policies apply to every project, from a single module to a full system.
Integrity
Only claims that can be shown. Demonstrations are labelled sample, staging or live.
Confidentiality
Client data and processes stay confidential and remain the client's property.
Audit readiness
Every delivery includes full record history, data export and user training.
Defined scope
No build begins until scope and acceptance criteria are agreed in writing.
Measured efficiency
A manual step is retired only when its replacement is measurably faster.
Accountability
A phase is complete only when it passes the agreed acceptance criteria.
Security and support
Backups, security updates and support hours are stated in every agreement.
Transparency
Demonstrations run on working software with realistic data, clearly labelled.
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 with questions, then a decision on whether a pilot makes sense.