Many small and medium-sized businesses have minor digital transformation needs that have been pending for months because they can never find the time or resources to address them. At the same time, there are young people who need a first opportunity to apply their knowledge and begin building professional experience.
As we have seen in previous articles, linking these two situations can create value. But when it comes to putting this idea into practice, a much more specific question arises:
What kind of project can an SME propose to someone who still has little experience?
The solution doesn’t have to be a major project or a complete transformation of the company. In fact, it may be much more useful to start with a small process that is currently managed on paper, in Excel, or in an unstructured way, digitize it, and quickly see the results.
With a tool like Kapture.io QMS, a new hire can learn how to set up and launch these types of projects while addressing a real need within the organization.
1. Convert an Excel spreadsheet into a digital template
Many industrial small and medium-sized businesses likely still rely on paper-based or Excel-based systems for their quality control processes.
This could include, for example, starting up a machine, inspecting a part after an assembly operation, performing a visual inspection of the product, or periodically measuring certain characteristics.
A very specific first project would be to choose a single spreadsheet that the company already uses and convert it into a digital template within Kapture.io.
The participant would need to understand what is currently being checked, what data is being recorded, and what results are expected. They could then transfer that control to Kapture.io by creating the various checks, adding instructions or images, and defining required fields or limits as needed. Kapture.io allows you to run these procedures from a computer, tablet, or smartphone and record measurements, evidence, and results in a traceable manner. It can also generate alerts when certain values fall outside the established specifications.
The project could result in something very simple: a working control algorithm and several test runs carried out with it on the production floor.
For small and medium-sized businesses, this means digitizing an existing process without undertaking a complex technology project. For new hires, it means learning how an industrial process works, how to turn a need into a digital form, and how to collect high-quality, real-world data.
2. Transfer a simple Excel audit to a mobile device
Many companies conduct small-scale internal audits using spreadsheets, printed documents, or checklists.
A 5S audit of a work area, a periodic review of a workstation, a check for order and cleanliness, or a small process audit can all become another clearly defined project.
Participants could start with the checklist the company currently uses and turn it into an audit within Kapture.io. The goal would be to set up the questions and evaluation criteria, conduct an initial audit using a smartphone or tablet, and record the necessary evidence, such as photographs or documents.
Kapture.io lets you create custom checklists, conduct audits from different devices, attach supporting documentation, track actions, and subsequently generate the audit report. The platform also supports internal audits, process audits, product audits, supplier audits, and 5S audits, among others.
The result of the project would be very noticeable: an audit that was previously conducted on paper or in Excel would now be performed digitally, producing a centralized report and set of records.
3. Digitize the record of a recurring incident
Another option is to start with a very specific problem that the company is already aware of. For example: labeling errors, parts with visible defects, incorrect packaging, materials received that do not meet specifications, or a specific issue that the production department regularly reports to the quality manager.
The project could involve studying how a single type of incident is currently logged and migrating that workflow to Kapture.io.
The user can determine what information is important to collect: affected product or item number, lot, type of defect, photograph, severity, date, or person responsible. The user can then configure the corresponding record and test it with various scenarios.
Kapture.io allows you to record defects and evidence from inspection forms, classify them, and subsequently link them to nonconformity management and associated actions. There’s no need to ask a new hire to design the company’s entire nonconformity management system. The scope can be much narrower: ensuring that a specific problem is no longer reported via email, a separate photo, or an Excel entry, but is instead recorded and traceable in Kapture.io.
For the company, this means having better information about a recurring problem. For the participant, it means experiencing real-world quality situations and understanding how an incident goes from simply being detected to being logged and handled.
4. Digitize the receipt of a specific item
Receiving materials is another process that allows you to start small. An SME can choose a raw material, component, or product family that it regularly receives from one or more suppliers.
The project would involve analyzing what checks are performed when that material arrives and creating a digital receipt confirmation in Kapture.io specifically for that item or product family.
For example, you could record the supplier and the lot received, check specific dimensions, visually inspect the condition of the material, confirm the documentation or packaging, and attach photographs if there are any discrepancies.
Kapture.io allows you to configure receiving checks by supplier, product family, or SKU, run them from different devices, and subsequently analyze the collected data, including comparisons and supplier tracking. Once configured, the user can observe several actual receiving processes to verify that the form works properly and make any necessary adjustments.
Again, the goal would not be to digitize the entire supply chain. It would be to achieve a much more manageable outcome: ensuring that the next receipt of a specific material can be recorded digitally and in a traceable manner.
5. Create a digital inventory of the measuring instruments in a given area
In an industrial company, it is also common to find gauges, micrometers, measuring equipment, tools, and other instruments whose information is scattered across spreadsheets, certificates, and folders.
In this case, the project could initially be limited to the equipment in a single machine, a single production line, or a small production area.
The participant could locate that equipment with the appropriate person in charge, gather basic information about each piece of equipment, and enter it into the Kapture.io resources module.
For each instrument, you can record data such as its identification number, specifications, location, status, or calibration information, as well as link certificates and documentation to it. Kapture.io also allows you to track calibration dates and set up alerts regarding their expiration dates.
The result could be, for example, having the ten or twenty instruments used in a specific area correctly identified and centralized in Kapture.io, along with their certificates and upcoming calibration dates.
It’s a task that’s specific enough for someone who’s still learning to tackle, and at the same time, it provides the company with a result that it will continue to use after the project is completed.
Starting small makes it easier to make it work
The five examples have something important in common: they are not theoretical exercises.
By the end, there should be something up and running within the company: a procedure that an operator can follow, an audit that can now be conducted from a cell phone, an incident that is recorded in a structured manner, a digitized reception process, or a properly managed set of tools.
That makes them particularly well-suited as a first professional experience. New hires don’t need to be familiar with the company’s entire quality system from day one. They can start by understanding a very small process, learning how to use the tool, configuring it with guidance from a company representative, testing it, and getting it up and running.
Kapture Academy, for example, offers specific training on creating guidelines and entering data, organizing and utilizing information, and modules dedicated to audits, incidents, and resource management.
For small and medium-sized businesses, the advantage is also clear: they don’t need to start by digitizing their entire quality management system. They can choose a process that currently still relies on paper or Excel and see what happens when that small process begins to generate digital, structured, and traceable information.
The first collaboration doesn’t have to solve the company’s biggest problem. It can start simply with an Excel spreadsheet that stops being just an Excel spreadsheet and becomes a process that’s already up and running on the factory floor.
And that small project can be, at the same time, the company’s first step toward digitization and the first real professional experience for someone just starting out.
Content written by:
Jordi Blanco Corrales, Co-founder and Product Manager at Kapture.io QMS
With more than 20 years of experience in the field of industrial quality, Jordi Blanco has witnessed the evolution of an industry characterized by continuous improvement, digitalization, and ever-increasing demands. His vision combines operational expertise, market insight, and technology to help organizations make better decisions and strengthen their competitiveness.
