Digital Hot Work Permit System

Executive Summary

Subcontractors were bypassing the company's hot work permit system entirely because submitting a permit (45 min) took longer than the actual hot work (20 min). As a safety manager, I tried the traditional playbook: more training, stricter enforcement, better documentation. None of it worked.

So I tried something different: What if this wasn't a compliance problem, but a system design problem?

That shift in perspective changed everything. I decided to treat it like a product launch: user research, MVP validation, 6-state pilot with continuous feedback, iterative refinement, and enterprise rollout. The methodology worked because I focused on making the system so good that users would choose it voluntarily, not because they were forced to comply.

Key Metrics

From Safety Manager to Product Manager: The Journey

I came to this project as a safety manager trying to solve a compliance problem. I left it as a product manager who had discovered my calling.

The Traditional Safety Approach Had Failed

I'd tried the standard playbook:

• More training: Workers understood the process - they just avoided it because it was too slow
• Stricter enforcement: Created resentment, drove behavior underground, didn't solve the friction problem
• Better documentation: Made binders thicker without addressing the 45-minute workflow issue
• Safety meetings: Preaching about importance didn't make the system less painful to use

The problem wasn't knowledge or attitude - it was incentive misalignment. Subcontractors get paid to complete work, not to submit paperwork. When the permit took longer than the welding, they were economically rational to skip it. I could either keep blaming them for being "non-compliant," or I could fix the root cause.

The Pivot: What If This Is a Product Problem?

That question changed everything. Instead of asking "Why won't workers comply?", I started asking:

• Why is this system so painful to use?
• What would make users want to submit permits?
• How can I reduce friction without sacrificing safety and compliance?
• What would 'voluntary adoption' look like?

I didn't know those were "product management" questions at the time. I just knew the safety hammer (policies, enforcement, training) wasn't working. So I tried a different tool.

What I Discovered

The product approach worked better for safety outcomes than traditional compliance approaches:

• Users adopted the system voluntarily because it solved their problems
• Permit volume increased 10% beyond previously captured work processes - the system was now capturing hot work that was being missed before, while still providing better visibility into actual processes
• Real-time data enabled proactive incident prevention vs. reactive investigation
• Trust-based rollout created allies instead of adversaries

More importantly, I discovered something about myself: I'm really good at this, and I really enjoy it. Building products that people actually want to use, measuring adoption, iterating based on feedback - this energizes me in a way that policy enforcement never did.

Why This Matters Personally

I'm a builder. It's what I do in every other part of my life.

Safety, as noble as the work is, never scratched that itch. At the end of a project, everyone else walks away with a building standing there. They all contributed to making something. I kept people safe, protected the company from liability... but I didn't build anything. The best I could point to was numbers on a spreadsheet estimating how many incidents we probably prevented.

This project was different. I built something real, something real people use every day that improves their life. And I loved it.

That's why I'm making this transition. Not because I'm abandoning safety, but because I've found a better way to achieve safety outcomes: building products people choose to use.

Problem Discovery: Understanding the User Journey

Initial Symptom: Lack of visibility into paper process, incomplete documentation, compliance gaps

My First Instinct (Safety Manager Lens)

• Assumption: Workers don't understand importance of hot work permits, or they simply don't care
• Solution: More training, stricter enforcement
• Expected outcome: Compliance improves

What Actually Happened: Training had zero impact. Enforcement created resentment.

The Shift (Product Manager Lens)

I spent two weeks shadowing subcontractor crews to observe actual behavior. What I discovered was the broken user journey:

User Workarounds I Observed

• Pattern 1: Pre-filled photocopies with outdated information (35% of submitted permits)
• Pattern 2: Complete avoidance when work duration < permit duration (estimated 40% of actual hot work)
• Pattern 3: Batch submission at end of day for work already completed (22% of permits)

It quickly became clear that the solution wasn't better enforcement. It was building a better product.

User Needs vs. System Reality

Build vs. Buy Decision

The Evaluation

Before building anything, I evaluated vendor solutions:

Why I Built It Instead

None of the vendor solutions addressed the core problem: making permits easier than not doing permits. Plus:

• We already had JotForm licenses ($7K/year for entire department)
• I could build an MVP in two weeks vs. 18-month dev cycle
• No-code meant I could iterate based on real user feedback daily
• Full control over UX for both English and Spanish speakers

Solution Development: Discovery → MVP → Pilot → Iteration → Enterprise

MVP Design Principles (Week 1-2)

Based on user research, I designed for:

1. Mobile-first: QR code access, works in 2 minutes on a phone at point of work
2. Remove friction: Auto-populate location, date, time. Only ask what the user uniquely knows.
3. Bilingual by default: Full Spanish translation, not an afterthought
4. Instant value: Auto-email copy to submitter, super, and safety team immediately
5. Make success visible: Live Power BI dashboard showing who's compliant

The Pilot (6 Sites, 3 Months)

I picked 6 sites that represented our range of operations:

• 2 large union sites (150+ workers)
• 2 mid-size mixed sites (50-100 workers)
• 2 small GC-only sites (10-30 workers)

Pilot success criteria: 50% adoption rate with zero enforcement OR users report system is easier than paper

What I Learned During Pilot

Initial feedback was brutal (first 2 weeks):

• "Too many questions" (original form: 12 questions)
• "My phone died, now I can't work?" (offline access issue)
• "I submitted it, now what?" (unclear next steps)

Rapid iterations (weeks 2-6):

Breakthrough moment (Week 8): Superintendent at Dallas site said, "This is actually easier than our old way. I can see all active permits from my truck." Adoption at that site hit 90% within two weeks - with zero reminders from safety team.

Pilot Results

Enterprise Rollout (Month 4-8)

Based on pilot success, leadership approved national rollout. I deployed to 35+ sites in 4 months:

Rollout strategy:

1. Champion identification: Found one super at each site who "got it" - equipped them to evangelize
2. QR code blitz: Laminated QR codes at every trailer entrance, break area, material laydown
3. Make data visible: Weekly email showing top 5 compliant sites (gamification without saying it)
4. Respond fast: Committed to fixing any reported issue within 24 hours
5. No enforcement: Deliberately chose not to mandate. Made success visible instead.

Technical Implementation

Architecture

Built entirely on no-code platforms leveraging existing company licenses:

Key Technical Features I Built

• Smart defaults: Auto-populate location, date, time based on QR code location and submission time
• Conditional logic: Only show fire watch questions if "Yes" to open flame; only show ventilation questions if "Yes" to confined space
• Bilingual switching: Users toggle language at top of form; all conditional logic works in both languages
• Photo evidence: Optional photo upload of work area (most users do this voluntarily for CYA)
• Automated notifications:
  • Submitter: Instant email receipt with permit details
  • Superintendent: Real-time notification of new permit
  • Safety team: Daily digest of all permits
• Power BI integration: Live dashboard showing compliance by site, super, subcontractor, and date range

What I Personally Built

I configured every aspect of this system:

• All JotForm logic and conditional branching
• Power Automate flows for notifications and data sync
• Power BI dashboard with 8 different compliance views
• Bilingual form translation (with help from Spanish-speaking supers)
• QR code generation and laminated signage placement strategy

Business Impact & ROI

Quantifiable ROI

Conservative estimate: $320K annual net ROI

Optimistic estimate: $917K annual net ROI (Using $85/hr fully-loaded labor rate instead of base wages)

Unmeasured Value

The ROI calculation doesn't include:

• Incident prevention: Zero hot work incidents vs. historical 2-3/year (each incident: $50K-$200K+ in costs)
• Insurance value: Demonstrable compliance reduces Experience Modification Rate (EMR)
• Audit readiness: Can pull any permit in 30 seconds during OSHA inspection
• Subcontractor relationships: Subs actively prefer working at our sites because permits are easy
• Safety culture: Visible dashboard created healthy competition between sites

ROI Validation

These numbers are defensible because:

1. Time savings are measured: Tracked 50 permit submissions during pilot, averaged completion times
2. Volume is actual: 4,200 permits/year based on 8 months of real submission data
3. Labor rates are conservative: Used $32/hr base rate (many supers/foremen earn $45-65/hr)
4. Admin savings validated: Safety coordinator confirmed she went from 8hrs/week to <30 min/week on permit admin

Leadership Approach: Building Influence Without Authority

The Coordination Challenge

I had zero direct reports but needed buy-in from:

• 15-person safety department (who preferred paper permits)
• 35+ superintendents (who didn't report to me)
• 100+ subcontractors (completely outside org chart)
• IT org (who saw this as "shadow IT")

How I Built Adoption Without Authority

1. Made it voluntary, then made success visible

• Never mandated use during pilot (deliberately chose adoption over compliance)
• Weekly email showing top 5 sites by compliance rate
• Superintendents started asking "How did Dallas get to 90%?"

2. Found champions, equipped them to evangelize

• Identified one super per region who "got it" early
• Gave them talking points: "It's faster than paper, I can track it from my truck"
• Let them convince their peers (more credible than safety guy telling them)

3. Responded to feedback within 24 hours

• Every complaint got a "Fixed" email the next day
• Users started testing me: "Can you add [feature]?" I'd add it overnight.
• Built trust that their input actually mattered

4. Made it work for subcontractors (the hardest users)

• Subs don't care about our compliance problems
• Made QR codes so easy that submitting took less time than arguing about it
• Instant email receipt gave them proof of compliance (they started using this to push back on other GCs)

5. Positioned IT as partners, not obstacles

• Briefed IT leadership before pilot: "I'm testing this with existing licenses. If it works, I'll need your help to scale it."
• Shared pilot data showing ROI before asking for enterprise support
• When IT offered to "rebuild it properly," I negotiated: Keep the UX, add their security requirements

Why This Matters for My Career Transition

The Honest Story

I didn't wake up one day and decide to become a product manager. I was a safety manager trying to keep people from getting hurt, and traditional safety tools (policies, training, enforcement) weren't working.

I always thought about means and methods to change the fundamental system but had never acted on them. This time I decided enough was enough. So I tried something different: treating safety problems like product problems. And it worked better.

Higher adoption. Better data. Fewer incidents. More trust. Sustainable long-term.

That's when I realized: I'm not a safety manager who happens to be technical. I'm a product manager who happens to understand construction safety deeply.

What Makes This Transition Authentic

Most PM candidates come from:

• Software/tech backgrounds (no construction domain expertise)
• Construction operations (no product development skills)

I bring both:

• 5 years living construction jobsite realities (I know why offline mode matters, why mobile-first is non-negotiable, why Spanish localization isn't optional)
• Proven product management skills (discovery, MVP, pilot, metrics-driven iteration, voluntary adoption, $320K-$917K ROI)

The Unique Value Proposition

Most construction tech fails because it's built by people who've never worn steel-toed boots. They optimize for demos, not workflows. They don't understand that:

• Field teams need 99.9% uptime (not 95%)
• Mobile-first isn't a feature, it's a requirement
• "Quick training" means under 10 minutes, not an hour
• Physical/digital hybrid is reality (you can't go fully paperless)
• Bilingual isn't "nice to have" - it's table stakes

I learned these lessons by living them. That's not something you get from market research.

Why Product Management

Because the product approach works better for safety outcomes than traditional safety management. I can prevent more incidents by building great products than by enforcing policies. And that's what I want to do full-time.

Technologies & Skills

Technical Stack

• No-code platforms: JotForm (form builder), Power Automate (workflow orchestration)
• Analytics: Power BI (custom dashboards), JotForm Analytics (conversion funnels)
• Integration: REST APIs, webhook triggers, email-to-print protocols
• Documentation: Markdown, Notion, Zoom Whiteboard (collaborative workflow mapping), Mermaid (workflow diagrams)
• AI-assisted workflows: Large language models for rapid prototyping (generating conditional logic scenarios), documentation drafting (user manual translations), and workflow visualization (converting process descriptions to diagrams)

Product Management Skills Demonstrated

• User research and ethnographic observation (shadowing field workers)
• Build vs. buy analysis with TCO calculations
• MVP scoping and ruthless feature prioritization
• Pilot program design with representative user diversity
• Metrics-driven iteration (abandonment analysis, time-to-complete tracking)
• Cross-platform integration architecture
• Mobile-first UX design for field conditions
• Bilingual product localization
• Change management without organizational authority
• Technical documentation for non-technical audiences
• Stakeholder management (field crews to C-suite)

Construction Domain Expertise

• Jobsite workflows and operational constraints
• Subcontractor economics and incentive structures
• GC compliance obligations and insurance requirements
• Field conditions (weather, connectivity, mobile device usage)
• Safety/regulatory requirements (OSHA, insurance, state codes)
• Union vs. non-union labor dynamics
• Multilingual workforce communication

What This Case Study Demonstrates

• Authentic career pivot story (safety → product discovered through necessity)
• Product management skills proven in real environment ($320K-$917K ROI)
• Construction domain expertise that can't be faked (5 years on jobsites)
• User-centric iteration (38% → 24% abandonment, 37% improvement)
• Leadership through influence (voluntary adoption without mandates)
• Technical execution (personally built all components)
• Sustainable design (system runs without creator)

Most importantly: It shows someone who discovered their calling by solving real problems, not someone trying to jump into tech because it's trendy.