We already track punch in a shared sheet. What does RTI actually add?

A sheet records a status someone typed. RTI records the work itself. Each item is answered on the phone at the point it describes, with the required photos attached before it can be submitted, and every entry is written to a tamper evident log. You keep the at-a-glance view you like on the review board, but 'closed' now means proof exists, not that a cell says closed.

Can't we just add a column for a photo link in the spreadsheet?

You can, but nothing enforces it. The row saves whether or not the link is there, whether or not it points at the right unit, and whether or not the photo was taken today. RTI's photo gate is checked by the server when the inspection is submitted and shows on the phone as a locked Submit: the mandatory photo is attached to that specific item, or the inspection does not go in.

Someone edited a closed item after the walk. How does RTI prevent that?

A spreadsheet cell has no memory: change it and the old value is gone. In RTI every submission and review decision is written to an activity log that hashes each entry over the previous one with SHA-256. A record can be corrected, but the correction is a new, dated, attributed inspection, and an edit to a logged entry stops the chain verifying from that point.

Spreadsheets vs RTI

A spreadsheet tracks the status. It doesn't hold the proof.

A tracking sheet in Excel or Sheets is a fine index of what's open and what's closed. The trouble starts when the sheet becomes the record: nothing in a cell was captured in the field, nothing requires a photo, and any cell can be changed later with no trace of who changed it.

Start free Browse the checklist library

The RTI home screen: what needs you, with inspections awaiting review, awaiting client sign off and needing rework, then recent activity

The RTI mobile app's home screen: start an inspection by scanning a tag, seven inspections waiting on a decision, and the week in numbers

The RTI review board with submitted, in review, approved and rejected lanes of inspection cards tagged by unit, trade and pass count

An electrical rough-in inspection under review in the RTI mobile app: six jobsite photos of wiring, boxes and the panel, with send back and approve

The RTI activity log where every action is chained by SHA-256 fingerprint, with a verify chain control and absolute UTC timestamps

The activity log in the RTI mobile app: the audit chain check passed with a verify now control, then today's submissions by person, tag and time

The comparison

What gets in the way, and what RTI does about it

Spreadsheets compared with Ready To Inspect, problem by problem.
Spreadsheets	Ready To Inspect
SpreadsheetsThe tracking sheet says a line is closed, but the only evidence is that someone typed a date into a cell.	Ready To InspectIn RTI a line closes when a reviewer approves an inspection that was answered on the phone with its required photos attached before it could be submitted. The status and the proof are the same record, not two things you have to reconcile.
SpreadsheetsAnyone with the link can change a cell, and there is no way to tell what it said yesterday or who touched it.	Ready To InspectEvery submission and review decision is written to an activity log with who and when, and each entry carries the SHA-256 hash of the one before it. An edited entry no longer matches its hash and a removed one breaks the next link, so a change to the log shows when the chain is checked instead of passing silently.
SpreadsheetsThe sheet lives in one company's drive, and getting a clean copy to an owner means hiding tabs and hoping formulas don't break.	Ready To InspectExport any inspection, or a project's approved inspections, as a branded PDF with the answers, photos, signatures and signoffs already assembled, with the data as CSV, and the files you export stay yours after you cancel.

A real inspection point

What this looks like on your job

One tag, one checklist, and the photos that have to come with it.

Tag

Unit 214, Punch Walk

PARK-C-214-PL

Sticker location: Inside of unit entry door
Assigned checklist: Final punch, pre-closeout

Paint touch-ups complete, no roller marks1 photo required
Cabinet doors and drawers aligned and closing2 photos required
GFCI outlets tested in kitchen and baths2 photos required
Interior doors latch and swing without rub1 photo required

Checklists for your work

Start from a checklist that already knows the walk

Real guides from the RTI library. Sections in build order, what to look for on each item, and the photos that prove it. Free to read, one click to run on a tag.

Browse the full library

Questions about spreadsheets vs RTI

3 answers

We already track punch in a shared sheet. What does RTI actually add?: A sheet records a status someone typed. RTI records the work itself. Each item is answered on the phone at the point it describes, with the required photos attached before it can be submitted, and every entry is written to a tamper evident log. You keep the at-a-glance view you like on the review board, but 'closed' now means proof exists, not that a cell says closed.
Can't we just add a column for a photo link in the spreadsheet?: You can, but nothing enforces it. The row saves whether or not the link is there, whether or not it points at the right unit, and whether or not the photo was taken today. RTI's photo gate is checked by the server when the inspection is submitted and shows on the phone as a locked Submit: the mandatory photo is attached to that specific item, or the inspection does not go in.
Someone edited a closed item after the walk. How does RTI prevent that?: A spreadsheet cell has no memory: change it and the old value is gone. In RTI every submission and review decision is written to an activity log that hashes each entry over the previous one with SHA-256. A record can be corrected, but the correction is a new, dated, attributed inspection, and an edit to a logged entry stops the chain verifying from that point.

Put it on a real job.

Tag one area, run one walk, and see the record it leaves behind.

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