✍️ Virtual Signatures for Inspections

April 09, 2025

By Ted Steinmann

Project Summary: Virtual Inspections

As Product Manager, I guided the design, development, and rollout of the Virtual Inspections capability for a License Management platform. Driven by COVID-19 and client demand for remote processes, the initiative replaced in-person signature collection with a zero-touch, event-driven workflow — maintaining full compliance and auditability without requiring direct contact.

🎯 Key Contributions & Outcomes

  • Feature Design & Implementation:
    Led multi-phase development enabling inspectors to choose virtual or in-person workflows on inspection checklists. The solution sent time-limited unique document links with an attached copy of the inspection to primary contacts, allowing users to receive and validate checklists asynchronously.

  • Event-Driven Workflow Orchestration:
    Built event-driven triggers that advanced inspection status through a defined state machine ("Pending Signature" → "Complete") as signature events occurred — eliminating manual follow-up for both agency staff and inspectors. Document links were secured via token-based access with timeout.

  • Compliance by Design:
    Embedded traceability directly into the workflow rather than bolting it on after the fact. Enhanced reporting to distinguish between virtual and in-person signatures, with new fields and flags that let administrators monitor adoption and verify audit trails.

  • Stakeholder Engagement & Iterative Improvement:
    Collaborated closely with state agencies (notably the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services), gathering feedback, refining requirements, and ensuring the solution addressed real-world pain points—such as the inefficiency of manual signature collection and the need for timely application approvals.

📅 Timeline

  • Project Initiation: March 2023 (feature concept and initial requirements)
  • Phase 1 Release: Late 2023 (core virtual inspection and signature collection)
  • Phase 2 Enhancements: August 2024 – April 2025 (advanced triggers, reporting, and workflow automation)
  • Ongoing Improvements: Through 2025, with continued stakeholder engagement and feature refinement

Categories: projects

Tags: product-management, government