Inspections require countless facets: signatures, passing/failing inspections, the diversity of potential infringements, and keeping your team in the loop. This is where tools like spreadsheets (lots of people are still using paper-based forms to collect information for inspections) and mobile apps come in: they can streamline these facets and act as a one-stop digitization shop. Here at AppSheet, we understand the complexity of inspection. That's why we created three free spreadsheet templates and mobile apps for you to customize. Got an important inspection you need to prep for right away? Skip ahead and get your template now: House Inspection Checklist Inspection Site Checklist Safety Audit Checklist House Inspection Checklist Spreadsheets and mobile apps give you all the information you need in one place. In this sheet, we added color-coded quality ratings, outstanding comments, and a section to display vital information about each house: address, number of rooms, house description, and address.  You can quickly see which houses didn't pass inspections, and which parts of the house need safety improvements. No more filing through a stack of papers to figure out what needs to change! As always, all the sheets are customizable. Make a copy, add your data, and it's all yours.   Bonus: Get the mobile-friendly version and collaborate at the next level! I love this spreadsheet, but there's so much more to inspections than ratings and comments. However, there's only so much you can include in a simple spreadsheet. With AppSheet's no-code application platform, we built a mobile app version (like all AppSheet apps, it's tablet friendly and can be used on desktops!) that brings your inspection experience to new heights. Using the mobile version means less paperwork and more efficiency. More and more business are switching to apps to mobilize their inspections. Mobile solutions make data collection much easier as inspectors can upload images, text, location, and their signatures all in one place. We've incorporated several useful features for this app: Map view where you can see all your inspections sites. Signature collection for minimal paperwork. Workflow email: If the inspection fails, an email warning is triggered. Inspection Site Checklist There's a lot of information to keep track of when managing inspection sites. Contacts, status, crew size, and due dates are just a few of the data points that need to be organized. So I created this spreadsheet to help you do that! It includes all audit site contacts, status, crew size, and a short description of the work. Why not use the free tools available to you? Enter your own data and the spreadsheet is yours! Bonus: Do more with the mobile version. There's nothing more time-consuming than making small updates at a large effort. With apps, changes can be made quickly and easily no matter where you are. The mobile version has features such as: Easy data entry: Click yes/no and go. Signature collection: If your inspection form is integrated into the app, why not the signature too? Images: Adding images can help emphasize key issues of an inspection site. Centralized Data: View all historical inspections for each job from one place. Safety Audit Checklist There's a lot at stake when dealing with key safety information. No room for mistakes! This spreadsheet will help you keep track of key safety touch points such as pass/fail, depots, and personnel trained. It's easy to see whether the site passed inspections or not, and you'll be able to share this information with your team quickly and efficiently.  Bonus: Organize better and faster with the mobile version! Mobile apps allow you to quickly change and manage your data. Field managers need to be able to see which sites are failing, passing, and in progress at all stages. We made a mobile version that auto-organizes your inspections into 'passed' and 'failed'. It shows all inspections in a map view, and an option to organize training dates. Here are three reasons why we love the app version: Auto-organization allows you to quickly handle failed inspections. Sharing options make it easy to collaborate with your team. Images can highlight aspects of the inspection that you want your team to remember.   Closing Thoughts I found these apps to be incredibly all-inclusive. I was quite impressed by the easy navigation, simple data entry, and auto-organization, and I hope you find them incredibly useful. Better yet, you don't need to hire a developer or know how to code to use AppSheet! Learn more about how it works here. I'd love to hear about what successes or pain points you've found, with both spreadsheets and mobile apps for inspections! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.😀 Want to know how others use AppSheet for inspections? Read about: Smart Inspections – A Safe Bet for Manufacturing Field Inspection: Millicom’s TigoUne Sees Field of Opportunities with AppSheet Multinational Pharmaceutical Firm Roche Streamlines Site Inspections with AppSheet-Powered Apps

"Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value." -Joe Biden   A well-planned budget means less headaches and chaos down the road. Here at AppSheet, we are in the business of simplifying the menial tasks and giving you the tools to succeed so you can focus your budgeting efforts on the important stuff: the actual budget! That's why we created three free apps and spreadsheets to meet your budgeting needs. Ready to budget right away? Skip ahead to access the template and mobile app that's best for you! Media Budget Planner  Small Business Budget Planner Monthly Budget Planner Media Budget Planner Countless roles plan their media budget. Event marketing, Media planning, Digital Marketing, and the PR and Advertisement industry all could benefit from budget planning. I made this spreadsheet to simplify the process of planning, tracking, and managing media budgets—all at your fingertips! This excel planner keeps track of mediums, key partners, and the actual vs. planned cost. The actual vs. planned cost automatically updates using the query feature, so you don't have to worry about constantly changing your data.   Bonus: Get the mobile-friendly version! Being constantly on-the-go is a lifestyle, and having the right tools handy is a must-have. Here are three reasons why the mobile app version is right for you! Mobile Data Entry: Using a mobile app makes it far easier to see the data you need when you need to. Graphical Views: Enabling you to see the data with a quarterly or media filter. Modernize Your Data: The app version empowers you to visualize your data in a new light.   Small Business Budget Small businesses have big budgeting needs. Budgeting doesn't have to be complicated when you have access to amazing tools like excel and google sheets. All of the calculations are done for you; you only need to customize the data and input your budget. It's so easy! Bonus: Get the mobile-friendly version! Budgeting is a necessity on-the-go. Accessing and editing your budget using a spreadsheet on a mobile device can be such a hassle. Using a mobile-friendly version removes those barriers, simplifying your budgeting experience! Here are three reasons why budgeting is easier on-the-go: Time-Stamps: Every time you enter a cost, the app auto-captures the time for future reference. No more piles of paper receipts and manually organizing your expenses! The Budget View: This view pulls data from all cost inputs, put them in different buckets, adds them up, and compares every category's YTD cost against its annual budget. Universal Data Management: This app manages data in one place, so you don't have to navigate around different internal teams to get the information you need. Monthly Business Budget Planner Planning your budget month-to-month is key to a successful business. Visualizing your year can be overwhelming. Why not break it down into manageable chunks and make the process easier for everybody? This spreadsheet is accessible on both google sheets and as an excel download! This sheet has tabs for both expenses and income so you can easily compare the two.   Bonus: Get the mobile-friendly version! I love having my budgeting tools on my mobile device because oftentimes, I need them most when I don't have access to my computer. I need something that's simple, accessible, and easy to change and input new budgets. That's why I made the mobile app version of the spreadsheet above so you can utilize the tools for your business as I do for mine! Dashboard View: On the tablet, you can see all charts at once: Income, Expense, and by Group! Income/Expense Groups: Using a mobile app allows you to view data by group. This would be difficult and confusing on a spreadsheet.  Expenses by Month: Notice patterns in spending month-to-month, and accommodate for unwelcome changes.   Final Note One of my core values in business is being able to focus on the things that matter: that's where technology comes into play for me. The tool for making your business budget should be simple and easy-to-use, because the time and conscious thought that goes into your budget, as well as the implementation of your budgets and expenses, are what matter most.  I would love to hear more about how you do your budgeting. Let me know in the comments below! Related Stories Free Expense Tracker Apps and Spreadsheets for Consultants, Event Managers, and Contractors  10 Excel Templates for Simplifying Your Life  Free Apps and Excel Templates for Truck Drivers and Dispatch Managers

No matter what field you're working in, expense tracking is something that must happen to operate a sustainable business. Despite that necessity for this process, not everyone is an excel guru, and it can be very frustrating to manage your numbers and budgets when you don't work well with the software. With the right tools, however, expense tracking doesn't have to give you a headache. As a young adult in the workforce, I understand the struggle that comes with data entry, managing expenses, and keeping track of spending. That's why I created free Excel, Google Sheet, and app templates to make this process easier and free up time for all the other tasks that come with consulting, contracting, and event planning. Want quick access to your template? Jump ahead: Expense Tracker for Consultants Expense Tracker for Contractors Expense Tracker for Events Expense tracker for consultants Working as a consultant is complex and full of details that, for the untrained eye, would be easy to miss. This spreadsheet helps to simplify the process of planning, tracking, and managing your clients, work type, and hours— all at your fingertips! This planner keeps track of clients, contacts, and time spent. The pivot table feature organizes your information so it's easy to see how much time you've spent on each work type and client!     This is also available as a mobile app! It can be a drag when you've got the data that you need to input, but you're not near your work computer. Having access to this expense tracking on the go allows your to spend your time more efficiently at work. The mobile app version includes views by date, work type, and client! It also allows you to add data on-the-go, a key requirement for consultants working in different spaces while traveling. Here are three reasons you should use the app instead: A mobile app makes it far easier to see the data when you need to, especially on-the-go. The app includes several data views so you can easily access what you need. The app version empowers you to modernize your time keeping and track it in real-time! Expense tracker for contractors Managing properties and all the expenses that come with them requires strong organizational skills best handled by technological tools. That leaves skills like creativity, hard work, and pure craftsmanship to people— right where they belong. This sheet includes estimated price, actual price, and cost overrun. Items are organized by categories, such as cabinets/hardware.   Save time and turn this spreadsheet into a mobile app. The mobile app version not only makes it easier to input data, it gives you access to this information anytime, anywhere—without the need to lug your laptop around or write down information to add in your spreadsheet later. Here are my top three reasons for using the app: The app makes data entry way simpler. The graph view clearly shows which items are more or less expensive. You can clearly see the completion status of a job! Expense Tracker for Events Good organization of strategy and expense is the backbone of a well-planned event. Event planning can take months, and often the budget is the first thing that needs to pass. I created an excel to simplify your budget planning through the event planning process. This excel form includes estimated - actual cost, a section to input each individual item and its category, and a table for a budget in each category. Bonus: Turn this sheet into a mobile app for stronger organization! The mobile app version lets you input budgets for categories and items on-the-go, making it that much easier to organize your expenses. Now you don't have to keep receipts and forget to input prices later—you can do it immediately! Each expense entry will be added to the total expense of that category. Knowing your budget and how much you've spent helps you keep within budget. Final thoughts Expense tracking is tough, but with the right tools, can be exciting. I hope you are able to use these tools to simplify your life and make your expense tracking easier. Not too long ago, the small business my mom worked at used paper expense ledgers and filing cabinets. While I see a lot of value in expense tracking with tangible tools such as spreadsheets, I feel lucky to live during a time where I can build my own apps on a no-code platform and digitally transform any manual process to a digital one. What are your thoughts on the transition from paper ledgers and filing cabinets to their digital equivalents? I want to hear what you think in the comments below! Related Stories Small Business Apps: Singapore Company Saves 60% in Software Expenses With AppSheet Taking Inventory and Warehouse Management to the Next Level with a Series of Apps How Can Mobile Apps Increase Productivity and Improve Inventory Data Accuracy

Great news for our Google Sheets app creators: It's now possible to start and create AppSheet apps directly from Google Sheets on Android devices! The Google team recently introduced Android add-ons for Docs and Sheets and AppSheet is one of the first add-ons available. The add-on will let you connect Google Sheets and AppSheet in new ways, giving more power to your mobile data. These features will help app creators manage their apps and capture data more efficiently. Check more details and how to use the add-on below. The AppSheet Android add-on for Google Sheets lets you interact with your data in new and powerful ways by giving you quick access to the AppSheet apps available for that sheet or to even create a new one! Here's a summary of the functionality available at launch: Interact with your Google Sheet in a custom mobile app AppSheet lets you interact with your Google Sheets natively on Android. You can call phone numbers, view images, drill down on data, and even add new rows directly within the app. Every sheet can have a companion AppSheet app, if it doesn't exist yet, use the add-on to create it. Once you have the app, you can launch it directly from the mobile add-on.   Quickly Add New Rows Use the add-on to quickly add a row to a Google Sheet using AppSheet's interface. When you add a new row through the add-on, the available form interface in the app will appear so you can quickly add a new row of data and return to the Sheet. Bonus: Use the Android add-on as your app Builder.  If you want to start collecting rich data while on the go, start with a blank mobile Google Sheet and create a list of questions as the column headers in your sheet. Launch the AppSheet add-on and it will recognize the multiple column names to automatically give you better mobile interactions when capturing data. Try adding columns called location, signature, date, or picture to test rich data capture in your app.  We're really excited with the possibilities that the Android add-ons bring to the AppSheet platform and will continue to search for new ways to help app creators interact with their data in a truly mobile way. To try the add-on, which is only available on Android devices at launch, please use the links below.  Lear more about Android add-ons for Sheets and Docs Get AppSheet for Android