Introduction
Quality assurance is often a hidden drag on manufacturing and distribution operations. Delays, inconsistent checks, lost paperwork, audit failures, and rework are all too familiar. But what if your inspection process could become a driver of insight, consistency, and compliance rather than a bottleneck?
Meet Quality Inspector by Insight Works, a quality inspection solution built directly within Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. It enables you to embed robust inspection workflows, enforce pass or fail logic, capture rich data (including images and attachments), and ensure that quality is enforced at key points.
In this post, we will explore what Quality Inspector offers, why it is particularly relevant in the UK and European regulatory context, and how to approach a rollout in your business.
Why Traditional Quality Checks Fall Short
Many UK organisations still rely on spreadsheets, paper forms, or siloed systems for quality control. That leads to:
- Missed tests or skipped checks
- Lost or incomplete records
- Manual transcription errors
- Poor traceability during audits
- Difficulty in scaling control across multiple sites
When regulatory obligations such as ISO 9001, ISO 13485, UKCA, or GMP require that you can prove your processes are controlled, these gaps can become audit findings or worse, product recalls and customer complaints.
Quality Inspector addresses these issues by making inspection processes native to your ERP system in Business Central.
What Is Quality Inspector?
Quality Inspector is an add-on application for Dynamics 365 Business Central that brings inspection, gating, and data capture into your core operations.
Some core capabilities:
- Design custom inspection templates for items, production orders, work centres, or lots
- Support multiple test types (numeric, lookup, text, images) and grading (Pass, Fail, or Review)
- Trigger inspections automatically or ad hoc (for example on receipt, during production, or post-process)
- Enforce gating logic to block posting or transfers based on test results
- Attach photos, documents, and free text notes to test records
- Mobile and tablet interface for shopfloor execution
- Store and report on historical inspection data for trend analysis
- Integrate with Power Platform or Power Automate for workflows and notifications
These features help shift inspections from an afterthought to a structured, auditable part of your operations.
Key Benefits for UK and EU Businesses
| Capability | Business Value in a UK or EU context |
| Regulatory and Audit Evidence | Maintain a full digital audit trail of who tested what, when, results, attachments, and sign-offs |
| Gating Controls | Prevent non-conforming goods from progressing, critical in highly regulated sectors such as medical devices, aerospace, or food |
| Local Compliance Adaptation | Templates and logic can be adapted to UK and EU standards, including First Article Inspection, FMEA, and CAPA workflows |
| Mobile and On-site Flexibility | Inspectors can use tablets or smartphones, ideal for multiple sites, warehouses, or remote factories |
| Data-Driven Improvement | Use historical data to drive root cause analysis, supplier feedback loops, and process changes |
| Consistency Across Sites | Standardise inspection logic across multiple plants in the UK and Europe |
Use Cases and Scenarios
Practical ways to deploy Quality Inspector in a UK business include:
- Inbound goods inspection: Automatically trigger a receiving inspection when goods arrive and block warehousing of failing lots.
- In-process checks: Insert checks mid-production such as dimensional tolerances, temperature, or visual defects.
- Final inspection and release: Gate product release to stock or shipment based on quality test outcomes.
- First Article Inspection (FAI): Use during initial production runs or design changes to validate conformance.
- Corrective action and retests: Link nonconformances to retesting, follow up workflows, and supplier feedback.
- Regulatory compliance: Demonstrate consistency and traceability in audits for ISO, UKCA, GMP, and similar standards.
Implementing Quality Inspector and Licensing
As the solution is based in Business Central you will need a valid Dynamics 365 Business Central environment, if you’re not currently on Business Central then take a look at our Quick Start offerings.
- Each Quality user requires a Business Central licence (either Essentials or Premium).
- You then subscribe to the Quality Inspector add-on from Insight Works. This is priced per Company using the app in Business Central. Currently priced at £150 GBP (as at September 2025).
- Rollout considerations include defining inspection templates, mapping gating logic, training operators, aligning with your quality processes, and integrating with your existing workflows such as nonconformance and CAPA systems.
Best Practices and Tips
- Start small with a pilot: Choose a critical line or inspection type to test the setup, gather feedback, and refine templates.
- Use gating prudently: Reserve “must pass” blocks only for truly critical steps to avoid slowing operations.
- Capture images and attachments: Visual evidence strengthens audits and investigations.
- Feedback loops: Use inspection data to feed back into design, machine settings, or supplier quality processes.
- Keep templates focused: Overly complex inspections can overwhelm operators.
- Engage your team: Provide training and explain the benefits, especially if users are used to manual methods.
- Track performance: Monitor defect trends over time and assess throughput impacts.
Challenges to Consider
- Resistance to change: Users may prefer familiar spreadsheets or paper.
- Configuration complexity: Defining templates, triggers, and gating logic requires thought and domain knowledge.
- Data volume and storage: High volumes of images and attachments may require storage planning.
- Integration conflicts: If you already use custom Business Central extensions, check compatibility.
- Local regulatory nuance: Make sure your templates and logic comply with applicable UK and EU standards.
Conclusion
Quality Inspector transforms inspection and quality control from a reactive, error-prone task into a controlled, insightful, auditable process. In the UK and Europe, where regulatory compliance and consistency are essential, it offers a strong connection between shopfloor activity and digital control.
If you would like to see a live demo, explore sample templates, or discuss how this could work in your business, get in touch and we can walk through it together.