Team best practices

Lumos provides the technical tools to work as a team (content sharing, Private/Shared visibility, All projects view), but real efficiency comes from the rituals you put in place around them. This page gathers the practices that prove useful in firms moving from solo to team mode.

Designate a library steward

Without someone in charge, shared libraries (Narrative Bank, Image Bank, Templates) drift quickly into a mess: inconsistent tags, duplicates, overlapping phrasings, old versions that linger.

Designate one responsible person per library (often the Owner, or a senior inspector) who:

Validates additions to shared content.
Runs a quarterly review to clean up.
Updates tagging conventions as the team grows.

No need for a heavy process: 30 to 60 minutes per quarter is generally enough.

Document your tagging conventions

Library searches become powerful only if everyone tags with consistent vocabulary. A few principles:

Fixed vocabulary

Choose and stick to a vocabulary for components: foundation (not foundations nor Foundation), roofing (not roof nor cover). Document this vocabulary in a shared note (Notion, Google Doc, whatever) accessible to all members.

Theme tags

Beyond the component, add tags by problem type: moisture, infiltration, code, bnq, safety. Three tags per content piece is enough.

Title format

For shared narratives, prefer a descriptive and factual title (“Stair-step vertical crack in concrete foundation wall”) over a vague one (“Wall crack”).

The Private → Shared cycle for content

Three moments in the life of a shared piece of content:

Phase 1 — Private (experimental)

The inspector who creates a new narrative, illustration, or template keeps it Private while testing it on a few inspections. No one else sees it, so no one risks using it before it’s ready.

Phase 2 — Validation

When the inspector is confident the content is usable, they submit it to the library steward (by email, Slack, or a dedicated team channel). The steward reviews, suggests possible adjustments, and validates.

Phase 3 — Shared (production)

The content moves to Shared or Team visibility. All members can use it in their reports. The steward will revisit this content during quarterly reviews.

This gradation prevents miscalibrated content from ending up in delivered client reports.

Shared library hygiene

Quarterly review

The library steward takes 30 to 60 minutes per quarter to:

Delete content never used in 6 months.
Improve phrasings that have evolved in practice.
Complete missing tags.
Identify duplicates (two narratives that say nearly the same thing) and merge them.

Annual review

Once a year, a deeper review:

Verify that shared contract templates still reflect firm practice.
Align with standard evolutions (BNQ, NBC, GCR) if they affect phrasings.
Update templates if you have added or removed sections.

Communication between members

When a project is shared

If you create a Shared project that you want to hand to another inspector (e.g. because the property is in their territory), inform them directly through your usual channel — Lumos does not send automatic notifications.

When you modify shared content

If you change a shared narrative or a Team template, the effect is immediate for everyone. For minor modifications (typo), no need to warn. For substantive changes, announce them to the team so no one is surprised.

When you leave an in-progress project

If you must transfer an in-progress inspection to another member (vacation, transfer), do it explicitly — Lumos does not (yet) have a fluid ownership history. Modify the assigned inspector and inform the recipient about the file’s state.

Onboarding a new member

When you invite a new inspector into the team, take 15 to 30 minutes to:

Show them the structure of your shared Narrative Bank and explain tagging conventions.
Present your Team templates and the firm’s specifics.
Clarify the Private vs Shared policy you apply.
Explain your validation ritual (who validates what, when).
Give access to potential external resources (convention note, internal methodology document).

A well-onboarded member contributes quickly and consistently. A poorly onboarded member creates disorder in libraries for months.

Limits of the Lumos team model

To organize your team well, keep in mind what Lumos does not offer:

No simultaneous co-inspection on the same report.
No team activity dashboard.
No notifications when a member delivers a report or invoices.
No trainee mode with mandatory validation before delivery.
No fine permission granularity (Read-only, Accountant, etc.).

For these needs, complement Lumos with your usual tools (Slack, email, follow-up spreadsheet, accounting software).