How Shine Forms Intelligence Feature Saves Time and Improves Accuracy

In the world of electrical certification, consistency and accuracy aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re essential. That’s why Shine Forms includes a powerful Intelligence feature that automatically applies BS 7671 regulations as you work, helping you create certificates faster and with greater confidence.

What is Shine Forms Intelligence?

Shine Forms Intelligence is a unique feature that keeps an eye on electrical regulations from BS 7671 as you enter values into your certificates. Think of it as having an experienced colleague looking over your shoulder, automatically filling in related fields, adding required observations, and ensuring nothing gets missed.

The Intelligence feature works across:

• Electrical Installation Certificates (EIC)
• Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICR)
• Minor Works Certificates

As you work, Shine Forms Intelligence can:

• Add observations and limitations automatically
• Set values throughout the certificate (not just where you’re working)
• Update schedule items based on your entries
• Apply cascading changes when one value affects others

The Two Key Benefits

1. Improved Consistency

Human error is inevitable when you’re creating dozens of certificates under tight deadlines. Maybe you forget to add an observation when marking something as C1, or you miss updating a related field when changing a test result.

Shine Forms Intelligence eliminates these mistakes by:

• Never missing related fields - If something should be filled in, it will be
• Removing outdated entries - When you change a value, related observations are automatically removed if no longer applicable
• Applying regulations uniformly - The same standards are applied every time, ensuring consistency across all your work

2. Saves Time and Effort

Time is money, and Pirform’s Intelligence gives you back hours every week by:

• Automating repetitive data entry - No need to manually add related observations or update multiple fields
• Reducing double-checking - Confidence that related fields have been handled correctly
• Speeding up certificate creation - Focus on testing and inspection, not administrative tasks

How It Works: A Practical Example

Let’s walk through a simple but common scenario: marking a schedule item as C1 (Code 1 - Danger present).

When you mark an item in Section 1 of the schedule as C1, Pirform automatically:

1. Records an observation noting that there’s a Code 1 item in the schedule
2. Adds a second observation stating that appropriate authorities should be notified

Notice how one action (marking C1) triggered two automatic responses. This is intelligence in action—Pirform knows the regulations and applies them instantly.

Real-Time Intelligence Notifications

As you work, Shine Forms shows discreet pop-up notifications in the lower right corner whenever intelligence is applied or removed. These notifications:

• Keep you informed about what’s happening
• Help you understand Shine Forms logic
• Build confidence in the automated changes

You’re always in control—these are informational only, and you can manage or suppress any intelligence statement you disagree with.

The Intelligence Manager: Your Control Center

The Intelligence Manager is where you can review and control everything Shine Forms Intelligence does. Access it from the ribbon to:

See What’s Been Applied

Get a complete list of all intelligence statements Shine Forms has added to your current certificate, including:

• What was changed
• Where it was applied
• What triggered the change

Navigate Directly to Affected Areas

Click on the Location column to jump straight to the relevant board, circuit, or field in your certificate. No more hunting through tabs to find what changed.

Suppress When Needed

Engineering judgment always takes precedence. If you disagree with an intelligence statement in a particular situation, simply tick the Suppressed column to override it.

Key Intelligence Features

Cable Sizing Automation

Shine Forms analyses your circuit parameters and automatically:

• Calculates appropriate cable sizes
• Considers voltage drop
• Accounts for installation method
• Checks against BS 7671 requirements

Earthing Conductor Selection

Based on your main protective conductor size and installation type, Shine Forms:

• Determines correct earthing conductor sizes
• Applies Table 54.7 from BS 7671
• Updates related schedule items

RCD Operation Monitoring

When you enter RCD test results, intelligence:

• Checks operation times against limits
• Adds observations for failed tests
• Updates schedule items with appropriate codes

Ring Circuit Continuity

For ring final circuits, Shine Forms:

• Validates continuity test results
• Checks R1+R2 calculations
• Verifies compliance with Regulation 433.1.5

Schedule Item Automation

As you mark schedule items with codes (C1, C2, C3):

• Appropriate observations are automatically added
• Related authorities/notifications are noted
• Summary counts are updated

How Suppressing Works

Sometimes you need to override Shine Forms Intelligence based on your professional judgment. That’s completely fine—Shine Forms respects your expertise.

When You Suppress Intelligence:

1. Tick the Suppressed column in the Intelligence Manager
2. Any changes made by that statement are immediately removed
3. The intelligence statement remains visible but inactive
4. You can un-suppress it anytime

When You Change the Triggering Value:

If you change the value that originally triggered the intelligence (like changing C1 back to N/A), Shine Forms automatically:

• Removes the intelligence statement entirely
• Cleans up all related changes
• Returns the certificate to its previous state

This is called reverting intelligence, and it happens automatically.

Cascading Intelligence

One of Shine Forms most powerful features is how intelligence can trigger additional intelligence. Here’s a real-world example:

Scenario: You mark the earthing conductor as FAIL

What Shine Forms Does Automatically:

1. Sets a schedule item to C2 (Code 2 - Potentially dangerous)
2. The C2 code triggers an observation about the failed earthing
3. Another observation is added about remedial action required
4. The observations summary is updated

This cascading effect means one test result can properly update multiple areas of your certificate—instantly and accurately.

Types of Intelligence in Shine Forms

Pirform includes several types of intelligence beyond the standard BS 7671 checks:

BS 7671 Intelligence

The main intelligence system that appears in the Intelligence Manager, covering regulations for cable sizing, protective devices, earthing, and more.

Schedule Intelligence

Automatically adds observations and limitations based on schedule item codes. Works seamlessly with BS 7671 intelligence.

Max Zs Intelligence

Calculates and enters maximum earth fault loop impedance (Zs) values for circuits based on protective device characteristics.

Getting Started with Intelligence

Shine Forms Intelligence is automatically enabled and works right out of the box. However, there are a few settings you might want to know about:

Auto-Suppress All Intelligence

If you prefer to work without intelligence (perhaps when creating certificates for very unusual installations), you can enable Auto-suppress all intelligence in Settings. This tells Shine Forms to automatically suppress all intelligence statements as they’re created.

Most users keep intelligence enabled—it’s one of Shine Forms most valuable time-saving features.

Best Practices

Trust But Verify

While Shine Forms Intelligence is highly reliable, always review intelligence statements (especially when learning the software) to build confidence in how it works.

Use the Intelligence Manager

Make the Intelligence Manager part of your review process. A quick scan shows you everything Shine Forms has done and helps catch any unusual situations.

Suppress Wisely

Only suppress intelligence when you have a specific engineering reason. Suppressing without understanding why Shine Forms applied the rule might mean you’re missing something important.

Check Cascading Effects

When you suppress an intelligence statement, be aware that it might affect other related intelligence. Check the Intelligence Manager after suppressing to see if anything else changed.

What’s Next?

Want to dive deeper into specific aspects of Shine Forms Intelligence?

• Learn about Ring Circuit Intelligence - How Shine Forms validates ring finals against the IET On-Site Guide
• Discover the Circuit Helper - See intelligence directly in your circuits as you work
• Read the detailed Intelligence documentation - Complete technical reference

Questions About Intelligence?

The Intelligence feature is one of Shine Forms most powerful capabilities, and we’re always here to help you get the most from it. If you have questions about how intelligence works or need help with a specific scenario, contact our support team.

Have you discovered a time-saving intelligence feature we didn’t mention? Share your experience with us—we love hearing how Shine Forms makes your work easier!