Utility Operations
Work Management Concepts
...To Make Life Easier, Faster and Less Expensive
By Dean Perry
This is the fourth and final submission in a short series of articles describing some of the crucial changes for success that SSP has uncovered in development of our custom work management system, Workforce Management. All of the functionality described in the series was derived from real requirements and brainstorming sessions with actual utilities, and all is currently available in the WFM software. You can learn more about this tool here.
Part 4: Make it Easily Accessible
This is going to be the last article in the work management series, at least for a while. It's also going to be one of the shortest. (Ok, you can stop clapping, that's just rude.)
This final concept is pretty simple, and it is this: because a work management system (WMS) is probably the farthest-reaching software in a utility,we want one that can be accessed with ease. For evidence, I offer you a short list of the departments who might touch a WMS:
- GIS
- IT
- Customer Service
- Engineering
- Scheduling
- QA/QC
- Field Operations/Line Crew
- Accounting/Reconciliation
- Various Management Personnel
That's a lot of users. Or, better put, it's a large variety of users. Particularly vexing is that some of them don't work in the office. So how do we combat this issue? There a couple options.
1. You could do what is often done with the GIS itself: Build an enterprise back office system with an extension software that allows field crew to manage their part, with restrictions. Then the field crew brings back those updates and gives them to someone in the back office to review before "posting" to the database. I don't really have a big problem with this plan, though I think it could be a little bit overkill for work management, particularly for mid- to smaller-sized utilities.
2. OR, put it on a web server. Host it on your intRAnet (or to the intERnet, if you really want to, though we wouldn't usually suggest it.) Then you can control entry through who can access your network, and/or use their Microsoft Active Directory credentials through basic web-pass through authentication.
We've employed the second method with Workforce Management to great success. The back office folks gain access by simply using their web-browser to browse to the site. There's no login, because they already gained authentication when they logged in to the machine and network.
The folks in the field will also have a relatively easy time getting to the software. First they'll need to access some network connectivity. This can be achieved through a laptop aircard + VPN into the back-office network. We've also seen a utility put a wireless router in their truck lot, and the foreperson will hop on and update the WMS in the evening when he/she parks their truck, gasses up, etc. Lastly, the foreperson could, of course, come into the office and use a machine there (again, authentication is based on your MSAD network credentials, so any workstation on the network will do.) But the point is: get some network access.
Let's take a step back and remember the difference between authentication, or "who you are" vs. authorization, or, "what you can do."
The above screenshot shows the username (Skye Perry,) ie., who you are, and the role (Administrator), which determines your level authorization.
Probably the most important positive aspect of web-hosting your WMS in this manner is that whatever user enters the system, their permissions will be based on their unique username, which is the exact same as the one they used to login to the network.
Your WMS administrator can determine a user's WMS-specific permissions inside of the WMS system, tailored precisely to that user's abilities and responsibilities, but the actual authenticated entity is tied to the network user's identity.
Compared to the sort of haphazard way many utilities are authenticating users on its myriad software, this method proves to be very tidy, and this tidiness will put a big smile on your IT manager's face.
The permissions list is fully configurable at each utility, and can drive down to every task that is possible in the WMS, for a precision authorization system unique to your workflow, departments, management structure, etc.
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Now I want to quickly recap the Work Management Concepts series:
- Centralize For Success: "Centralizing crucial information for each unique work order/SR is one of the first changes you want to make to improve your WMS efficiency in a huge way. Having a web-based system gives you the extra power to link back to this unique record and view this info with a click or two."
- Integrate to Everything: "...there are some crucial functionality points at which integration can annually save thousands of hours, hundreds of thousands of dollars, and make your life considerably easier." Included suggestions: GIS - Construction Standard, GIS - Work Order, FIS, CIS and inventory/materials management integrations.
- Validate Data Wherever Possible: "The fact is, everybody misspells something, uses a "fat finger" or otherwise enters invalid data from time to time, and if you're going to build a work management system, you might as well plan on accounting for it. So, we look for opportunities to validate data (and limit typing in general) everywhere we can think of." Included ideas: cross reference basic information at the creation point of a new work order, utilize type-ahead controls, provide descriptions with your codes, and powerful-yet-simple searching capability.
- Make It Easily Accessible: Put this WMS on your intranet, which allows any and all users to access the system, from virtually anywhere, while maintaining their network identity with WMS-specific permissions. The best part is it actually provides for a very secure environment as well!
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I really hope you've enjoyed reading. If you've made it this far, you are owed a debt of gratitude! (Or you probably just really want a new WMS.) Remember, all the concepts described in this series are employed in SSP's WMS, Workforce Management, which is available for demonstrations now. Thanks and happy holidays!
--December 9, 2011
[Parts 1, 2, 3]