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The Birth of a System...

By Freeman Software

The Birth of a System...

03/01/2017 The birth of a system...
Dave, I am frustrated that our maintenance is not being done *. I have been looking at this system (x) and it seems to do what we need. I need to be able to see what is being done each day and Sally needs to print out work orders each day for the team.

We had a look at the suggested system and another which seemed to match the requirements. They both had a number of good features but were lacking in other areas. The biggest drawback of these systems was that they were written for a single user. Freeman Software's systems are multi-user from the start.

Sally needs to be able to print a daily list of jobs or individual work orders for our staff. It would be good if these could be emailed to suppliers in bulk or individually as required.

So, we provide an online 'to do list' which can be printed as a list or as worksheets. Worksheets are emailed each night as they are produced or can be printed or emailed as required.

I need the system to be built into our current system, I prefer to use just one system. Our parts need to be included with our factory inventory.

The customer is already using Freeman Software's Inventory Control system so it makes sense to use it for parts. We simply create new Product Groups (Inventory Categories) to contain the parts. We create a new report to show inventory used for maintenance purposes.

I need to be able to schedule jobs on a regular basis - our main line needs lubrication every week, the factory air filters need to be replaced each month and we need a six-monthly check on our bird-proofing.

Every item can include as many scheduled tasks as required. The scheduled tasks cater for a wide variety of daily, weekly, monthly and annual frequencies.

Every item that needs maintenance shows a complete history of all maintenance done on it, including notes on what was done and the parts used.

Every now and again I see things that need to be fixed either right now or whenever the maintenance crew can get to them. It would be good if these work orders could be emailed as well.

Ad-hoc jobs are included, a new job is simply created for the item that needs repair. This can be added after the job has been done, sometimes things just need to be fixed and the paper-work has to wait, or the job can be scheduled. If the job has been scheduled it appears in the daily 'to do list' at the appropriate time.

These ad-hoc jobs are recorded against the item as history, just like the scheduled jobs.

You know me, Dave, I need this yesterday:)

Done!

This example may not suit your business but please get in touch if there is anything Freeman Software can do to help your business succeed.

* Significantly modified from the (strong) language used in the original discussion.

About This Author

Freeman Software

Freeman Software

Can't find the right business software? Freeman Software offers custom software development for the small/medium sized business. We provide custom-written software to suit your business and your budget. We can base our development on our existing packages or develop software unique to you. The key b…

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