Abstract Manager

This presentation covers a  number of operational improvements that a city of Edmonton operational team was able to implement by using simple google tools namely google forms and APPsheet. 

Intake forms (google forms):

While google forms allow for the client to take ownership of their own requests while being guided by a series of questions there are some challenges. We have found Operational requests are best served via an email request, a follow-up conversation and an internal project form to be filled out by our own field leader.

Leader survey (google forms):

His year level 1 and level 2 field leaders were presented with a survey to share their feedback on the program expectations, and some possible improvement for the next season. This approach promoted creativity, and commitment from the leaders.

Maintenance Work Orders (APPsheet)

The corporate ERP system is the main source of truth, but don’t allow its limitations to dictate your work process.  Using the google tools at our disposal allowed us to set the business rules and collaboration touch points for optimized results.

The inspector performs the inspection and work order creation on a user-friendly Inspector APP that captures pictures, date/time, GPS location and any relevant information. 

The maintenance leader has access to the work order through the maintenance APP. only the information that is relevant to the crew is accessible, but it also has space for pictures, comments and sign off. Materials and time entry information is also entered.

Supervisors are able to use the spreadsheet for triage, prioritizing and scheduling.

Dashboards are created in google sheets and tableau for analysis and reporting to leadership.

The underlying concepts are:

1. User friendly tools that can be adapted and updated by the field staff

2. A single database to track all information relative to a particular job

3. User friendly APPs that are customized for each role by only presenting the required information

The approach was then tested as an emerging operational workflow. The tools were created and released in under 1 week. The cross functional activity includes inspection of multiple asset groups for 3 types of concerns. The inspection APP has the unique feature of triggering automated notifications to the respective programs based on the type of concern.