Streamlining Maintenance Logging and Tracking Repairs Across the District
One of the many challenges for small rural districts is managing assets with a small team. Maintenance departments are no exception to this and have more of a challenge given the wide variety of equipment they manage. Recognizing this need within our district, I worked to develop a PowerApp specifically designed to address the unique challenges faced by our maintenance department. This blog post aims to share insights into the development process, the features of the app, and the potential impact it will have on our operations.
The Genesis of the PowerApp
The idea for the PowerApp stemmed from numerous conversations with our maintenance team, who expressed frustration with the existing methods of logging maintenance work and tracking repairs. Traditional paper-based systems and disparate digital tools often lead to delays, inaccuracies, and inefficiencies. We decided a mobile app would help organize and track the wide range of equipment and the work being done.
Identifying Key Requirements
Before diving into development, it was crucial to gather detailed requirements from the maintenance department. The director of the department wrote down a list of key requirements and information his department needed to track for each piece of equipment. With his list of data to track, I came up with a set of key requirements needed to develop the app.
- A simple and intuitive interface for logging maintenance work
- The ability to track repairs and maintenance history for each piece of equipment
- Integration with existing systems for seamless data flow
- Real-time updates and notifications to keep the team informed
- Offline capabilities for use in remote locations
- Support for mobile devices such as iPad and iPhone
Designing the PowerApp
With the requirements in mind, I began designing the PowerApp, focusing on creating a user-centric interface that would be easy for the maintenance team to adopt. The design process involved several iterations, incorporating feedback from the team to ensure the app met their expectations.
User Interface and Experience
The user interface was designed to be clean and intuitive, minimizing the learning curve for the maintenance team.
The landing page of the app is a list of equipment items that can be searched using key terms or by a barcode. There are two dropdown boxes that allow the user to sort by equipment category, including HVAC, kitchen equipment, and miscellaneous items. The section dropdown allows the user to filter by site, so the list can be narrowed to just one school. For example, a user could search a list filtered to only HVAC equipment at “example elementary”.
The barcode search box also has the built-in barcode reader integrated, making it very efficient for a user to approach the equipment they are working on and find it by scanning a barcode on the unit.
Each record for equipment items has various properties such as the serial number, brand, voltage, and location. The user of the app can easily add or modify these details all form within the app.
The system also has the ability to log actions related to this equipment item. This is a one to many relationship in the app, so an equipment item can have many associated logs. Each record in the logs can note a title, description, and the type of action. The user and the date is automatically attached to the record, giving the team a timeline of events.
Users can again easily add and edit the logs all from within the app.
Backend and Integration
The data this app is built on is simply two tables in SharePoint. One table has records of all the equipment items. The other table contains all the records. As mentioned earlier, there is a one-to-many relationship between equipment and log items.
Offline Capabilities
Our maintenance team is often working on top of buildings and other areas where network connectivity may be intermittent. Because of these conditions, we knew that this app would need to have some offline capabilities. To achieve this, I explored a few options, one option being to implement the built-in offline capabilities of the Dataverse platform. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the best fit for us. The licensing for Dataverse is complicated and very expensive for our situation. Because of this, I went on a different route. I focused on what components of the app are needed the most in the offline environments and designed the app to support those needs.
To achieve this goal, I designed the app to load all equipment items, and logs upon first launch. This data is saved locally on the device. If the device goes offline, then the option to add new view and add new logs is retained, while edits are restricted. I decided to do this so that we would avoid version conflicts when the users sync back up with the database. If all records going into the database are new, then there should never be conflicts.
The app has logic to enable or disable features when a connection is present or lost. The user is given an offline icon, to help them know why certain features are temporarily disabled. The user simply needs to return to an area of connectivity to regain full functionality.
Deployment and Impact
With a small team, the deployment process will be fairly simple. We are deploying the app to one iPad, and I will communicate with the team to troubleshoot any issues while they learn the new system.
Enhanced Efficiency and Accuracy
The PowerApp has potential to significantly streamline the process of logging maintenance work and tracking repairs. The centralized system ensures that all data is accurately recorded and easily accessible, reducing the likelihood of errors and delays.
Future Enhancements
Future updates will focus on incorporating additional features based on user feedback, we may explore features like notifications for units that may need attention and trends in problematic equipment.
Conclusion
Developing the PowerApp for our maintenance department has been a rewarding experience, and it is exciting to see the potential it has in helping our district be more efficient. By leveraging technology to streamline maintenance logging and repair tracking, we have created a more efficient and accurate system that ultimately contributes to the overall success of our district. As we continue to refine and enhance the app, I am confident that it will remain an invaluable tool for our maintenance team for years to come.
Please look at the consulting services I offer to get help with your PowerApps project.