Customer Meeting - Plant Ops - Donna McCracken

Geoff and I met with Donna McCracken of Plant Ops. today to discuss their system and how we might be able to help them

Donna McCracken
     888-4567 x2018
     GSC 257
     dmccrack

Things didn't look too great. They have a closed system that is housed offsite, and I managed to stick my foot in my mouth at least twice... I need to get Geoff to kick me under the table when I need to stop talking. We also need a real PDA to show customers. My Palm V is too old and beat up, and Geoff's Zaurus SL-5500 is awkward looking. It wasn't terrible, but I'm glad that she is an internal customer. I need to treat these first meetings as pre-sales and not as requirements discovery.

NOTES:

Environment:

• approx 100 workers with shared resources

Workflow:

• all maintenance calls are made to x3793/4 which is a centralized 24 hour hotline
• all requests are logged and entered into a database as work orders (except for very small items like light bulbs needing replacement, which are batched)
• the operator at x3793/4 calls the tradesman directly to notify them of the work order
  • the worker uses pads to record the orders
• the order is printed and sent to the foreman
• the worker records remarks / hours worked on the order when the task is complete
• the work order is returned to the office staff where the worker's remarks and hours are entered into the system
• they also have a preventative maintenance program
• when a job spans multiple trades the work is assigned as one request but has multiple activities
• job lists are checklists of tasks that need to be preformed regularly (check exit lights, fire extinguishers, etc.)
  • going to PDF

Problem with dispatch system: the worker might be busy and not able to respond... but they will eventually respond... or the dispatcher will recall.

Concerns:

• primary concern is over the time of tradespeople
• don't want workers to have to type
• worker's do not have access to a computer
• some workers may/may not prefer PDAs
• concern over ruggedness of devices... must withstand high drops
• concern over cost

System notes:

• the system is a Datastream 7i "asset performance management system"
• it is based on Oracle Developer 6i and "makes full use of Oracle's Internet Application Server (iAS)"
• it is hosted by datastream offsite in the U.S.A.
• the system was moved off-site in April 2004. Primary reasons:
  • automatically get all upgrades
  • Plant Ops does not have dedicated high end I.T. staff (i.e. DBAs)
• system is based on java applications
• work orders and reports can be exported as Excel documents
• work orders can be linked to schematics, but they aren't because of the current dispatch system
  • currently printed if needed
  • currently housed on-site
• vendor's website offers "Application Program Interfaces (API)" as product feature
• vendor's website offers Mobile Solutions as additional module. Datastream 7i Mobile Solutions brochure.

Donna wants a written proposal including who absorbs costs. I asked Prof. Keshav to call her on Monday

Direction

• Speak with x3793/4 people
• track down Paul and interview him
• examine datastream's API

Documents