Tag Archives: Work Management Software

Miss South Carolina on GIS & Work Management Software

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Many times I’ve wondered why so many utilities and municipalities around the country aren’t taking full advantage of their GIS – then it hit me:  maybe Miss South Carolina was right after all.

Funny thing about this video is she’s right (well sort of) – about having the maps at least. Oddly enough, in our experience implementing GIS-centric work management software around the country we’ve found that many ‘U.S. Americans’ actually do have maps (GIS) – they just don’t have access to the maps (because the GIS is only used in the engineering department) – and they certainly don’t have their work management software associated with their maps.

In order for any utility system or municipality to get the most out of their work order and asset management software, maps and GIS play a key role. The ability to visualize work and asset management data on GIS maps is changing the way governments and utilities operate – utilities and public works crews are getting more work done in less time, spending less money researching problems, and management is better allocating capital improvement funds.

Service Request Locations on a GIS Map

GIS map showing locations of Service Requests.

In past years, GIS-based work management systems have been extremely complicated and difficult to figure out (almost as difficult to figure out as Miss South Carolina’s answer, in fact). However, GIS-centric work order and asset management software has come a long way in recent years – software development teams have made great strides with GIS integration and work management software has become much more user-friendly.

In summary, GIS-based work management software is much simpler than Miss South Carolina would lead you to believe. By giving maps to ‘U.S. Americans’ (via integrating GIS with their work management software), utilities and government are beginning to see improvements in their daily operations and improvements in their annual budgets.

…like such as South Africa and the Iraq – everywhere like such as… :)

GIS & Work Management Software: 6 Quick Tips for Government & Utilities

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Utilities and government face a unique set of challenges when selecting work management software.  Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you go through the selection process:

1. Keep it map-based.

Governments and utilities can maximize their GIS investments and save big dollars by selecting work management software that integrates with the organizations mapping infrastructure.  Several work management software applications allow integration from any industry-standard GIS technology including ESRI, MapInfo, Manifold, Autodesk, and others.

2. Keep it simple.

Avoid work management software that is complicated to understand or that involves an extensive learning curve.  Remember – even though you may understand the technology, many people who will ultimately be using the system may not be so tech savvy.  It may not be a bad idea to have a few of the end-users sit in on a demo or two and see if they think the software is easy enough to understand.

3. Keep it accessible.

Whichever application you select, make sure you can access your data while on the go.  Real-time access (via the web) to GIS and work management data is critical to field workers and remote operators.  By taking advantage of the web and real-time field access, dispatchers and receptionists are also likely to smile a bit more because communication between field and office staff will improve – making their jobs much easier.

4. Keep it open.

Few things are worse than having lots of great data locked down in a proprietary database.  It’s your data – make sure you can get it when you need it!  It’s also a great idea to find something that’s built on an industry-standard open platform (such as the Microsoft .NET framework) so you can integrate with third-party applications if necessary.  Governments and utility systems can greatly benefit by integrating their work management software with utility billing, financials, and other applications.

5. Keep it affordable.

Remember, you get what you pay for.  We’re not looking for free here – we’re looking for a solid application that fits our needs and fits our budget.  Enterprise work management software generally entails a bit of configuration to match the specific needs of your organization.  Also, if you select a firm that knows what they’re doing you’ll likely receive some pretty good consulting and best-practice information along the way.

6. Keep it manageable.

If you don’t have a large IT department and a large staff, avoid work management software that requires those things.  Remember, once the software has been implemented and your staff has been trained, you’ll have to support this thing.  Work management software comes in all sorts of packages, so be sure to consider all of your technological options before you purchase (hosted solutions, software as a service (SaaS), on-site deployments, etc.).

Comments?  Experiences selecting work management software that you’d like to share?  Let us know!