Practical Usage of PDA's for Maintenance / Repair Operations Presented by: Maurice Dorris Paradigm...

Practical Usage of PDA's for

Maintenance / Repair Operations

Presented by: Maurice Dorris

Paradigm Information Systems

Los Angeles, CA

North Texas Plant Engineering and Facilities Maintenance Conference

http://proshows.com/pro/plant.po;jsessionid=RZ_PIpXnufQZwJkIdwgTt6Vm(0CppkxPQ)

Maurice Dorris

• Over 18 years in the information technology field

• Specialty is Field Service Solutions using PDA’s and databases

• Experienced architect of database applications and systems

• Designed and developed a wireless time ticket program for a large

elevator service company

• Developed a Maintenance Management System that is currently in use

by various companies throughout the US and Canada

• Founder and President of Paradigm Information Systems (1995)

• Current customers include Elevator Companies, Hospitals,

Manufacturing Plants and Colleges

Speaker Biography


Topics for Discussion

1. Different PDA devices. Palm VS. PocketPC .

2. When and where to use PDA’s in the maintenance/facilities department.

3. Tasks that are not best suited for PDA’s.

4. Real world ROI analysis.

5. Case Study: White Memorial Medical Center


Definitions

• PDA – Personal Digital Assistant• Database – software that stores, manages and secures

information and makes it available to one or more people.• Synchronization – process that occurs between the PDA

and your computer where the information is transferred between the two.

• Conduit – software that converts and interprets data on the PDA to be understandable by your computer (and vice versa). The conduit runs automatically during the synchronization process.

• Server – High powered computer suitable for use by multiple users simultaneously.

• Firewall – a server that monitors and controls access to a wide area network from the Internet.


Palm vs. Pocket PC

o There are two major PDA platforms available

o Palm is based on the ever popular “Palm Pilot” and has

been around for almost 8 years.

o Lowest cost device is $99

o Simple and easy to use

o Less powerful, but fully functional

o PocketPC is based on the MS Windows look and feel

o Built in email, Word, Excel, Outlook

o Powerful processor, multitasking device

o Integrates well with windows programs

o Lowest cost device is $300


• Cost * - The cost of PDA’s can never be ignored. Price

ranges from $99 to $2500.

• Size – must be small enough to carry but big enough to

read the screen.

• Battery Life * - The battery has to last a few days If the

battery is dead, the device is not usable.

• Screen Colors and Display – The screen must be easy to

read.

• Ease of Use - learning curve must be minimal

• Integration with exiting windows programs

• Durability – the device has to withstand the stress of

everyday use by maintenance workers

• * = Most Important Feature

Key Evaluators


Palm OS Device

• Low cost of $99 is insignificant.

• The battery life is outstanding and will

go for days and days on a single charge

• The palm device is more durable that

PocketPC. Will easy hold up to the

stress of a maintenance tech. If not,

then the replacement cost is only $99.

• Simple and easy to use

• Thousands and thousand of third party

programs.

Maurice’s Personal Preference for Maintenance Workers


Question:

When should PDA’s be used and when should they

not be used?


First lets define the typical workflow

CMMSDatabase

PM’s (System

Generated)Printed

Work Order

PrintedWork Order

Users submit requests via Electronic Service Request.

The system generates all PM work orders for a month

A pleasant, but persistent department manager verbally requests service from a maintenance person. No work order is created.

CMMS software generates a printed work order that is assigned to a maintenance person.

After completing the work, the maintenance person documents the entire activity in the Palm Pilot At the end of the day, the data in the Palm Pilot is loaded into the database.

After the data is validated, reports can be run.

The hardcopy is sent to the recycle bin.

Reports


Use PDA’s To…

1. Reduce the paperwork generated by maintenance mechanics/technicians.

2. Avoid data entry problems3. Collect accurate information at the

point, place and time of service (“PPT”)

4. Eliminate “Fixed”, “Done” or “Completed” from the solution descriptions.

5. Capture and create information for new work orders

6. Collect and process work order data daily.


PDA’s do not work well when you…

1. Use them to direct the work force.– Don’t use the PDA to tell the technician where to go or what his

priorities are. This is best done verbally or face-to-face.

– More practical to have a printout of all assigned work orders

– Real world usage of PDA’s is mainly to document activity AFTER the service has been performed, not before.

2. Try to read lots of text, such as maintenance instructions– Screens are too small to look at for extended periods of time

– It is not practical to refer to the device in between maintenance steps

– While this seems like a good idea, it doesn’t always work well in practical applications.

– Use paper, there is still a place for it.


Paperless Process – Is it possible?Yes, but…

• PDA must capture all important information.• The data must be electronically shared with the

various other systems that need it.• There must be a mechanism for “two-way”

synchronization since data could change in the office and field simultaneously..

• Best Approach• Be prepared to change and improve on existing

processes to make them compatible with PDA’s.

• Use custom programs to make sure that the quality of the information collected is accurate.

• Before you eliminate the paper, make sure that the database can output reports that are identical to the manual forms.

• Continue to use paper where it makes sense.


ROI Analysis – Labor Costs

Administrative Labor Cost

$12/hour X 2000 hours per year = $24,000 / year

50% of Administrative person’s responsibility is data entry and compiling report data

$24,000 X 50% = $12,000/year computed cost

Compute a three year cost of data entry labor

$12,000 X 3 years = $36,000


ROI Analysis – PDA Costs $150 Device

PDA Device and Software Costs (10 technicians / $150 Device)

$150 X 10 devices = $1500 (first year only)

$300 X 10 SW Licenses = $3000 (first year only)

$1500 + $3000 = $4500 Total Expenditure

Estimate 50% reduction in labor (real world)

$12,000 - 50% = $6,000/year actual cost

$6,000 X 3 years = $18,000

Total Three Year System and Labor Costs with PDA

$18,000 + $4500 = $22,500


ROI Analysis – PDA Costs $500 Device

PDA Device and Software Costs (10 technicians / $500 Device)

$500 X 10 devices = $5000 (first year only)

$300 X 10 SW Licenses = $3000 (first year only)

$5000 + $3000 = $8000 Total Expenditure

Estimate 50% reduction in labor (real world)

$12,000 - 50% = $6,000/year actual cost

$6,000 X 3 years = $18,000

Total Three Year System and Labor Costs with PDA

$18,000 + $8000 = $26,000


Other Benefits that are hard to Quantify

• Quality of Data – Collected at the point, place and time of service. (How much is good data worth?)

• Improved Efficiencies – Many decisions will be made using the accurate data that is collected. The quantitative value of these decisions may be unmeasured because labor costs are budgeted annually and are considered “overhead”

• Reduced Work Order Backlog – Very difficult to quantify. However, the improved efficiencies should present itself as a reduced backlog of work orders.


Background: 350 Bed hospital, multiple medical office

buildings, fully functional generator and steam plant, thousand

of equipment items to be serviced, 500,000 sqft of facility to

maintain.

Problem #1: Outdated maintenance software does not

support current or future operation and reporting requirements

of the organization.

Case Study: White Memorial Medical Center


Problem #2: With over 2000 work orders per month and

over 20 maintenance technicians, the data entry does not get

entered in a timely manner. Technicians are not filling out all

necessary fields. Lots of data gets lost while transferring from

paper to electronic format. Information is often unreadable

and is not understandable.

Problem #3: The quality of information collected does not

support the reporting requirements of the organization.

Statistical information is very difficult to compile. .




EventManager

CMMS

Users submit requests via ESR Web interface.

Auto-generated PM work orders

Reports

Generate work order and assign to

a maintenance person.

Document activity

Validate Data

Step 1: Agree on the workflow



Step 2: Implement a new CMMS• Updated and

modern system

• Can adapt to the current and future needs of the organization

• Web interface for creating Work Orders

• PDA Interface for documenting technician’s activity



Step 3: Automate Work Order Capture

• Web-based ESR reduces phone calls.

• Work Order information is validated against the database.

• Accessible by all computers with a browser

• Department specific reports



Step 4: Implement PDA’s

• Palm OS devices selected for cost, battery life and durability

• Place PDA in the hands / shirt pockets of all maintenance persons.

• Capture accurate information at the point, place and time of service.

• Drop down lists and pre-defined choices automatically categorize data to fit statistical reporting requirements

• Download the Palm Pilot directly into the database and close out the work orders without data entry.

• Daily update of work order information.



Step 5a: Run Reports from PDA Data



Step 5b: Run Reports from PDA Data



Before

• 2000 Work Orders / Month

• 30+ days to get all data

entered into the system

• Manually written data is not

accurate or complete

• Impossible to run detailed

report

• Difficult to track and manage

maintenance workers and

activities

After

• 2000 Work Orders / Month

• Work Order data in uploaded

to the database daily

• PDA makes it convenient for

technicians to properly

categorize information

• Detailed and accurate reports

available daily

• Significantly easier to manage

maintenance operation with

high quality and timely data.


Questions ?


For questions, contact…

Maurice DorrisParadigm Information Systems5042 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 127Los Angeles, California 90036310-768-2965maurice@paradigminfosystems.comwww.paradigminfosystems.comwww.pdis.com


Practical Usage of PDA's for Maintenance / Repair Operations Presented by: Maurice Dorris Paradigm...

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