To Err is Human

We all make mistakes but when those mistakes cost your business money sometimes they are harder to forgive.   Mistakes happen all too often when there is a lack of communication from the office to the field and back again.  Anytime paper has to switch hands there are numerous threats for mistakes to happen.  Unreadable forms, lost forms, inaccurate data, and untimely information can all be the cause of problems.  However, they are all mistakes that could have been prevented.  How?  By allowing Automation to help manage your projects.  A mobile resource management solution can provide all of the tools necessary to reduce mistakes from the field and send timely accurate data to the office. 

1.    A mobile resource management solution should be simple to use.

Keeping it simple takes away any excuse to not use the system.  Clocking into a job should be easy and only takes a few seconds to complete.  Gathering important information without the hassle is what automation is all about.

2.    It must have a time and attendance feature.

Your employees are your largest asset.   Therefore, time and attendance is the basis for all other information that is gathered.  Knowing who is at work, where they are working and what they are working on provides basic information that is needed later in order to track productivity, assign future tasks and follow job progression.

3. Mobile resource management solutions should track labor and productivity?

Automating your Time and attendance is a big step to take when you are beginning but with the technology that is available today there is so much more that your solution should be able to do.  Comparing how much has actually been completed on a project with what was budgeted gives a clear picture of how much labor a task actually takes to complete.  Not only will this information help to monitor current projects, but it will also help to estimate the costs of future projects. 

4.    How does the solution handle all of the messy paperwork that must be filled out in the field and delivered to the office?

Misplaced or lost forms cost your business money for many reasons.  The time spent trying to locate misplaced documents adds up but even more important is the threat of not having the information you need to protect your business because a form is missing.  A good Mobile resource management solution should have a forms module that allows forms to be electronically filled and signed in the field.  A system like AboutTime’s FormsXPress attaches pictures, notes, signatures to any form you build then sends the form back to the office. 

5.    Does it integrate with your accounting system?

It’s one thing to collect important information but what do you do with it once it has been collected?  Automation is most effective when the automation completes your workflow from the beginning to the end.  The less room for human error the more accurate the information is.  Make sure, whatever solution you choose, it provides a solid integration with your accounting or job costing system.