Trimble, Rail Road Maintenance and Asset Management

Trimble announced a new joint venture with China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co. Ltd (CREEC). The company noted that the joint venture, 50% owned by Trimble and 50% owned by CREEC, will leverage Trimble's commercial positioning, communications and software technologies and CREEC's expertise in rail design and construction to develop and provide digital railway solutions that address the design, construction and maintenance for the Chinese railway industry.

We have also been involved in numerous projects (here in Australia) that involved how to effectively manage rail road maintenance projects and tasks using mobile handheld computers and wireless maintenance and work order management software applications. Any large company with assets and properties spread across a wide geographic area must find a way to effectively track and maintain them.

I remember riding in a train that was crossing Europe and seeing large amounts of materials and equipment disappearing beneath growing briar patches. I wondered who had originally placed the materials and equipment there, and then who had forgotten about it.

Large quantities of materials, supplies, assets and properties must be effectively managed through powerful asset management and asset tracking applications in the office. These applications in turn must synchronize with mobile handheld applications that can be used to document the GPS coordinates and condition of assets in the field.

We are experts in this field. Please contact us if you would like to discuss any of these issues.

Mobile Software and Score Cards for Field Services

Business intelligence and dashboard applications for mobile workers is an interesting concept. It is not hard to develop mobile software applications that can show all field service technicians how many service calls and product/service sales all of the other service technicians have completed for the week. Management can tie good performance with variable compensation for those with the best scores. Let peer pressure and visibility to job performance help your service technicians improve their own performance.

The above score carding data is available in most work order management applications, however, it is rarely shown to the field service technicians. If the mobile workforce does not see it, then it can not be used for performance improvement. If the manager let's the field services teams see their performance and see how it rates against all others, they will often be motivated to improve their personal performance.

The concept here is to provide mobile software with performance score cards that field service technicians see daily. This data can be synchronized to the mobile devices from the ERP or company accounting software. Create a performance and profitability dashboard for mobile handheld computers that encourages the field services team to compete with each other, and published industry benchmarks. Encourage good performance, with bonuses and other rewards, that deliver long term profitability. Let your teams become part of the solution, and correct their own issues through visibility and peer pressure.

Contact us if you are interested in mobile field service score carding applications or other mobile software solutions.

48 Questions to Help You Select the Best Mobile Handheld Computers

There are a large number of very good handheld computers, PDAs, Tablet PCs, laptops and Smart Phones to select from, however, the key is to research the business purposes and the environment in which the solution will be used before making a selection.

1. What environment will you be working in - is it hot, cold, wet or dusty?
2. Are there explosive vapors or explosive powders?
3. Is it a clean office environment, or a muddy and rugged outdoors environment?
4. Is the user in and out of vehicles all day?
5. Is your software application focused exclusively on bar code scanning, RFID reading, GPS, or do you need a multi-purpose data collection device?
6. Will the hardware configuration ever need to be changed? Some handhelds can be configured at will; others are locked and can only be used with the original configuration.
7. Will the device be used as a primary phone, or is it focused on data collection?
8. What hardware requirements does your mobile application require?
9. Will the battery last long enough to complete your daily work between charges? Do you need back-up batteries? Can you use batteries purchased at the local market, or are they vendor specific?
10. What is your budget? What does the value of using a handheld computer justify spending?
11. Do you have enough budget to purchase or develop the mobile software and hardware you need?
12. Does your budget only allow for low cost consumer devices?
13. How many replacements(of a consumer device) does it take to equal the cost of a ruggedized handheld?
14. How do you replace broken devices? Can you get a replacement service in 24 hours, or must you wait a week?
15. What kind of support contracts and warranties are available?
16. How long will your new handheld computer be supported, serviced and manufactured by the vendor? Is it near end of life and being discounted for a reason?
17. Can you upgrade the operating system when Microsoft releases a new version of their mobile operating system?
18. Can you use standard laptop data cards in the handheld, or do you need to pay for high priced vendor specific cards?
19. Can you view the screen effectively in the sunlight?
20. Does the bar code scanner work effectively in real-world environment? Some scanners cannot scan effectively through glass or plastic.
21. Is the size and weight of the handheld appropriate for the user and environment?
22. Can your handheld computer support all the add-ons you require at the same time? Some devices can only support a specific number of add-on components so you are forced to choose. Some cannot support both a GPS and a data card at the same time. Some devices cannot support both a bar code scanner and a GPS add-on. This is an important consideration.
23. Do you need only a touch screen and navigation pad, a number pad or a full QWERTY keyboard? This is very important for user acceptance.
24. Is the handheld device also going to be used as a phone? Is a 2 pound industrial grade handheld really a usable phone?
25. Does your low cost consumer grade PDA need a rugged case like the ones Otterbox sells?
26. If you only have a budget for a low cost device, does it support the battery life and add-on components you require?
27. How will the device be transported around a job site? Will it strap to a belt, swing from a shoulder strap, sit in a holster or be mounted to the dashboard of your truck? Does your device support your chosen method?
28. Where is the closest inventory of extra handheld computers? Where is the closest repair depot?
29. Will your vendor loan you a device on trial?
30. Can you rent the handheld if you only need it for a short-term project?
31. Does your vendor take trade-ins on your old handheld computers?
32. Can you get the same exact handheld, under a different brand name for less?
33. How will your handheld computer send data back to the office? Cradle sync, WiFi, bluetooth, wireless data card, GPRS/GSM, CDMA?
34. What size screen do you need? Some devices like the Jett-Eye have a "landscape view" others a "portrait view" many have different sized screens. What do you require?
35. Do you need an integrated digital camera? Do you need a low or high resolution camera and does your device support it?
36. Does a refurbished device from Ryzex make better sense that a new device?
37. Where is your vendor's office? Are they in the neighborhood or on the other side of the planet? Does their location offer you the support and attention you deserve?
38. Does your handheld computer run on the same operating system that your mobile software solutions requires? I have had customers order Windows CE devices for their Windows Mobile application. It did not work.
39. Does your handheld computer come with a pistol grip or other straps that help you avoid dropping it?
40. Can you comfortably hold the device in your handheld and complete your work? Some devices have scanners on the side, on the end or underneath.
41. Can you effectively view the data you need? Some jobs simply require a full keyboard and a full screen for viewing large CAD files or Maps. Does your screen size match your requirements?
42. Where will you store the device when you use the washroom? One of my customers used Tablet PCs and they kept breaking when they slipped off of the sinks in the bathrooms.
43. Does the mobile device you select support the RFID reader you need for distance and accuracy?
44. Does the battery in the mobile handheld last long enough after you have added on all the additional hardware accessories? Each added radio uses more energy.
45. If you have dozens of handheld computers, how will you charge them all at the same time? Do you have a docking station that allows for all of your devices to both charge and synchronize at the same time?
46. Do you need wireless data plans, or does batch synchronziation after each shift work?
47. What wireless carrier and data plan provides the best service and cost for you? Does that wireless carrier support your mobile device?
48. Does the wireless carrier have sufficient coverage for your workers?

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact us.

11 Steps to a Successful Mobile Software Development Project

Companies here in Australia are looking for ways to do more with less. Many recognize that their mobile workforce is being managed inefficiently and extending business process automation to mobile field workers is becoming a priority. The following 10 steps identify how you can get started automating and mobilizing these business processes.


Step 1 – Understand the ROI/Scope of the Project and Plan Ahead

“What’s the number one reason a mobile project fails?” is a common question we get asked. The answers are that many companies don’t put enough upfront thought into defining the requirements, scheduling testing resources and planning a deployment strategy. The results of these deficiencies are project scope creep, cost overruns, missed deadlines, poor user acceptance and sometimes even complete project failure.

Step 2 – Build a Team of Stakeholders

Make sure the members of your team have the right roles and responsibilities to help the project succeed. Mobile solutions usually tie into other corporate IT assets and business processes, therefore impacted members of your IT department and business units need to be on the project team. In addition, a representative mobile field worker(s) should be included on the project team to provide valuable “real-world” insight.  Don't forget the folks running the IT helpdesk.  They are likely to get called when the mobile handheld PDA runs out of battery, memory or needs repaired or replaced.

Step 3 – Select a Partner That Specializes in Mobility Solutions

Performing successful data synchronization from mobile computing devices can be a challenging and complex task. There are many variables that can affect the results of synchronization. To insure you get your solution done correctly the first time, you need experienced experts in mobile technology. You need technologists in Australia, who specialize in the design, development, deployment and support of enterprise mobile solutions.

Step 4 – Know Your Target Users and Their Environment

During the planning and scoping phase of your mobile project, take time to experience the working environment of your mobile workers and observe the business processes in action. Pay specific attention to how information is collected and exchanged between the office and the mobile workers. These observations can significantly impact the design, development and deployment of a successful project! Evaluate the physical environment of the work. How do moist, cold and dirty environments impact the mobile devices? How does low light or bright sunlight affect visibility of the screen? Can workers read the small text on the PDA screen, or does the text need to be larger? Step 5 – Don’t Underestimate the Complexity of Synchronizing Field Data

Step 5 - Understand the technical challenges and issues

One of the biggest mistakes a project planner or IT department can make is to underestimate how complex data synchronization can be. Part of designing a solid and reliable mobile solution is to select robust synchronization middleware and to spend time designing and testing the data synchronization. Without the right middleware and design your end users could encounter issues such as extra long sync times (hours, not minutes), duplicate records, incomplete data, lost data and even database corruption. Every one of these issues will trickle down to your support department, so designing it right the first time is very important.

Step 6 – Build in Phases

Most successful projects involve a series of phased implementations. Each phase can be developed, tested and implemented in an orderly manner. Once a phase is deployed and proven, additional phases can be layered on top that include more features and added complexity. Remember, the more data requirements that you add the more data you must synchronize, and the longer each synchronization session will take. Only synchronize data that your remote users require in the field. In addition, most mobile devices don’t have the same CPU power or memory as a PC/laptop, so be aware of how the performance of your solution will be affected by a smaller, lower powered device.

Step 7 – Evaluate Your Hardware and Connectivity Needs

The term “mobile devices” can have many different interpretations. Today, laptops, Tablet PC’s, UMPCs, PDAs and Smart phones are all identified with this term. When determining the best mobile device for your project you will want to consider screen size, data storage capacity, security, physical working environment, required hardware accessories such as barcode scanners, GPS, digital cameras, RFID, and the ability to upgrade the device with updated hardware and software components.

How do you connect your mobile device to your enterprise database applications? You have many options including cradle, WiFi, satellite, Bluetooth, wireless, dial-up modems and satellite uplinks to name a few. The method(s) you choose will be affected by how often your mobile workers need to send/receive data. How much data will be transmitted and will they always have connectivity. Study each option, your working environment and consult your mobility partner to make the best selections.

Step 8 – Deploy to a Limited Focus Group, Evaluate and Improve

Once you have completed version 1 of your mobile solution and you are ready to deploy in the real world, roll out your solution to a small group of trusted and motivated users. Define a specific period of time to evaluate the solution, document the results and identify any required changes and improvements. The result of this evaluation should be an improved mobile solution that is ready for wide deployment.

Step 9 – Set and Enforce Hardware and Security Policies

Mobile devices are small computers with the ability to store sensitive corporate data, communicate this data over the Internet and even catch viruses. You must clearly communicate how mobile devices are to be used and for what purpose. Establish and publish guidelines for using mobile devices.

Step 10 – Provide Full Support for Mobile Users

Mobile devices are guaranteed to break. What is your plan for keeping a mobile worker productive and communicating business critical information when their mobile device ceases to function or gets misplaced? These are inevitable issues that are best planned for in advance. Have a plan and a documented back up process.

Step 11 - Select a technology partner that understands your business applications and ERP.

If you use SAP, make sure that the mobile technology partner you select is also an expert in SAP mobile.

If you would like to discuss in more detail please contact us.

Mobile Software Applications - 58 Questions the IT Helpdesk Needs to Know

Often the focus of a mobile software project is on gathering the functional requirements, designing, developing and deploying the mobile solution, but little or no advanced focus is given to the question of how to support it once it is deployed. The following list contains many of the questions your IT helpdesk and support department will want to know:

1. Who does the field worker call if there is a mobile device problem?
2. Who does the field worker call if their mobile application is not synchronizing?
3. Who trains new employees on how to use the mobile application?
4. If there is a mobile software problem, who fixes it - IT, consultant, contractor, or your systems integrator?  How do you get in contact with them?
5. Who does the field worker call if the mobile application needs edited or upgraded?
6. If the user downloads a new version of the mobile operating system and the mobile application doesn't work, who will repair it?  How do you prevent mobile users from downloading new software applications that might break the system?
7. Who defines the business process you are mobilizing? They may need to approve any changes to the business process.
8. Who controls the security of the device? How do you set-up a new user to securely access the enterprise database? What kinds of security rules must the field user follow? Do different users have different security profiles? Is there a standard set of rules for mobile devices across the enterprise?
9. Who controls access to the enterprise database application (a DBA)?
10. Will the Database Administrator allow you to synchronize data directly to their enterprise database application, or do they want a "staging database" or API layer to review all data before it is loaded to the enteprise database application. They will likely be involved in any future changes to the mobile application.
11. How many different enterprise database applications are synchronizing with a mobile device? If there is a sync problem, how do you know what database applications may be impacted?
12. If you hire an additional field worker, how do you order an additional mobile device? Whose budget covers this? Who is the vendor?  What support plan or insurance plan should be included?
13. Who decides if the new mobile device needs to be ruggedized or a consumer grade? What level of ruggedness is required for the specific user?
14. Do different job functions require different devices, carriers and wireless data service plans?
15. Who decides what brand of mobile devices are going to be the company standard?
16. Where do you purchase your mobile devices if one breaks or you need to add one to your inventory? Do you have a corporate discount or volume discount?
17. How do you control the variable costs of using a data plan from a local wireless carrier? What happens if the costs of the data services gets out of control? Who pays for it?
18. Are the mobile devices or the mobile software solutions under warranty?
19. Is there a yearly support contract IT needs to know about? How much? Whose budget?
20. What is the account number the warranty is under?
21. How do you set-up a new data plan with your wireless carrier? Who does that in the company? What is the account number so you can add subscribers? Whose budget pays for it?
22. What happens when Microsoft releases a new Windows Mobile operating system and you can only purchase mobile devices with the new OS on them? Who is going to upgrade your mobile software solutions so they work with the new OS?
23. What happens when the field engineer tromps off across 2 miles of muddy field to work at a construction site, but the battery on his handheld computer is not fully charged and it dies about 10 minutes after he gets there? What is the backup battery plan?
24. What happens when text messages, photos, videos, music, and 97 saved solitaire games claims all the memory on the PDA and the Construction application becomes either too slow or unreliable because of low memory?
25. How do you know when your mobile workers are synchronizing the latest information? You don't want mobile workers going days without synchronizing their device.
26. When you send an updated software application to your mobile workers, how do you know who is using the new application and who is still on the old?
27. How do you disable synchronization on a lost mobile device?
28. How do you kill and/or protect your data on the mobile device if it is lost or stolen?
29. How do you keep track of which workers are using which mobile devices? If there is an operating system update, or firmware update, how do you know who needs it?
30. What is the process for bringing mobile handhelds into the IT department for repairs and upgrades?  Is there a central location, or should various locations be scheduled on specific dates.
31. If you are taking care of many different mobile field workers and many different mobile devices with a variety of operating systems and screen sizes, how do you track who gets what?
32. If you have a project manager that requires visibility to more data than other workers, how do you manage different views on the handheld computer?
33. Some mobile projects require different levels of security, for different levels of data visibility. How would you manage and track that?
34. Some applications require barcode, RFID, GPS, digital camera and other specialized data collection accessories, while others don't. How does the IT Helpdesk track the brand, version and other details of these accessories?
35. If a dump truck backs over your supervisor's $1800 ruggedized computer and crushes it into hundreds of unidentifiable pieces, how do you get a replacement out to the supervisor with the exact application and data that is required?
36. If a mobile device needs repaired - what is the process for keeping your field workers operating without it? Do you have a stock of spare mobile devices?
37. How do you deploy new mobile applications to your 1,300 mobile device users? Must they bring all their devices back to the IT department, or can you publish new applications directly to the handheld computer?
38. How do you support the mobile device, when the user has limited computer knowledge and is sitting on the top of a utility pole? What tools can the IT Helpdesk use to help diagnose problems?
39. How do you recognize a defective mobile device that is being shared by 12 different mobile workers? Do you have a method of identifying which problems are being reported on a particular device or are you logging support calls only by users?
40. What is your process for dispatching work orders to service technicians when they are disconnected or out of range of cellular and wireless networks? A process needs to be defined.
41. What is your synchronization plan for each mobile worker? Can they sync in the morning and evening at their office desk, or do they need to sync every 5 minutes or in real-time?
42. What is the synchronization plan for a service technician that rarely has wireless network access? Does it justify a satellite up-link? (Sears Service Technicians use both)
43. How do you know when information was successfully synchronized with a mobile device in the field? Can you see and determine the success of the synchronization from the IT Helpdesk?
44. What is an acceptable synchronization time? Is it 20 seconds, 2 minutes, 20 minutes? Does the IT Helpdesk know what times are acceptable so they can consider this when configuring a new user?
45. How much data can be synchronized in a given period of time on the chosen connectivity option? Is that an acceptable speed for the task at hand?
46. Who determines the hardware requirements that support the mobile application and desired synchronization speeds?
47. When a new mobile software application is developed, who tests its operating speed on different devices, processors, memory levels and connectivity options to determine what is acceptable and what is not?
48. When you are updating or reconfiguring an enterprise database, how do you know what mobile applications and mobile users will be impacted by these changes? How do you manage this update process?
49. How does the IT Helpdesk know which one of the 17 mobile applications on the handheld computer is having a synchronization problem?
50. If you are supporting 174 work crews and their mobile devices around the globe, how do you know where they are located, and who is responsible for them?
51. How does the IT Helpdesk know if a mobile device is using a cradle, modem, bluetooth, wireless, USB, satellite or Cellular connection to synchronize? The IT Helpdesk really wants to know before they begin working on the issue.
52. What wireless carrier, technology and through-put speed is the mobile device using? Is it GPRS, GSM, CDMA, Edge or some other network configuration?
53. Do you need to stagger the synchronization times?  One of my clients had a problem with 300 mobile workers downloading large product catalogs all at the same time each month.  The first Monday of the month.  This caused a bottleneck and slow downloading time.
54. What do you do with old and retired mobile handheld devices? Companies like Ryzex buy back old handheld mobile devices and recycle them.
55. What rugged or semi-rugged cases are required to protect the mobile device?
56. What add on assessories are supported on the mobile device?  Ear pieces, GPS, add-on RFID, barcode scanners?  Who supports these and where do you order replacements?
57. Does the same mobile application work on rugged mobile handhelds as mobile consumer devices?  What employees get the different levels of rugged devices?
58. Do you have a corporate account with a mobile device reseller that will repair all of the different mobile devices or do you work with many different vendors with different support and warranty plans. 

These questions are very important and need to be answered upfront.  If you would like to discuss this subject in more detail please email.