The Information Age is more than 50 years old but you wouldn’t know it looking around a lot of industrial organizations in 2021.
Many companies still use manual, paper-based data collection processes that require technicians to spend hours each week manually uploading operational information into enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems like SAP or IBM Maximo. That’s time technicians could be – should be – performing more important and productive work.
It’s no secret that paper-based systems are no longer up to the task. A modern organization needs to be nimble, agile and flexible to respond to constantly changing market conditions and stay ahead of the competition. Static paper forms and checklists simply slow down operations, making data collection and entry hard on frontline workers and depriving decision makers of the real-time information they need to make knowledge-based decisions.
If paper-based processes are so lacking, why do industrial plants and facilities still use them?
Good question.
The latest wave of digital transformation makes these inefficient processes obsolete thanks to a revolutionary new way to approach tasks and solve operational problems through connected worker technology.
Dynamic Forms – A Better Way to Gather and Share Data
Paper has a lot of staying form because it’s easy to cheaply configure; it doesn’t cost much to print up a new form. Digital solutions often are more complicated, requiring coding expertise or expensive development costs to modify an electronic form.
A dynamic forms solution, like Innovapptive’s RACE Dynamic Forms (RDF), eliminates these issues with an easy, user-intuitive configuration solution. RDF empowers frontline workers to get the most out of digital technologies, including gathering and sharing critical operational data in real time on convenient mobile devices.
The easy configuration tools in RDF mean you can quickly convert paper forms to a digital experience for frontline workers. You retain the flexibility of paper by being able to edit or modify forms on the fly. You can even create a new form based on changing business requirements in as little as 30 minutes, even if you’ve never written a line of code in your life. If you need to make changes to an old checklist or create a new form, you can do it yourself in less time than a lunch break. Once complete, push changes in real time for immediate access and field use.
Decision makers can view information from the field as it’s being collected, either on their mobile device or on a desktop app. Rather than having to wait hours or days for a paper form to be entered into a back-office system, they can immediately see and analyze it. They’re able to make faster, more informed decisions and take quicker action on issues before they become downtime-causing problems.
A Wide Variety of Use Cases
Think of all the places in your business where you can eliminate paper and speed up decision making with digital forms:
Field Data Collection – Generate forms to get the exact information needed to make smart, knowledge-based decisions based on field-verified data.
Inspections – Create site-specific operator rounds and inspection checklists customized to your unique situation.
Equipment Setup – Build instructions and checklists to ensure machinery, parts and equipment are assembled, set up and installed properly to achieve optimal performance.
Safety Compliance – Construct checklists and procedures forms to improve compliance, mitigate risks and reduce costly safety incidents.
Quality Control – Develop QC forms to certify your company's daily production meets exacting standards for excellence.
Want to Learn More?
The possibilities are endless and entirely up to you and your unique needs. If you’re ready to digitally transform your inefficient paper-based data collection process into a sleek, effective system that delivers the prompt, accurate information you need to succeed, set up a free demo today or call us at 844-464-6668 to discover more.
