Critical System Requirements

A seven-year-old database nobody could afford to change

The company is a manufacturer of steel structures in New Zealand, run by its Managing Director. They are a relatively small business with a heavy project load and many components to keep track of within the steel fabrication process. They have a hand in everything from the cutting of steel to the construction of the steel structures on building sites.

The company needed a system for tracking the fabrication process to ensure nothing slipped through the cracks. They manufacture many different elements and track who made the various items, the date they were made, and when components were dispatched. The Managing Director and his team had been keeping track of all their quotes and projects within a collection of spreadsheets and papers around the office.

Previously, information was stored in a custom-built SQL database, only accessible while at the company office and certainly not accessible for employees out on their construction sites. This database was built about seven years ago and there were huge cost and time constraints when changes needed to be made.

Because of the inflexibility of their database, the company had a limited course of action when they needed to make major changes to comply with a new certification scheme. After consulting with their database developer, the necessary change transformed into a much larger addition than they had originally expected. They realized they had two options: either invest a lot of money updating their old, clunky system or explore a different solution to advance them technologically and break the limitations that their current system created. Along with quick and cost-effective editing capabilities, they needed to have access to their information anywhere they went. This was not possible with their SQL database and was especially pertinent to the individuals working in the field at project worksites. Switching to the cloud and becoming mobile was no longer a nice idea, but a necessity. Changes had to be made.

“Our existing system was just so unfixable. It took too much time and money to implement a simple change.”

Test three tools, then build the app himself

The Managing Director set out to find an easy and user-friendly solution with a mobile option. The company’s other criterion in their search for a replacement were that it could be accessed from the cloud and would be easily managed and changed without any outside help.

1. Compare three platforms

   The Managing Director explored Zoho, Knack, and TrackVia. While testing all three, he found Zoho and Knack to be too difficult to learn without having a technical background. He was impressed with how quickly and easily he could get his application up and running with TrackVia.

2. Choose the native mobile app

   He loved that it was instantly mobile. This meant any data they input into the app on the Web was immediately accessible on the iPad. The mobile application TrackVia offers was a better option than the web based mobile option the other platforms provided. Using the web based alternatives on an iPad was not nearly as smooth as having a mobile application.

3. Build it in-house after two working sessions

   He began his experience with the TrackVia sales team and after two working sessions with them, he began developing his app by himself.

4. Grow it beyond fabrication

   After spending some time in the product, he quickly realized the company could use it in a much broader sense than he previously thought. Their original fabrication tracking application grew into a tool that included their quote register, all incidents and accidents, employee information, and company correspondence. His simple app grew into a robust project management tracking application.

5. Deploy to the team

   It only took three weeks to deploy TrackVia throughout his team once he had familiarized himself with the application.

Everything in one place, and off the office walls

• All the information in one place

  The Managing Director was thrilled that they were able to bring so much information into one place. The company is no longer chained to the confines of their office walls.

• A team that likes using it

  All of the team members using the product love how easy it is to operate.

• Critical data on the construction site

  They are also very excited that they can access their TrackVia data anywhere they go. Having critical data at their fingertips on construction sites has been invaluable. All the data presented is super relevant to the task at hand and everything is clearly displayed.

• Oversight without being overbearing

  The Managing Director now feels that he can better manage his company and its activity without being overbearing.

• Paper registers retired

  Paper registers are no longer pinned to the office walls, and Company employees can have remote access, when and where they need their data.

Since the implementation of TrackVia, the Managing Director is confident his company is functioning at its highest capacity yet and looks forward to a long relationship with TrackVia.