FM Conway - Going the Extra Mile

Chapter 7 Building for the Future

What really pleased me, however, was not that we had met the basic requirements of specification, date, etc. – I expected no less – but that we had gone beyond that, and introduced some really useful innovation. An example of this is the iPad app that our LoHAC operatives are now making use of, and that we will roll out to the rest of our gangs in the near future. The gangs like the app for a number of reasons, not least because it’s delivered to them on an iPad, which is much easier to use than most other mobile devices. With the new iPad app, when a gang turns up on site, the first thing they do is take their ‘before’ photo on the iPad, and send it back to the office. This logs them on and triggers several responses. It triggers the permit from TfL, which allows them to start work, and also informs TfL where the gang is and when they started the job. (The photo and the date/time stamp are also very useful for insurance purposes, in case of any later claims.) It also triggers the invoicing system, so that the duration of the job and the amount of materials used are automatically fed back both to us and to TfL simultaneously. Logging on through the iPad also prompts our offices to send out, electronically, the ‘paperwork’ that goes with each job. And there can be a lot of this: Health & Safety documentation, details of the works to be done, and the Stat Packs (Statutory Undertaking packs which show where the utility services – gas, electricity, water, etc. – are located under the ground.) Having all of this on the iPad, rather than on a number of pieces of paper that could easily be mislaid, saves everyone a great deal of time and bother.

The iPad app for i-CON was first used by our LoHAC operatives, but it will soon be rolled out across all our gangs.

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