Enterprises that operate in the field implement systems such as SAP Mobile Plant Maintenance with the understanding that it will manage all their plant maintenance needs effectively. In reality, SAP Mobile Plant Maintenance addresses only half the plant maintenance field workers’ requirements, as it does not support document transfer.
Without full and instant access to various documents that support the field work, work order operations cannot and do not operate at full efficiency and effectiveness.
Field workers need access to templates and reference documents that are associated with the work order operation they are working on. They need required documents requested from the corporate repository to be sent to their mobile devices almost immediately. The ability to edit documents, such as risk assessments and customer surveys, also forms a critical aspect of their work. Current practices use disconnected systems, such as e-mail, to move documents between field workers and the office. This takes time and can often be subjected to delays, making it an ineffective practice at times.
Imagine being able to send and receive documents while in the field in real-time and without delay. Imagine having the ability to prove that work was carried out by attaching before and after photos to a work order. Imagine being able to upload any and all types of documents to a corporate repository with associated SAP and GIS metadata, have them stored in the repository and automatically linked to the SAP work order for instant access.
Currently such features are not available out of box inside SAP PM and you have to go for custom implementations to achieve such operational productivity enhancements. Such features are not complex to implement and can be integrated within existing solutions in a short span of time.
