The long transaction and work management integration
User Friendlv
The LT functionality should be user friendly to the point of the user being unaware that he is using it. This is
possible when the LT is a integral part of the production database and the fi.mctionsof the LT are business driven not
LT process or technology driven. The business needs must drive the LT process. If the LT functionality introduces
more work or complicates work, it risks being ignored or circumvented.
Business Drivers for GIS work management (wMS) integration
There are many business drivers that make GIS / WMS integration very attractive. These systems have several
relationship points that blur the line between them. A close integration exploits this. After all, maintenance of the
GIS data is work that must be managed. This work also represents the operations work that is the focus of WMS.
For example; the addition of a new customer requires work which must be managed. This work includes at least the
following:
Assuming that there is strong WMS / GIS integration the flow might look something like this diagram.
It can be seen by the large number of common interaction points that the WMS is often involved in the same tasks as
GIS. Providing a close integration adds value to data in both systems. It also allows for a reduction in duplicative
data entry. A strong integration also provides for a less fragmented workflow. Users need to move from one
system to another less frequently as work progress through the system. Users and management can follow a work
packages through the business process as one system updates the status of a job in the other through the integration.
GIS Data Model Maintenance
From the GIS prospective the easiest advantage to understand of GIS / WMS integration is data maintenance.
Design work can be performed on the GIS. Updates to the data model are captured within a LT. This allows model
changes to be captured at the very front end of the business process. A closely integrated WMS then produces a
work package with material list and estimate as the user completes the design in the GIS. This allows the design,
construction drawing, work estimate, and material list to be developed in one integrated process.
The LT is the component that makes this a possibility. Without the LT, the data would need to be updated at the end
of the process after the work was completed in the field in order to preserve the production data. With the LT,
model changes can be captured at any time during the business process that makes business sense.
Elimination of Data Entry Duplication
Duplication of data entry is a problem that kills efficiency. Often different user groups develop systems with little
attention to how they could or should interact. The systems are developed on incompatible platforms and software
without understanding the effect this had on productivity. At our company in the past it is not uncommon to print
reports from one system and then type the information back into the next.
The development of WMSSthat integrated the functionality of many of these incompatible systems into one
comprehensive system was a huge step towards the elimination of duplicate data entry. The ease with which these
systems can then be interfaced to other related systems like Materials and Plant Accounting continues the process.
The integration with a GIS, which may not be as simple, can affect much more data. The data that GIS needs to
remain current is the same data that is required by a WMS to estimate and then manage work.
Data Access
Integrated WMS and GIS facilitate data access. Data managed within systems that reside on different platforms and
without common keys, are greatly reduced in value due to their inaccessibility. Users can’t find the information and
mangers can not easily analyze and understand it. With integrated WMS and GIS it becomes an exercise in report
writing to understand the systems being modeled and the work that changes them. Users who need to find the status
of work can go to one interface. The accessibility of this large body of data greatly increases its value.
Increased Linearitv in the Work Flow
When all systems that are required to complete work are integrated, work is completed in a much more linear
fashion. Users can complete each task in the work process without the need to access different systems on different
platforms. It is no longer necessary to do work on one system then report or track the same work on a different
system.
