Common use cases for EAM mobile solutions

In some organisations, when starting a mobile project, the stakeholders may not have prior experience with mobility solutions for EAM, as such, we are sometimes asked to implement features that do not add value to the business. As consultants, it is satisfying to see something we implement being used and helps the end-users on the field. And nothing can be more frustrating than spending time building features that are not going to be used. In this post, I will list out based on my experience some commonly used and not used functions of a mobile app:

Work Execution: despite its name is Asset Management software, 80% of activities in Maximo happen around the work management process. It is not a surprise work execution is the number one use-case for a mobile app. However, work management is a big process with several major stages and many different activities. Only certain activities need to be recorded in the field with a mobile device. Below are some common ones:

A case for EzMaxMobile

I spend a large portion of my time working with mobile solutions, but I haven’t talked much on this topic. In this post, I will give a bit of praise to EzMaxMobile.

Why should you listen to me: I know a bit about mobile solutions for Maximo. I’ve done several (failed) pilots with the Maximo mobile suite (of the olden days). I’ve built a mobile app which is pretty successful and is being used by some large Oil & Gas operators. I have a bit of experience on a few small Anywhere projects, with Datasplice, and a few smaller home-grown apps.

Why shouldn’t you listen to me: the settings and the level of my involvement for each of the above projects/deployments are vastly different, as such, my opinion on this matter is heavily biased (toward EzMaxMobile).

Process Inbound Twilio SMS message in Maximo

In the last post, I uploaded some demos on how we can process inbound text messages to create SR and route Workflow. There are a few people on LinkedIn asked me how to do it. I also like to explore the option of integrating Maximo with Twilio directly without the need for App Connect. With Maximo 7.6, we can create a simple API using automation script. So, the video below is how we can create a simple script API and direct Twilio HTTP requests to Maximo:

SMS Notification for Maximo using Twilio

Every once in a while, someone would ask me if we can configure Maximo to send notification via text messages? With Maximo, the answer to such questions is always Yes. However, with this one, it will cost some money, very cheap though.

Since it is not free, I would say for most Maximo notification scenarios, the user would be ok with email notification which is free. However, there are certain scenarios where SMS notification can add value such as:

• Notify a field worker when a new high priority Work Order is assigned to him/her
• Notify an asset owner when the asset deviates from normal operating parameter range or when downtime is reported
• Notify Maximo admin when there are repeated login attempts from an uncommon IP address or when there is a major problem tracked by Escalation app.

Barcode/RFID Scanning for Maximo Everyplace

I’m in love with Maximo Everyplace. It is so simple and easy to use. And guess what, it is totally free now with Maximo 7.6.

Recently I worked with a client and while the team still discussing various options for mobility solutions, I quickly duplicated and produced an Everyplace mobile app on Test environment and demonstrate a smooth workflow with barcode scanning on my iPhone, all done within 15 minutes. I understand there are certain reasons for choosing a more complex online/offline, even native app solutions. However, since everyplace is so easy and cheap to implement, so why not have it as a backup solution just in case the more complex one doesn’t work. If you have experienced the use of such offline, installed app solution, you will know what I’m talking about. Things like app crashes or hang are quite common. Those things are usually quite difficult to support as the programmers, who for 99% of the time are present not onsite and do not have access to log files to see what happened to investigate and provide timely bug fix. In this case, for the end-users it is extremely frustrating as they cannot proceed with their work.

RFID/Barcode and Integrated Mobile Solutions for Maximo

      I had to look at RFID/Barcode options for Maximo mobility solution recently. Although these technologies have been around for decades and have become a commodity, when integrating with other systems like Maximo Anywhere or Everyplace, there are certain problems that we have to deal with. In this post, I’ll discuss a few concerns related to this topic, hopefully it helps Maximo consultants to save some time when considering the solution. These are just a brain dump of different things related to the topic that I have in mind. Thus, you can read them at any order or only look that the part that you are most interested in.

• Barcode vs QR code: When it comes to barcode reading, many people think that they can simply use the built-in camera of the phone or tablet to read barcode, as seen in many product comparing apps. However, in industrial setting, one should consider various extreme conditions that field workers have to work in. For example, in construction or in oil & gas, working at night is common. In such case, the camera doesn’t do well in reading barcode. In some of our tests, under pretty good ambient light, reading barcode takes up to 3-5 seconds while QR code reads almost instantly.

Demo eLogBook mobile application

A quick demo for Avenue eLogBook mobile application on an ECOM Smart-Ex device. The video is delivered in Vietnamese and I've added caption in English for the English speaker audience.

Filling a Check List with a soaked Smart-Ex 01

In order to ensure that our new version of eInspector application works under extreme conditions, we've tested filling forms under harsh sunlight at noon when outside temperature is 40 degree Celsius. After the test, we've adjusted the UI design to make it more readable.

In the video below, I just want to test the app myself with a soaked ECOM Smart-Ex to gain the confident that the app will be working fine when field operators have to record Log sheet under light or heavy rain condition.

Notification of new Inbox Assignment on mobile using Google Firebase

One of the great ways to reduce the time to review and route a workflow assignment is to setup email notification to inform the users of a new assignment. Some of my clients even want us to provide a more direct, immediate notification on mobile device. This can be done easily (but can be costly) by using a SMS gateway which is a service usually provided by a telecom provider. To use it, you subscribe to a SMS gateway and setup Maximo so that every time you like to inform a user on new assignment, Maximo will sent an email with a predefined format to the gateway. The SMS gateway will send a text message to the user’s mobile phone to inform him/her of the new inbox assignment.

With Push Notification, you can achieve the same result without having to pay a lot of money for SMS gateway service. Apple, Google, Amazon are some of the companies out there which provide a totally free or super cheap Push Notification service.