Automated Workflow System for Engineering Work Order Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual process of creating, assigning, and managing engineering work orders in telecommunication and utility companies is labor-intensive and inefficient, lacking automation for job assignment and tracking, which leads to increased costs and data management challenges.
Innovation Solution
An automated workflow system that receives job data, assigns tasks to users based on business rules, tracks job progress, and includes a messaging system for forwarding jobs, a job-tracking tool for quality assurance, and an engineering work order system for geographic and financial database management, eliminating manual processes and enhancing data analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual processes are used for creating, assigning and managing EWOs, then flexibility and control are maintained, but labor intensity and costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service automation where the workflow management system automatically assigns jobs to posters, tracks progress, and routes work orders without requiring manual intervention at each step. The system serves itself by using predefined business rules and algorithms to make assignment decisions, eliminating the need for manual folder routing and paper-based tracking while maintaining operational control.
2Loss of time
If manual assignment and physical routing of jobs is used, then job tracking is simple, but time consumption and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual paper-based job assignment and physical folder routing with an automated electronic workflow management system. The system uses software algorithms, database queries, and electronic messaging to substitute the manual mechanical actions of printing, folding, routing, and tracking physical job folders, thereby reducing time consumption while managing system complexity through standardized processes.
3Loss of substance
If paper-based job folders are used for each EWO, then job information is easily accessible, but material costs and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates and manages electronic copies of job information in a centralized database, replacing physical paper folders. The electronic copy system allows multiple users to access the same job data simultaneously through the network, eliminating the need for physical paper copies while ensuring information accessibility. The workflow management system maintains electronic replicas of all job-related information that can be retrieved and viewed by authorized personnel.
4Productivity
If manual determination of next job is used, then assignment decisions are flexible, but productivity and consistency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow management system implements feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor job status, poster availability, and workload distribution. The system uses this feedback information to dynamically adjust job assignments in real-time, maintaining flexibility while improving productivity. The feedback loop allows the system to adapt to changing conditions such as poster availability, job priority changes, and completion status, making assignment decisions based on current system state rather than static manual processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are systems and methods for automating workflow of assigning jobs and tracking the process. The exemplary method comprises receiving job data for a plurality of jobs, assigning a current job to one of a plurality of users based on a business rule, sending the current job to the one of the users, and receiving further data for the current job. Additional exemplary methods comprise marking the current job complete when the further data is an indication that the job has been successfully completed. Further exemplary methods comprise sending the current job to a problem resolver when the further data is an indication that the job includes a problem. The exemplary system comprises a job tracking tool receiving job data for a plurality of jobs and assigning a current job to one of a plurality of users based on a business rule, a messaging system receiving the current job from the job tracking tool and forwarding the job to the user; and a work order system receiving the job via the messaging system if the user determines that the job data for the job is correct.