Real-time data is being harnessed by Australian utilities to bolster decision-making processes, response times and workforce deployment thanks to the development of an intuitive web-based dashboard.
Mechanical, electrical and civil maintenance contractor Programmed teamed up with City West Water to pilot a newly developed ‘first-time fix’ approach to operations and maintenance.
“First-time fix is simply a measure used to determine the proportion of issues that are resolved on the first visit by a responder – usually a single operator,” Contract Manager Julian Kinder said.
“There are three basic requirements you need to get right to achieve top first-time fix: the right maintenance technician, the right plant and equipment and the right information. Without all of these things in place, you’re highly unlikely to get a successful outcome.”
The dashboard allows the utility’s teams to view work requests and available contractors instantly, as well as viewing overdue work and measuring time-on-site efficiency.
With an average of 100 jobs logged everyday, City West Water has been able to reduce backlog as a result of having access to all the information required within the streamlined dashboard.
“Programmed has used BI technology to manage field crews and ensure the right crew is dispatched to the right job,” Kinder said.
“This technology has improved our volume of work from medium to high performance. We have seen an improvement in our performance measures and improved our overall customer response times better than set industry standards.”
The ‘first-time fix’ approach is also being utilised at Barwon Water and the Perth Region Alliance.