July 28, 2022

Ask MAPCON - August 2022

Once again, Mapcon presents questions from our valued customers that are answered by a member of our staff, eager to be of assistance.

Q: How is MAPCON controlled and organized in a large and complex environment?

A: MAPCON is a large system. As a user, you may have great amounts of data to organize and navigate. To keep this from being unwieldy, MAPCON is based on the following principles.

• Users should see only the data that they want and need to see.

• Users should see only the menu items that they want and need to see.

• Users should be able to only execute procedures that they have the right to execute.

• Organizations should be able to tailor the system to fit the needs of the organization—to turn functionality on or off to suit the needs of the organization

Streamlining the system and making it easy to navigate has enormous potential for an immediate return on investment. Contact your MAPCON Support Representative today to assist with any of these organizational goals. 800-223-4791Email your inquiries to the MAPCON TEAM.

Q: How does the work order aid workers and managers in the performance of their jobs?

A: Workers need many things to do their jobs.

1. They need to know what problem is to be solved—what task/s need to be accomplished.

2. They need to know which piece of equipment or location is to be worked on.

3. They need to know the job steps to follow when doing the work and the safety procedures to follow to do the job safely.

4. They will need to know what other resources, such as inventory parts, are needed to accomplish the task.

5. In addition, they may need to know who requested the work or who approved it.

The work order provides all of this information and more to the worker in one document.

For the manager, the work order and the process that builds the work order are even more important. If used properly, the work order and the work order system can be the manager’s most important tool for communicating with workers—

—for tracking what needs to be done and verifying it has been done.

—for organizing work.

—for determining the costs of the work that has been done.

If used consistently, the manager can compare estimated costs versus actual costs and improve the estimation of resources needed. If used in conjunction with Preventive Maintenance, the manager can increase the amount of planned work and reduce the amount of unplanned work. Rather than sitting idle at times and working frantically at others, workers should be able to work at a more even pace as unforeseen breakdowns decrease.

Do you have any questions you'd like to see featured in future Q&A posts? Email your inquiries to the MAPCON TEAM.