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How small digital steps are making big differences in project execution
We hear a lot of buzz now-a-days for ongoing digital revolution. Smartphones and almost free internet, has given the oxygen for this spark in addition.
We do not worry now a days for travels, cash payments, grocery purchase, bill payments, banking etc. All things are available through hand held mobile devices. They are in the form of smart apps, web portals, websites and many more.
Things are becoming more available and comfort level of common man has increased.
Now we do not wait for morning newspaper to drop at our balcony, we have news apps to open our eyes towards what happening around and all around us.
We do not whistle now for an Auto near society gate for going to office or market. We have Ola/Uber/etc. available just on a click away.
We do not stand in que to pay bills, we have all utilities tied up with app payment gateways.
We do not hustle to go or call for dinner on a lazy Sunday evening, we have tons of food delivery app, to get hot food delivered just at door step.
We do not fight now for remote, we have live TV apps to enjoy our tastes separately.
In short digitalization has made life fast and easy. Being a project professional, in this fast-moving scenario, somewhere, I also felt to add a little touch of digitalization in day to day needs of project execution.
In this article, I am exhibiting these small initiatives, which have been implemented to ease out routine work in a project execution.
This is an Android app with online database in background.
In a Power plant, electrical power distribution in done with HT/LT switchgears/distribution boards/panels tec. In a typical thermal power project, there are around 150+ switchgears/DBs/Panel. And each Switchgear/panel DB have 50+ various feeders in them.
Identifying a feeder of a random load in this vast ocean is not an easy task.
In erection-commissioning phase of a power plant, details of various load feeding point is utmost required at every now and then. A lot of activities are carried out simultaneously at project sites and a package in charge cannot reach out everywhere.
With the help of this app, feeding point of any load is available on just a touch away in mobile.
Now your electricians will not disturb you every now and then to ask you feeder details for cable termination, feeder isolation, and switching on a load. The information is available without requiring drawings, excel sheets or pdf files in mobiles.
If any feeder is newly assigned/changed/modified at site, the information is updated in database and up-to-date feeder detail is available on finger tips, without requiring mark-up drawings or hand-written notes.
Searching right type and rating of feeder for reshuffling was never too easy without this app at this large case of project.
This app is extensively used at Chhabra site by electrical Engineers, supervisors, and electricians.
2) Digital Technical diary:
Referring to technical data of equipment is required every now and then for erection/commissioning/planning/monitoring purpose at site. Storing all pdf files for datasheets, drawings, and manuals in mobile is the easiest way to get data handy. But how much data you can store, and even searching these files in mobile, when required at site is not easy at all.
The same data is now available in systematic arranged manner in the form of an Android mobile App. You can navigate to minute detail of various package/equipment easily. After a year or two, when we are in other projects, referring to past project technical detail becomes easy with this app.
Equipment Serial Numbers, ratings, quantity and more technical details are handy now.
A weekly test was started at site by me, to enhance technical knowledge of our electricians, helpers at site. A test paper with 10 questions every week with objective answers was presented and at the end of test paper, explanation of each answer was given.
However, gathering electricians from routine work every week was not feasible. Hence the same initiative was converted in mobile App. You can get the app Here: Link
Sharing knowledge has been made easy with this weekly updating App of Quiz. Questions from day to Day project activities are presented and explained through this app.
This has enhanced technical knowhow of electrician / technicians / supervisors and feel of getting involved in process.
The App is available on Play stores and is updated regularly.
Store Management and getting information in stores in such a large scale project is really a tough job to handle.
The aim of this under development portal cum webApp is to make material management at site handy and easy.
Material issue vouchers (MIVs) are generally being created hand written formats. With this, we either need to keep record of material stock vs consumption in excel files or in discrete hard copy files. But this becomes un-controlled in such projects where large quantum of material is handled daily from in and out of stores.
The portal will enable the package managers to create digital MIVs through the portal.
Only defined package Engineer/Managers will be able to login and make online MIVs. They will only be able to make MIVs of their scope of material from the stores. As the MIVs will be generated within the portal online, the paper work will be reduced. Material stock availability will be automatically updated as soon as the material is issued from the stores.
This will put control on material being issuing randomly, will have as on time stock available on the mobile to enable advance purchase action.
Material reconciliation reports will now be generated from the system as and when required, as all the data will be on a single portal. This can be implemented from the beginning of a new upcoming project.
Managing food mess at sites, is also very challenging task. Presently hard coupon system is implemented at most of the sites. With this mobile app,
following things will be made digital:
1) Food being served on the particular day will be available on app daily
2) You can opt out for taking food on the day, if you are not in sync with the food on that day, or are out of station etc. With this advance information will be available with cook that how many persons will be having meals. This will enable controlling food waste.
3) Online Account will have records of meals/breakfast and payment in bulk will be easy.
4) With online app, all the mess account data can be transparent to members
5) Feedback and suggestion from members will improve and control food quality.
In one of my Articles, I have explored
homemade CCTV arrangement with the help of old smartphone and internet connectivity.
This has now been well incorporated at Chhabra site by customer. For a trial basis, customer has installed one such self-made CCTV setup for Switchyard control room monitoring on mobile, on the go.
This can be more explored and all switchgear rooms, pump houses and entry exits can be monitored on mobiles, being anywhere, in or out of plant.
These are small steps being taken, and many more ideas can be transformed into digital portals to make routine processes easy.
Thank you for reading.
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From
Samarpan
