Refactoring the mobile SPM environment
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SPM
Internal project "Refactoring the mobile SPM environment", performed by the team "RIGHTSTEP Front-End" – "at the finish line", according to the SPM roadmap 3. x.
The mobile interface allows you to maximize the efficiency of access to the system for receiving and entering information "in real time", through the use of portable computers and smartphones, as well as stationary shop information kiosks.
First of all, it increases efficiency:
a) foremen, foremen, and PDB dispatchers — when monitoring and recording the progress of production at the place of work;
b) OTC employees — - when accepting works, performing input and output control operations;
c) warehouse employees, pickers — to work with goods directly at the place of their storage/movement;
d) managers of production, MTO, warehouse management, - for on-line monitoring of the plan / fact in any place, search, making operational decisions.
For flexible definition of user roles, functions are defined in the form of "scripts", from which the working environment of the mobile interface for each role is formed (by administrative tools).
Sample scenarios: "Create a document of the movement of goods on the WK", "Show the stock of the batch of goods on the WK", "Create a WK label of the storage address", "View the daily plan", etc.
Architectural features and improvements
The mobile interface of the SPM allows you to use any portable devices (tablets, smartphones), as well as stationary shop (secure) information kiosks. Technologically, this is the same single universal SPM platform, with a distinction between a thin browser client and business logic submitted to the application server.
Among the improvements made during the "refactoring", we note the following.
1. Sensors and ergonomics. It is clear that mobile devices are focused on working with touch displays. During the project, we modified all the "widgets" and controls, and developed additional ones. The main task is the convenience of touch use (dimensions, response to "clicks", data entry, etc.). We also laid down at the system level such a progressive feature as responding to user gestures. In the future, we think we'll get to voice input and control.
2. Adaptability of the interface. The configuration of on-screen forms made for mobile usage modes is automatically "picked up" by the SPM when the user starts working on a portable device. At the same time, the interfaces are adaptive: the location of screen elements is automatically optimized for the form factor of a particular device, as well as for its "direction" (changing the horizontal/vertical position of the smartphone/tablet).
3. Filtering and searching. Also, these features have been significantly improved in the mobile interface. First of all, in terms of speed: ease of entering and applying search values with a minimum number of "clicks", filtering by any fields of table forms.
4. Notifications. This service is not only now included in the mobile version, but also qualitatively redesigned. It is also intended for subsequent releases and additional serious development of the service (setting up message templates, categorizing them, ranking them, etc.).
5. Using the camera. We have already mentioned the advanced use of the device's camera to respond to gestures, but this is still "exotic"for many. But using the camera to work with barcodes, without the need to connect / embed special optical / laser sensors – a very useful "acquisition" of the mobile version. This is now possible for both linear and QR codes. In other words, "Digital input via the WK" is now available even for "ordinary" smartphones.
Release dates
In addition to reworking the mechanisms and system objects themselves, as part of the "refactoring" project, we also introduced more active use of case tools into our practice, for quick development of clickable prototypes экранных форм, поэтому формирование базовых и дополнительных сценариев мобильных интерфейсов – серьезно ускорилось. Сроки начала поставки релизов СПМ с описанными усовершенствованиями – уже в ближайшее время!
1. In the standard distribution version of SPM, a new implementation of mobile interfaces is scheduled for release in the 2nd quarter of this year, as part of the next comprehensive release of version 3.5.x.
2. In the configuration SPM Start New mobile scenarios should also start coming out soon, in Q3.