photochamp
Beta member
- Messages
- 2
- Location
- Liberty Hill, Texas
All,
I'm in need of some help developing a new system for my company and I'm not really sure where to start. I'm not an IT guy, so you'll have to be patient with my lack of expertise and improper use of terminology....oh, and sorry if this is in the wrong forum.
My company provides construction and energy consulting/inspection services to homebuilders, commercial general contractors, municipal city governments and the military for on-base housing and general facility energy management.
We want to develop a web-based utility where our entire operation can look something like this:
- Inspectors carry a portable device such as a pocket pc or tablet to build their inspection reports which can be printed on-site (from their truck) when the inspection is completed. We currently use either an editable pdf or a triplicate paper form...which is bush league IMO.
- Inspections are then logged in real-time on server when inspection is completed. I would anticipate the inspection software/reports to be on the server.
- Office manager and clients have real-time access to inspection reports as they are completed through a client portal w/ protected login, of course. They can print inspection reports from this view.
- Inspection data can be pulled up in a variety of ways for client (this is not our top priority for now). For example, ABC Homes wants to compare the number of failed inspections of one HVAC contractor vs. another. Or maybe the Construction Mgr. of XYZ Homes wants to see how many correction items one superintendent is having on his building finals vs. another super for making personnel decisions. You get the idea...data management.
- Eventually, this can all tie in to our accounting and scheduling systems (again, not our most pressing need at the moment).
We are currently using a web-based database system (WebEx Office) to handle all of our scheduling which can be 50-70 inspections/day. It has worked very well and has us really exploring the possibilities of a true paperless office.
Anyhow, I don't even know where to begin or who to talk to. I also don't have a clue what qualifications I should be looking for this type of developer.
I know they're all around me (I live in the Austin, TX area), but I need some help with a general direction to head.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Donnie
I'm in need of some help developing a new system for my company and I'm not really sure where to start. I'm not an IT guy, so you'll have to be patient with my lack of expertise and improper use of terminology....oh, and sorry if this is in the wrong forum.
My company provides construction and energy consulting/inspection services to homebuilders, commercial general contractors, municipal city governments and the military for on-base housing and general facility energy management.
We want to develop a web-based utility where our entire operation can look something like this:
- Inspectors carry a portable device such as a pocket pc or tablet to build their inspection reports which can be printed on-site (from their truck) when the inspection is completed. We currently use either an editable pdf or a triplicate paper form...which is bush league IMO.
- Inspections are then logged in real-time on server when inspection is completed. I would anticipate the inspection software/reports to be on the server.
- Office manager and clients have real-time access to inspection reports as they are completed through a client portal w/ protected login, of course. They can print inspection reports from this view.
- Inspection data can be pulled up in a variety of ways for client (this is not our top priority for now). For example, ABC Homes wants to compare the number of failed inspections of one HVAC contractor vs. another. Or maybe the Construction Mgr. of XYZ Homes wants to see how many correction items one superintendent is having on his building finals vs. another super for making personnel decisions. You get the idea...data management.
- Eventually, this can all tie in to our accounting and scheduling systems (again, not our most pressing need at the moment).
We are currently using a web-based database system (WebEx Office) to handle all of our scheduling which can be 50-70 inspections/day. It has worked very well and has us really exploring the possibilities of a true paperless office.
Anyhow, I don't even know where to begin or who to talk to. I also don't have a clue what qualifications I should be looking for this type of developer.
I know they're all around me (I live in the Austin, TX area), but I need some help with a general direction to head.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Donnie
