The CWMS And The Work Management Process

The work management process is one of the oldest unchanged processes that is associated with almost every industry in the world today. Some industries have been very formal in conducting work using a very detailed documented process on one end of the scale as compared to companies on the other end of the scale as that conduct the work management process verbally and with little or no documentation. The basic work management process is shown in Figure 4.1 below and was discussed in detail in Chapter 2.

Figure 4.1: The Work Management Process.

The CWMS is basically the software that enables execution of the work management process together with the associated business process of materials management. Materials management is tightly coupled to the work management process, because most jobs require the use of materials and/or services in order to get it done. Materials could either be from inventory or purchased from a vendor. Similarly, all services have to be purchased either from an external vendor or from an internal vendor (e.g., a machine shop). Interpretation of what constitutes work would also dictate how elaborate is the functionality that may be required. For example, if work includes capital projects then there should be a functionality that covers the unique requirement this area. All of these core modules work together through the Workflow module. This module essentially provides for the checks, controls and approvals necessary for effective work management. The following discussion takes the...