How to create the Use Case Anomalies Creation ?

How to facilitate the management of anomalies?

The use of paper forms represents an obstacle for the management of anomalies. The Ermeo tool allows you to easily identify these anomalies but also to follow them until they are resolved.

Ermeo also facilitates the visualization and monitoring of this data, using BI tools. Our tool will allow you to follow anomalies by classifying them in databases while allowing your operators to declare or modify these same anomalies from the field.

What is Anomaly Management?

An anomaly is a singularity that can be attached to an asset. This anomaly could be an asset defect, a broken tool or a comment indicating a failure or any form of non-compliance.

The goal is to be able to quickly declare these anomalies but also to follow them over time in order to decide on corrective actions.

How to set up the creation of anomalies on Ermeo?

In this article, we will only show you the method to use to declare an anomaly. 

The main stages are as follows:

1. Have an existing database listing one or more types of equipment.

2. Create an Anomalies database to list all the anomalies declared.

The anomalies declared in this database will have as parent resource, a resource from the first database.

3. Practical case: Create a form allowing to declare anomalies

Our example: Below, we will see the steps for declaring anomalies, for an employee inspecting buildings. The buildings inspected contain fire extinguishers, fire alarm boxes and BAES (Autonomous Safety Lighting Unit). It is essential that these objects function correctly.

Step 1: Have an existing database to identify resources to be inspected

In this step, a database must be created to identify all the resources mentioned above (BAES, fire alarms, extinguishers, etc.).

Depending on your use case, the content of this database will be different. As you wish, you can identify site asset, motorway areas, wind turbines, rails or even hydraulic pumps.

In our example, we have created a database named "Building Resources". This database will contain all the resources to be inspected.

Each resource is defined by its type, state and date of commissioning. These data will therefore be attributes. You can add other attributes if you want.

Ermeo gives you the possibility to create resources in bulk in a database using imports.

The import file used to create the resources for our example is attached to this article.

Your database will therefore be made up of different resources. Here is the end result in our case. :

Step 2: Create an Anomalies database

In this step, we will create a new database named "Anomalies". This database will be described by the attributes:

• Criticality (Multiple Choice)
• Creation date of the Anomaly (Date)
• Description of the Anomaly (Long Text)
• Photo of the anomaly (Photo)
• Anomaly Status (Multiple Choices)

Each anomaly declared will therefore be described by a creation date, a description, a status, a photo and a criticality.

Here is the result obtained:

Step 3: Creation of the form used to report anomalies

In this step, we will create a new form allowing field operators to declare and describe anomalies on inspected assets.

The created form will allow you to perform the following steps:

• The operator starts the job from the resource on which he is working.
• He performs the various readings requested
• Depending on the readings, it may be asked to report an anomaly.
• When the jobs closes, the anomaly is automatically reported in the databases and associated with the right asset.

At the form level, the operator will select a resource as the main resource for the intervention.

Subsequently, he will declare an anomaly in his intervention. The declared anomaly will automatically have as its parent the asset chosen at the start of the intervention.

Caution: When an asset is chosen at the start of the job as the main asset of the intervention, any other resource created within the job(using the Creation widget) will have by default, for parent, the main asset chosen at the start of the intervention.

Here are the different sub-steps for setting up this third step:

0. Create a new form named "Anomaly declarations"

1. Before starting the job from the application, the operator will choose the asset to be inspected. This resource will be present in the "Building Resources" database

2. In the editing studio, drag and drop a Creation widget.

2.1 In the parameters of the Creation widget, choose the Anomalies database.

3. Within the Creation widget, drag and drop a Text widget. Name this brick "Description of the declared anomaly".

3.1 Link this brick with the attribute "Description of the anomaly"

4. Within the Creation widget, drag and drop a Date widget. Name this widget "Date of the anomaly".

4.1 Link this widget with the attribute "Date of creation of the anomaly"

4.2 Check the "Today's date" option. By default, today's date will be entered.

5. Still, within the Creation widget, drag and drop a Multiple Choice widget. Name this widget "Status of the anomaly".

5.1 Link this widget with the attribute "Status of the anomaly".

6. Publish the form

7. You can launch the form from the webapp or from the mobile application.

8. Choose the asset on which you want to declare anomalies. Then declare the anomaly by filling in the various information.

9. End the intervention and return to the web platform. The declared anomaly is now visible in your Anomalies database! The parent of the anomaly is then the asset selected at the start of the job.

It is also possible to custom the name of the anomalies created

Conclusion: After creating anomalies, you can track the processing of those anomalies and update them directly from the field using anomaly tracking.