CREWTRACKS CASE STUDY

The Results Speak For Themselves.

CrewTracks

CrewTracks is a set of web and mobile apps (and backend) that were built for our client, CrewTracks, to serve construction companies. The apps were built to allow construction companies to manage their field crews that do construction and maintenance, especially for mid-size and larger construction companies. Guru Technologies built both the mobile apps for iOS (in Swift for iPad and iPhone) and Android (in Kotlin for phone and tablet), as well as the admin web application, and all the cloud databases and infrastructure for handling multi-tenant in one system, with high security, scalability and redundancy requirements.

The Problem Space

Crewtracks is meant to serve a space where most data management and detail organization has been done on paper. Furthermore, most of the critical functions of the construction industry happen “in the field”, far away from a computer and in the midst of dirt and movement, sometimes in very rural areas with no Internet infrastructure. Office administrators often struggle to get timesheets and other paperwork from the field crews in a timely manner. Crewtracks helps facilitate real-time communication between the field and the office so that construction companies can run their payroll and accounting accurately and manage their projects proactively.

In order to meet these complex needs for CrewTracks, we needed to manage complex data structures and relationships, and represent these relationships to the user in a straightforward and easy to use interface. Additionally, we needed the mobile application to be fully functional offline for shared data, and seamlessly integrate the data when it comes back online. We also needed to handle the transition from a document and paper based information management system to a software management system.

Recognizing the ongoing reliance on paper-based processes in construction, we engineered a sophisticated document management system within CrewTracks. This system includes a complex data structure linking resources to their respective documents, coupled with a versatile document editor accessible across all platforms, iOS, Android, and web.

Our system allows for users to add annotations to documents or fill out custom forms, which could happen multiple times per day on multiple devices or systems (including the same document).

Instead of creating a copy of a PDF file for each time it’s filled out or otherwise modified, we were able to save a significant amount of storage and bandwidth by saving the form data and annotations separately in a JSON format. This JSON is run through our synchronization system, which also allows for real-time collaboration, and even enables multiple offline users to edit the same document at the same time and get automatic conflict resolution where needed.

Development Process

At Guru Technologies, our team maintains continuous communication with the CrewTracks product, sales, marketing, and finance teams to deeply understand and address the needs of their clients, the construction companies. We maintain a cycle of identifying the needs of construction companies in various sub-industries, and gathering feedback from them as we design and implement solutions. Our approach of identifying needs, designing, and implementing solutions was underpinned by this consistent and collaborative communication stream.

We used agile methods to make our work for CrewTracks more effective. This meant breaking down the project into smaller parts, which allowed us to be more flexible and quickly adapt to any new needs. This approach was key in developing features like document management and using GPS tracking in the app. It helped us regularly check and improve our goals and what we delivered, ensuring CrewTracks was practical and up-to-date with what construction companies need. The agile approach also made it easier to handle complex tasks, like managing custom data and creating custom forms, making sure our solutions were both creative and useful.

Key Components & Features

Synchronizer (Online & Offline Capabilities)

In our mission to replace paper timesheets and other paperwork with real-time data entry, we encountered a couple of challenges: one, multiple users may be working on the same report at the same time, and two, some users may not have Internet access at their job sites. To solve these issues we designed a robust data synchronization system, including full support for offline work and a conflict resolution system that can resolve incompatibilities between different users’ input without requiring their intervention. We designed the mobile apps to automatically sync data with the server as soon as the device has an internet connection, even if the app is in the background, so that the mobile app users don’t have to remember to submit their data after leaving the jobsite and returning to an area with WiFi or cellular coverage.

The app is also built to function offline for an extended period, store and forward changes, and deal with changes coming from other offline users, as well as providing smart conflict resolution once all devices are back in sync and online, including changes from multiple sources on the same dataset.

This includes both many different kinds of data, such as standard data changes, documents, BLOB data, images, JSON data, etc. Change objects are created with point-in-time vector data in order to help the device synchronize properly when back online.

Document Management System

Our system allows for users to add annotations to documents or fill out custom forms, which could happen multiple times per day on multiple devices or systems (including the same document).

Timeclock

To address the distinct needs of different kinds of CrewTracks users, our team crafted various user interfaces with tailored complexity levels. For the Time Clock feature, we designed a straightforward and user-friendly interface for employees, ensuring ease of use for essential time-tracking functions. In contrast, the UI for administrators and Crew Leads, and Foremen was more comprehensive, offering advanced functionalities and detailed controls to manage and oversee timekeeping effectively. Throughout this process, our UI designs adhered to the CrewTracks theme and were developed through an iterative feedback loop with the product development team, ensuring they met both the simple requirements of employees and the intricate needs of administrative staff.

Production

Electronic Signatures

There is a sophisticated system to allow for signatures from field crews for confirming daily timecards, reporting on any injuries, and signing off on any necessary disclosures. These can be customized based on the needs of the companies. Custom forms can also be created with signature fields that can be added anywhere needed on given documents.

GPS Features

In order to help companies prevent time clock fraud, we implemented GPS tracking features to verify that users are at the job site when they clock in or out. We also made it so that when mobile app users take pictures of the jobsite as part of their report, the app can associate the user’s current location with that photo so that the office staff has that context with the photo. We made these features optional, so each company can decide whether to enable this tracking or not.

Guru Technologies

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Layton, UT 84040

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