Q. What kind of operations do you use Questetra for?
At NETPARK21 CO. LTD. we provide setup and operation support for information systems.
Specifically, we support operations such as the building of B2B online ordering systems, installation of video monitoring systems, and the installation of POS systems for retail stores, etc.
For a very specific example, we performed the total maintenance of the Network environment for an international expo, with our staff on-site full time.
We used Questetra for managing Parallel work tasks such as the set up of a large number of computer terminals by multiple workers.
Q. Please tell us about the more specific usage.
For instance, we need to set up 50 or 100 computers at once for a client company who is introducing an IT system.
The outline of this workflow is, 1) unpacking the terminals one by one, 2) setting up the initial configuration of the OS, 3) putting on the control number stickers, 4) checking the work is completed, 5) dispatching the PCs to the installation location. If you count the smaller work steps, it will be 10 to 20 steps, and multiple workers will do these concurrently.
We had been managing the work progress using paper check-sheets, so it was difficult to accurately grasp how much work had been completed.
Since we started recording the progress of all our work with Questetra now we are able to follow the progress precisely for all the terminals. There are cases when the leader at the work site confirms the progress and gives instructions to the operating team.
Q. Did you come up with any creative ways to use Questetra?
We are always seeking various ideas to reduce the burden on workers and to bring down the probability of mistakes occurring.
Specifically, we put into practice some basic things such as describing detailed operation precautions on the work record input screen; for example, printer settings. Even if there are many settings issues for each computer, we made it possible to navigate through them using Questetra’s “description of the task” screen.
Besides that, as we are used to programming on a daily basis we came up with an implementation linking our own program using the Questetra API. For example, the control number stickers which are put on the terminals, will be printed out automatically from the sticker printers which have a communication link to the system.
Q. Please tell us about your future prospects.
In terms of work progress management, we would like to continue to analyze the work records more deeply.
For example, if accurate records of delays and mistakes are accumulated, we could verify the hypothesis for more drastic business improvements.
On the other hand, we would like to actively visualize internal operations. In particular, we believe that managing the monthly operation reports submitted to customers and the answers to inquiries from customers on Questetra will promote cross-business information sharing.
