No two council workshops operate in exactly the same way.
Some workshops have mature processes for capturing detailed maintenance information, including labour, materials, downtime, maintenance classifications and scheduled versus unscheduled work. Others may be earlier in their digital journey, have fewer resources available, or simply need a faster and more straightforward way for mechanics to record the work they have completed.
That difference was the focus of our latest Formbird FLEET Professionals Community Meet-Up, where Adam demonstrated new options for configuring workshop workflows and simplifying work order entry for mechanics.
▶ Watch the Formbird FLEET Professionals Community Meet-Up replay
Video Index
00:00 Welcome and session overview
01:06 Why workshop configurability matters
03:09 Two focus areas: retroactive jobs and work order visibility
04:11 Mechanic view and Workshop Dashboard
05:27 Creating a request and repair work order
06:10 Work order walkthrough
06:35 Request Summary for mechanics
07:19 Scheduling work orders
07:49 Work order types, repair types and maintenance codes
09:27 Repair checks and configurable checklists
10:02 Geotab fault reporting
10:19 Assignment, status and job duration tracking
11:30 Questionnaires and asset monitoring
12:15 Recording materials and job costs
12:38 Work effort and mechanic time recording
13:33 Maintenance history, components and documents
14:39 Configuring work order visibility
16:36 Controlling panel and field visibility
18:09 Mandatory fields and visibility settings
18:51 Q&A – workshop safety checks and SWMS
20:27 Configuring request visibility
21:49 Moving to retroactive job entry
22:29 Simplifying after-the-fact job entry for mechanics
23:01 Creating a work order without creating a request first
24:55 Automatic creation of the linked request
25:35 Adding materials and retroactive labour time
26:37 Completing the work order and reporting considerations
27:37 Risks when bypassing Daily Driver requests
28:58 Preventative maintenance and service scheduling risks
30:28 Q&A – Request Summary and editing requests
31:44 Balancing simpler workflows with data collection
33:18 Work order configuration in the Help Centre
33:44 When is the functionality available?
34:10 Q&A – carpool vehicles and electronic key cabinets
35:27 Closing remarks
Use the timestamps above to jump directly to the sections most relevant to your workshop.
Making the system fit the workshop
A key principle behind Formbird FLEET is configurability.
Rather than expecting every workshop to follow exactly the same process, FLEET can be configured around the information an organisation actually wants its workshop staff to capture.
For mechanics, this can mean a much cleaner working environment.
The Workshop Dashboard can already be configured to focus attention on the jobs and requests relevant to the individual technician. The latest improvements take this further by allowing organisations to control the information displayed within individual requests and work orders.
Administrators can determine which panels and fields are visible for different types of work orders.
For example, a workshop that does not currently use detailed scheduling could hide the scheduling panel. If Geotab is not configured for a particular environment, the Geotab fault panel does not need to be presented. Fields relating to maintenance classifications or questionnaires can also be adjusted according to the organisation’s requirements.
The result is a more focused interface for mechanics, without forcing every workshop to capture information it is not yet ready to use.
Capturing the right level of workshop information
During the demonstration, Adam stepped through the information that can be captured within a Formbird FLEET work order.
This includes:
- Repair types and maintenance classifications
- Configurable repair checks
- Job assignment and status
- Job duration and time on hold
- Mechanic work effort
- Materials and additional job costs
- Questionnaires and items requiring ongoing monitoring
- Previous maintenance history
- Asset components and supporting documentation
Repair checks can also be configured around the type of activity being undertaken. This can extend beyond repairs to activities such as pre-hire inspections, post-hire inspections, commissioning and decommissioning.
Where Geotab is configured on an asset, fault information can also be presented within the work order, giving mechanics convenient access to relevant vehicle information while working on the job.
Making retroactive job entry easier
One of the most practical improvements demonstrated during the session was retroactive work order entry.
Not every workshop has mechanics updating the system continuously throughout the day.
In some environments, mechanics may spend the day working on vehicles and plant before returning to the office later to enter the jobs they have completed.
Traditionally, this could involve creating a request first and then creating the corresponding work order.
The simplified process demonstrated in the Meet-Up allows a mechanic to begin directly with a new repair work order.
They can select the asset, enter the relevant repair information and classifications, record materials and labour, and complete the job. Formbird FLEET can then create the associated request as part of the process.
For workshops operating this way, removing unnecessary steps can make day-to-day data entry much easier.
Simplicity versus valuable fleet data
An important part of the discussion was that simplifying a workflow also requires considering what information the organisation still needs.
Detailed workshop data can contribute to reporting on areas such as downtime, maintenance costs, scheduled versus unscheduled maintenance and mechanic work effort.
Preventative maintenance workflows can also depend on requests being created through other processes.
The aim, therefore, is not simply to remove as many fields as possible.
It is to find the right balance between making the system easy for workshop staff to use and capturing the information the organisation needs to manage its fleet effectively.
That balance may be different for every organisation — and it may change over time as workshop processes mature.
This is where the configurability of Formbird FLEET becomes particularly valuable. A council can begin with a simpler workflow and progressively introduce additional information and processes as its requirements evolve.
See the workshop improvements in action
The full Meet-Up includes a practical demonstration of the mechanic Workshop Dashboard, work orders, field and panel visibility settings, retroactive job entry and the considerations organisations should think about when configuring their workshop processes.
If you manage a council workshop or are looking for ways to improve mechanic adoption of your fleet management processes, watch the replay above and use the video index to jump directly to the topics most relevant to your team.
About the Formbird FLEET Professionals Community
The Formbird FLEET Professionals Community brings FLEET users together to share practical knowledge, see new functionality in action and discuss how different organisations are approaching fleet management challenges.
Each Meet-Up provides an opportunity to learn from both the Formbird team and other fleet professionals using the platform.
Stay tuned for details of our next Formbird FLEET Professionals Community Meet-Up.
