Learning How MPulse Works

What you can do with MPulse

In MPulse, you have the tools to help manage your organization's capital assets maintenance program in a cost-effective manner while improving the overall efficiency of your operation. To accomplish this, MPulse has three primary responsibilities:

• To schedule maintenance activities
• To track what is scheduled to be done and when it has to be done, and
• To report back to you about what you did and when you did it.

MPulse recognizes you when you log in and allows you to tailor the information you view every time you log in. The Maintenance Advisor’s Dashboard can be set up with dynamic, at-a-glance widgets that extract, sort, and calculate data to produce information from your maintenance database to show you reminders, reports, and metrics that efficiently help you do your job.

The Maintenance Advisor’s Calendar function allows you to manage maintenance activities in a calendered format.

MPulse gives you a great deal of additional information, providing you have been consistent in your data entry. For example, you can find out who did what, how much something cost, who supplied you with the materials, where you bought an asset, and so on. MPulse can put anything that is in the database on the computer screen or on a piece of paper.

Figuring out what has to be done and when

To inform you what has to be done and when, MPulse uses a single database. The database includes many tables that are linked to each other. When linked, these tables:

• Store your organization's capital asset data
• Store the Maintenance Tasks you perform on these assets
• Communicate both the work required and the process(es) needed to complete the task using Work Orders (see below)

Understanding work orders: the heart of the system

Work orders communicate what is to be done to which asset(s) and when. Work orders are also known as "Work Tickets", "Travelers", "Job Orders" or a "Service Orders" to name a few. We use the term "Work Order" in MPulse. To create a work order, you identify the task(s) to be done and the asset(s) to be worked on. To each combination of tasks and assets you link:

• Which employee and/or vendor will do the work on each asset
• The inventory necessary to be used on each asset
• Any media files that clarify the work order

You can also include instructions, safety procedures for each task and comments on your work orders. Work orders can be further categorized by work order type or work order group. Using additional categories on your work orders will allow you to filter deeper into your data and use that data to address future questions.

Creating planned and unplanned work orders

There are two types of work orders in MPulse: planned and unplanned.

• Planned work orders (PMs) are created by the system. You set up a schedule in the Scheduled Maintenance Records section that identifies the asset to maintain, the task(s) to perform, the inventory to use on the PM work order and the schedule or time increment. Then, when the date comes around, MPulse tells you there is a scheduled maintenance event that needs to be done and you confirm that you want a PM work order written. That's it. You now have a scheduled maintenance record that will create a PM work order. Once the schedule is in place, the PM shows up on your calendar as planned. Planned work orders are considered “Proactive.”
• Unplanned work orders are created by you. Unplanned work orders may be initiated by you within MPulse, or your customers by submitting a Maintenance Request. You identify the task(s) to be performed, the asset(s) that are going to be worked on and then link the employee who will do the work. You can also link any inventory that will be used on the asset while performing the task. You then print the work order or send it using email. It's as simple as that! Unplanned work orders are considered “Reactive.”

How the software works

MPulse is a database program.

In the simplest terms, you can think of MPulse as a huge data storage room. All the data created by your operation is stored in the MPulse database. To understand this, imagine walking into a room that we will call the "Maintenance Information Center." Inside this room are filing cabinets, one each for each icon across the top of the MPulse screen. Each filing cabinet has multiple drawers, one for every record type under each icon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For example the Capital Assets menu () has seven "drawers" - one menu item each for vehicles, equipment, rooms, buildings, grounds, and the capital assets tree. Inside each drawer there are multiple file folders, one each for every record in the drawer.

If you have 239 pieces of equipment you are managing, then you would have 239 file folders in the drawer labeled "equipment". In the MPulse database you would have a total of at least 239 records.

MPulse takes the place of all those filing cabinets. It remembers which drawer and file folder has what information and remembers all kinds of associations between them. When asked to create a work order or to schedule maintenance, MPulse pulls the information it needs and assembles the work order or maintenance request. When asked to report information about what has been done or what needs to be done, MPulse gets the information it needs and displays the report in a way that makes sense to you.

How to get around within MPulse

The user interface—what you see on your screen—is what makes software easy or hard to use. The MPulse user interface has been designed to be easy to use and to present you with information on every page.

There are three ways you can navigate MPulse:

1. You can use the Navigation Bar on the side of the screen where the icons are located. Clicking on a section will open the choices.
   
   
   
   You may even find additional choices nested under a section such as the example above in Management Tools.
2. Use the bread crumb every time you open a new record set as it is added to the end of the "bread crumb trail" at the top of the page. The record set where you came from is moved back one place. The Maintenance Advisor is always the root of the bread crumb trail. The last item on the bread crumb trail will be the record set where you are at that time.
   
   
   
   To go to a previously opened section, merely click on the section title within the bread crumb trail. As you open additional record sets the bread crumb trail will expand. The bread crumb trail will display the titles of up to five record sets plus the Maintenance Advisor. As you open more record sets after the first five, the bread crumb will drop the least recently accessed record set from the crumb list (the one listed right after the Maintenance Advisor).
3. You also can use the Text Search function on MPulse. This powerful feature will search the entire database for the values you enter into the search field.
   
   

Data can be entered into the search field either through your keyboard or a bar code scanner, including the scanner on your mobile device.

MPulse runs inside a browser. If you have not used browser-based database applications before it may seem a little different to you as the communication between the browser and the database occurs in bursts rather than continuously communicating. MPulse manages these bursts to be as unobtrusive as possible, but there may be times when you want to do something and the system is "Loading". Generally the advantages of having a browser-based application far outweigh any issues arising from the occasional slow moment that you might experience.

When using a browser application like MPulse it is best to remember there is no permanent connection between a page you see on your computer screen and the application server. When you load a page, the connection is broken after the page is loaded. When you enter data on the page, a transaction must occur before that data is written to the database. If you leave a page after you have entered data, your data will not be saved. There are two icons on pages where data is entered.

To enter data a record needs to be in the Edit mode. To do so, click on the Edit () icon. Once you have entered the data you must save it by clicking on the Save () icon. You will find these icons on every page where data can be entered. If a record is in the Edit mode you will not be able to navigate to a new record or section of the software.

The Record Index List

When a record set loads (such as Work Order Records) onto the screen there are two main sections; the Record Index List on the left and the Form View Area for a single record in the center and right side. This layout is similar to many email clients where you have the list of your email messages and folders on the left and the selected email message open on the right.

By default, MPulse loads with the last record you had opened in the form view area of the screen when you first enter a section. The record index will be sorted how it was when you were last in this section as well. At the bottom of the Record Index List you can see where you are in relation to the number of records in the entire dataset.

In the body of the Record Index List is a mini list view with two columns of data for 20 records. The columns are typically the ID# and the Description or Name of the record. Clicking one of the records in the index will cause it to display in the Form View area.

To create a spreadsheet like view you can expand the list view over the form view. To do this click on the arrowhead (). You can cover the list view area, and have a full form view area, by clicking on the arrowhead (). You can also cover the form view area, and have a full list view area, by clicking on the arrowhead ().

On the top of each column in the list view area you will notice a blank field. This field is a search field. You type in your search criteria in the blank field. You click on the search () icon to choose how you want MPulse to search. The choices are listed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Type in the search criteria data once you have selected how you want MPulse to search the data field. MPulse will start the search as soon as you quit typing the field. All the records in this record set will be searched, not just those that are listed in the short list.

The filtered list will appear on the screen. You can change your criteria and make a new search without emptying the search field. You can go back to viewing all records by erasing the value you typed in. An empty field is the same as “view all.”

The search fields search all the records in the active layout. You can change the active layout by clicking on the down arrow and choosing a new layout from the list.

At the left bottom of the Record Index List are some navigation aids for moving from page to page. You can navigate a page at a time by clicking on the arrow heads.  

To navigate records use the record navigation aid at the top right of the screen.

A tip about record display. Generally, the fewer number of records you have on a page the faster the page will load. The default is 20 records per page. If you find you want more records in your default display you can change it in the Customize section on record layouts.

Working in Form View

The form view for a single record has many sections. By default the form view sections can be displayed in a tabular format or presented in a vertical format for scrolling between sections. You can select the record area and which layout you want to use in Management Tools > Customization > Form Layouts - To Change Form Layouts.

Customers who own the Customization Extension can create any number of layout options.

Below is the example of Tabbed layout. To switch to different section of the record for the Main Office Complex you will click on a tab.

Below is the example of Vertical layout. To switch to different section of the record for the Main Office Complex you will scroll the screen up and down. Notice on this screen capture how far down the scroll bar is located.

Each section is labeled with the type of information it contains. For example, the Financial tab of any record is where you will find the record's financial information.

Clicking on the tab label, or scrolling to the Financial section, will open the page with the appropriate data fields. Each section and data fields, as well as the whole record set, is subject to User account access rights.

When you're inside a table working on records, you can advance from record to record using your cursor.

Linking data in MPulse

It's one thing to store data and another to put it to work. When using MPulse you will find that, as you enter more and more data correctly, you will need to do less typing. Your data entry will become more about linking existing records. What makes MPulse an effective management system is the way the tables inside the database interlink. Eventually, all your work will be linking records, viewing records, and viewing, sending, or printing information all generated by MPulse.

So a basic concept in MPulse is that you enter the data once and use it over and over again. This means that, for most records, you link information instead of typing it on the record.

Here's an example, let's say you're working on an asset record for an Air Compressor. On the record, there's a data field for the name of the supplier where you bought the compressor and a data field for the name of the manufacturer who built it. Instead of typing these names on the asset record, you link the field labeled Supplier to the record in the Vendor table that contains the information about the supplier who sold you the compressor. This way, if you bought more than one thing from this supplier, you do not have to enter the supplier's name more than once.

Getting information from MPulse

One of the main reasons for implementing a CMMS software system is to gather information to make decisions. Typically this information is presented in the form of a displayed widget or a printed report.

A word about implementation

MPulse is a powerful management tool that will help you meet your maintenance management goals. It is a tool that becomes part of your overall management system.

Just as a toolbox does not make a mechanic, a CMMS software package does not make a maintenance management system. Each is critical to the final outcome, but one has no value without the other. Be sure you have your management system well thought out before implementing MPulse.

The key players in most organizations that should be involved in deciding about the Maintenance Management System are the Maintenance Manager, the Plant or Operations Manager, and the Information Services Manager (or their respective equivalents). These three people have the internal knowledge of the organization to know what each constituent needs and wants from the maintenance management system. By having these three functions involved in the planning and design of the system, there will be a much higher level of commitment and buy-in to insure the software and the system are successfully integrated.

Getting implementation assistance

MPulse Maintenance Software offers many tools to assist you during your implementation. You can find more information about the implementation services from the MPulse website at www.mpulsesoftware.com. Ofcourse the other way would be to call Technical Support team.