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Towing

This feature showcases towing a locomotive from the shop and ensuring all the relevant work orders are completed.

 

Unlike a car you don't drive the locomotive out of the shop once the work is completed.

Here's some quick context on this case study

Freight moves

Obviously not by itself. There are tools and systems in place.

Interestingly, there's an app to help it, and even more interestingly, I got to work on it. 

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1. Overview

  1. The page provides an overview of the application, acting as the home screen.

  2. The top blue box provides a high-level view of the locomotive, such as its current location, locomotive codes, etc 

  3. WO status = work order status, which must be completed for the work/ task to be closed.​

  4. Complete means the task is complete, which disables the reason code on its right.​

  5. Exception means the task isn’t complete, but needs to be closed for the locomotive to be towed

  6. An exception requires a reason, which is why the reason code is attached to the section. More on this below.

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2. Reason codes

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  1. As mentioned above, reason codes are needed for exception work orders.

  2. There’s a scroll with the entire list of reason codes

  3. A reason code must be selected to complete the work order, which must all be completed for towing the locomotive..

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3. Initiate

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  1. For towing to be initiated, each work order must be closed or exceptioned.

  2. Once the appropriate selections are made, the towing will be initiated.

LOCOMOTIVE FEATURE

Here's some quick context on this case study

As mentioned, I worked alongside a team of designers, SAP specialists, developers, and others to create and enhance applications for simplified locomotive maintenance operations.​

01

This application, called Shop Planning and Analysis, was designed for users in the command center for senior shop planners to get a high-level overview of locomotive operations.

02

This feature was part of the dual-track agile effort, involving the Discovery track, which focused on research, and the Delivery track, which focused on product design.

03

This project focuses on design delivery, as I am showcasing a feature created as part of a larger application.

04

Here's some quick context on this case study

Here's some quick context on this case study

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4. Complete work orders

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  1. Once the towing is initiated, the screen is disabled, and a modal pops up in the front for verification. 

  2. The modal confirms if the relevant work orders with their numbers are completed. To proceed, the user clicks Yes. 

The top blue box

 

It provides a high-level view of the locomotive, including its current location, locomotive codes, and other relevant information. 

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Work orders

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WO status = work order status, which must be completed for the work/ task to be closed.​

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Task completion​

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  1. Complete means the task is complete, which disables the reason code on its right.​

  2. Exception means the task isn’t complete, but needs to be closed for the locomotive to be towed

  3. An exception requires a reason, which is why the reason code is attached to the section. More on this below.

Screen-1.jpg

Work orders

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  1. WO status = work order status, which must be completed for the work/ task to be closed.​

  2. Complete means the task is complete, which disables the reason code on its right.​

  3. Exception means the task isn’t complete, but needs to be closed for the locomotive to be towed

  4. An exception requires a reason, which is why the reason code is attached to the section. More on this below.

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5. Override

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  1. Once the towing is initiated, the screen is disabled, and a modal pops up in the front for verification. 

  2. It also disables the other work order menu as the options are completed.

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6. In-transit

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  1. With the work orders completed, the user must set the locomotive status to in transit. 

  2. He will need to update the reason code and the status date and time updates.

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7. Reason codes

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  1. Similar to work orders, reason codes are needed to change the servicing of the state. 

  2. In this case, the reason code is set to Bad Order

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8. Update

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  1. In-transit prompts an additional section for the destination shop with a section for comments​

  2. Here the user can add the destination and his relevant comments for the towing process​

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9. Complete

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  1. Updating the locomotive details now reflects the locomotive being towed.

  2. The green modal signifies that the locomotive details are successfully updated.

Parting thoughts

01

The towing feature is one of the many features incorporated into this application to create a user-friendly interface. 

02

It provides provisions to verify the work orders and provides a way to improve application efficiency.

03

The modals at various stages of the process verify that work orders are completed.

04

The buttons get enabled when relevant work order functions are complete, which emphasises consistent feedback to the user, making the interface more intuitive. 

05

Additionally entire sections are blocked out after the relevant tasks within are completed. 

A reasonable conclusion of why this interface makes sense. 

A reasonable conclusion of why this interface makes sense. 

Project Dynamics

Team

Four designers- I worked on this particular feature

Client

A major freight company.

Timeline

Built over a period of a few weeks as part of an application build spanning more than a year. 

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