vtiger

[scubes13]

Hello all.

I am looking to develop a work order / work log module for vtiger.

The initial work order/log page should list all work logs in the system. They should be sortable via Account/ Date/ Work Log Number/ Status/ Technician, etc.

If a work log is clicked on in the list, it should display the details of the work log and provide a method for editting those details.

When creating a new work log, this module should allow for a user to select a client from Accounts. It should then allow for a contact from the client to be selected as the primary contact for this event.

Next, the user would select a date for the work being recorded.

Finally, select a technician(s) to perform the work related to the work log.

At this point, the user can save the work order for later processing and a work log number should be assigned to this request. This might be a date mixed with a sequential number, such as 07-12345.

Perhaps at this point in the process, the work log could be cued on the calendar in vtiger as pending/scheduled and notification could be provided to the appropriate technicians. Statuses might include: pending, assigned, in progress, completed, postponed, etc.

Next, the new work log should allow the user to input labor, materials and technician information as follows:

Select work type (Onsite Support, Remote Support, Phone Support)

Select an origination time. This would be the time the technician left the office for client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Select an arrival time. This would be the time the technician arrived at the client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Input an origination mileage. This would be the vehicle odometer reading when the technician left the office. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Input an arrival mileage. This would be the vehicle odometer reading when the technician arrived at the client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Insert Labor Line Items:
Time In, Time Out, Total (automatically figured), Labor Description, Technician (only if more than one technician is applied to the work log as a whole, otherwise single technician is assumed.
When one line is inserted, a new blank line should be inserted below it.
The end/bottom of the labor section should automatically figure a total number of billable hours (all labor items plus travel time).

Material Line Items:
Part Number (from Inventory), Part Description/Title (Automatically filled), Unit Cost (Automatically filled), Quantity, Computed Cost
When one line is inserted, a new blank line should be inserted below it.
The end/bottom of the materials section should automatically figure a total number of billable parts.

Upon saving the finalized work log, one should be able to print a PDF or hard copy of the work log for billing.

Future goals:
- Provide a mechanism for posting a work log to an invoice,
- Provide work logs in PDF format for clients in the client portal. Would allow clients to download copies of their work logs.
- Work log approval or recognition by client through the client portal.
- Capability to email notification of new work logs to clients.
- A method should exist for setting different labor rates, and/or specifying client-specific rates.
- A method should exist for setting different material markup percentages, and/or specifiying client-specific percentages.
- Inventory should be adjusted as work logs are created.
- Notification and calendaring are not priorities at this time. They are only mentioned for illustration.

It is my intent to put our developer on the task of creating such a module. I would like to solicit feedback on what you guys think about such a module. Also, if there are those of you who are willing to donate to having the development done, that would be great as well.

Right now, the closest thing to what I have invisioned is citeCRM (www.citecrm.com). However, they seem to be moving slowly and have moved efforts away from providing an open source project.

Anyways, I look forward to your thoughts and feedback.

Kevin L.

*Please note that a good portion of what I have outlined is based on the document/form that we have been using for keeping work logs. A sample is attached.

[scubes13]

Also, if anyone else is interested in doing actual development, feel free to drop me a note as to a quote for your services.

Thanks again,
Kevin L.

[joebordes]

Hi Kevin,

I have read through your specification and I think it is very similar to the proces we do in my office (yours is a little more complete). We currently use vtigerCRM to do this.

I think that you could save a lot of time and effort if you applied our timecards extension to helpdesk and modified the code to adapt it to your needs. Through this extension and using the already existing helpdesk module you should be able to be operative rather quickly and with less effort.

If you then give your changes back to the community through the timecard extension we could all benefit from your effort. Obviously we are willing to help and colaborate.

If you would like to speak with me about the viability or not of solving your problem with timecards send me a message.

Regards, Joe
TSolucio

[joebordes]

Hi Kevin,

I comment below how I would cover your needs with the TroubleTickets and TTTimecards extension.
I would also do the upgrading of the TTTimecard extension to vtigerCRM 5.0.4 during the process and your final production platform would be vtigerCRM 5.0.4.

Quote: The initial work order/log page should list all work logs in the system. They should be sortable via Account/ Date/ Work Log Number/ Status/ Technician, etc.

If a work log is clicked on in the list, it should display the details of the work log and provide a method for editting those details.

Trouble tickets already does this.

Quote: When creating a new work log, this module should allow for a user to select a client from Accounts. It should then allow for a contact from the client to be selected as the primary contact for this event.

We will separate Accounts and Contacts into two different fields.

Quote: Next, the user would select a date for the work being recorded.

Custom field on Trouble tickets

Quote: Finally, select a technician(s) to perform the work related to the work log.

Supported: Trouble ticket "Assigned to"

Quote: At this point, the user can save the work order for later processing and a work log number should be assigned to this request. This might be a date mixed with a sequential number, such as 07-12345.

Supported: Current Trouble Ticket Id

Quote: Perhaps at this point in the process, the work log could be cued on the calendar in vtiger as pending/scheduled and notification could be provided to the appropriate technicians. Statuses might include: pending, assigned, in progress, completed, postponed, etc.

This could be easily done at the end of the trouble ticket creation

Quote: Next, the new work log should allow the user to input labor, materials and technician information as follows:

Select work type (Onsite Support, Remote Support, Phone Support)

Supported: Timecards has types

Quote: Select an origination time. This would be the time the technician left the office for client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Select an arrival time. This would be the time the technician arrived at the client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Input an origination mileage. This would be the vehicle odometer reading when the technician left the office. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Input an arrival mileage. This would be the vehicle odometer reading when the technician arrived at the client's location. (Null if type is Remote or Phone Support)

Insert Labor Line Items:
Time In, Time Out, Total (automatically figured), Labor Description, Technician (only if more than one technician is applied to the work log as a whole, otherwise single technician is assumed.

We can accomplish all this by adding custom fields to timecards and some code to automatically fill in some values.

Quote: When one line is inserted, a new blank line should be inserted below it.

This complicates the whole development and I would discard it in favor of inserting line by line as the current Timecards extension does. The result is the same, the user only has to make a few more clicks and you save a lot of programming time.

Quote: The end/bottom of the labor section should automatically figure a total number of billable hours (all labor items plus travel time).

The current timecard extension converts trouble tickets directly to salesorders and from there easily into invoices. So all calculations would be made in these entities where it is already being done. We don't have to reinvent the wheel.
We would add some code to contemplate your different timecard types as we only convert to invoice one type of line.

Quote: Material Line Items:

This is the same as the labour lines, a few custom fields and code changes to adapt to your superior needs. But basically leave the product work to the salesorder and invoice entities.

Quote: Upon saving the finalized work log, one should be able to print a PDF or hard copy of the work log for billing.

Timecards currently has an HTML output which we would customize to your needs.

Quote: Future goals:
- Provide a mechanism for posting a work log to an invoice,

Included with solution.

Quote: - Provide work logs in PDF format for clients in the client portal. Would allow clients to download copies of their work logs.
- Work log approval or recognition by client through the client portal.

This should be easy as we are using trouble tickets which are already on the portal so we would only be extending on existing functionality.

Quote: - Capability to email notification of new work logs to clients.
- A method should exist for setting different labor rates, and/or specifying client-specific rates.
- A method should exist for setting different material markup percentages, and/or specifiying client-specific percentages.
- Inventory should be adjusted as work logs are created.

All supported with proposed solution.

Quote: - Notification and calendaring are not priorities at this time. They are only mentioned for illustration.

This is easily integrated.

Regards, Joe
TSolucio

[jarocho]

Hola:

Cost for develop this changues ?

With Update for 5.4

Tomas Uscanga

[jarocho]

Hola JoeBordes:

Cost for develop this changues for version 5.4 Vtiger.

Saludos

Tomas Uscanga

[joebordes]

Hi,

Give me a little time to undig the quote I sent scube13. I'll get back to you ASAP.

Joe
TSolucio

[southmost]

Kevin,
We are an IT firm and we are looking for a similar solution. The biggest issue with a trouble ticket is that you can't convert it to an invoice automaticly.

[TechGladiator]

Has anything ever come of this? We are looking for the same thing with the addition of asset traking.

We are a software development company that will be willing to take over this project if somebody is also willing to share the bounty.