The PROMOS solution for quality management and legal safety regulations – a success story

Predestined for greater efficiency

Let’s start with a look at the initial situation. When working with our customers, it became clear that checks for legal safety regulations and all kinds of inspections before the start of the project were generally almost always carried out on paper or, in the best case, with an Excel spreadsheet. Only in very few cases did PROMOS build on an existing integrated solution when submitting an offer for the introduction of a solution. Like all conventional processes that take place manually on-site, the introduction of a mobile solution integrated into the ERP system offers a significant boost in efficiency. The fact that the data does not have to be transferred manually to the ERP system afterwards alone makes the use of an easysquare solution incredibly attractive. Legal safety regulations in particular represent an extremely complex issue. Property owners are nevertheless obliged by law to ensure the safety of their properties and the associated infrastructure in an appropriate manner in order to prevent injuries to third parties. In the event of non-compliance, owners can face claims for damages. Carrying out these safety regulation inspections is as extensive as it is complex, ranging from the simple visual check of a staircase all the way to cumbersome technical inspections, such as for a lift system. In addition, external service providers are often involved in the enforcement of legal safety regulations. With the PROMOS solution for quality management and legal safety regulations, we were able to design and introduce a product as part of the implementation at ProPotsdam GmbH in 2015 which can map almost all possible cyclical inspection task scenarios while being both comprehensive and easy to use. Even today, almost six years later, the core functionality has remained the same. And this is not because the solution could actually use an update, but simply because its structure and operation are as efficient as ever. So let’s go a step further into the topic and take another look at the actual functions of the PROMOS solution for quality management and legal safety regulations!

The three solution pillars – the secret to our success

The PROMOS solution for quality management and legal safety regulations (abbreviated as QMVKS) is based on three pillars: a specialised solution for SAP^®, the easysquare app connected to the ERP system and a web portal that can optionally be integrated. The SAP^® system serves as the starting point where the customer sets and maintains the inspection plans. In the easysquare app, inspectors are automatically given the inspection tasks that are due and can perform them directly in the app. The results are then automatically fed back into the SAP^® system, where evaluation and further processing can take place in the event of a defect report, for example. The optional web portal is primarily used to connect external service providers. Without the need for installation, extensive training or implementation effort, third parties can document the fulfilment of their assigned duties and monitor the relevant status. All in all, this creates an overarching system that already covers a large number requirements for a many of our existing customers in their standard version. However, each company is still characterised by its own specific features and the associated individual situations and needs. For this reason, the goal and core element of PROMOS’ consulting activities is to filter these out in a close dialogue with the customer and adapt the existing standard solution to the respective customer situation. This often leads to solutions, functions and approaches that can benefit all other customers as well. So let’s pivot for a look at the wide range of possible applications for PROMOS QMVKS as demonstrated by customer adaptations.

Customers put the finishing touch on a convincing solution

As mentioned at the beginning, PROMOS QMVKS is suitable not only for legal safety regulations but for almost all other cyclically recurring tasks as well. For example, the solution is also used for special checks in case of snow or storms. In one concrete case, the actual snow removal for a customer’s property is carried out by a service provider. With PROMOS QMVKS, employees then use the app to check whether the task has been completed and report the need for any further action. Fire safety inspections, regular maintenance and tree inspections are also already carried out by various customers with the solution. PROMOS QMVKS can even be used in areas other than regular property inspections. At PROMOS itself, the IT infrastructure team has put its own solution to use. As part of regular COBIT checks, the responsible employees carry out required inspections within the scope of data centre operation, data protection and IT security using the easysquare web portal. The secure documentation, easy input options and central availability of the results were unbeatable arguments for the in-house utilisation of the solution. In addition to the current wide range of application fields, other special developments could also be carried out for customers. For example, Hilfswerk-Siedlung GmbH evaluates external service providers using a point system as part of building inspections conducted via easysquare app. This allows them to subsequently assess the quality of services performed. Dortmund housing company DOGEWO21, in turn, uses PROMOS QMVKS to carry out caretaker inspections. The special feature here is that data on the performed and apportionable caretaker services is automatically transferred to the company’s operating costs team, which can then use it to prepare the operating costs statements of the tenants. We are particularly proud that all our customers have so far been able to manage and maintain PROMOS QMVKS independently – from creating new inspection services and filling deviation tables all the way to maintaining new inspection intervals. This is the greatest benefit of the catalogue-based solution design.

PROMOS QMVKS comprehensively and sustainably covers all requirements in the area of cyclically recurring inspection tasks. And all signs are pointing to “full steam ahead”. This is also reflected in the impressive numbers.

PROMOS QMVKS in figures

The success story at ProPotsdam GmbH started with 30 iPad users. Over the years, the solution has proven to be very practical and will continue to be so in the future. To date, a total of eleven major customers have been using PROMOS QMVKS in its entirety or are currently implementing the solution. The most recent go-live took place at the beginning of the year at BUWOG Group GmbH, the Austrian subsidiary of VONOVIA SE. Additionally, there are some smaller customers as well as connected external service providers who use PROMOS QMVKS via the easysquare web portal. With a total number of users soon to reach 1,000, PROMOS QMVKS is one of the most used products in the PROMOS portfolio considering the segment of professional app customers. PROMOS QMVKS was used to carry out several million inspection tasks last year. We look forward to seeing where the journey will take us alongside our loyal existing customers and new ones in the future. But one thing is certain: PROMOS QMVKS has everything we’ll need for the trip.