Computerised Hotel Maintenance Systems

I intend to develop a computerised Hotel maintenance system for Global Grange Hotel. The proposed system would help to organise & manage the Maintenance department in an efficient manner in order to minimize the drawbacks of the current system.

The main entities that I have taken into account are the ordering up to date stock, up to date problem solves, History of problems and suppliers. The new system will enhance the Hotel ability to provide more efficient services for their day to day work.

This consumes a vast amount of time and still there is a question of accuracy. Suppliers who send the parts and maintenance components are not computerized therefore it is very difficult to order and problems record or to update a certain record. Backup data involves an enormous amount of paper work, which in turn results in inefficiency.

I have chosen a well-known hotel as our Global Grange Hotel. I visited the Grange hotel several times in order to gain a through understanding on how it managed and how work is being carried out within the current maintenance system. A huge amount work is done manually.

In this hotel have a problem with storage space according to maintenance department has to verify a special area to maintain their backup and other data. Including more paper works and documents such as agreements, purchase orders etc. This is very inconvenient for the management of the hotel maintenance department.

In the system that i developed there will be no manual transactions. Every single detail is computerized. Therefore it would be a highly efficient, well maintained and the operations would be fast and reliable. It would minimize all the drawbacks of the current semi computerized system.

There are many details that we should be concerned with when we develop a computerized system, such as the amount of computers and peripheral equipment needed for the new system, the employees who need to be trained to work within a computerized environment and all other traits needed to manipulate an organization to give out it’s best.

INVESTIGATE PHASE

The investigation phase is also known as the fact-finding stage or the analysis of the current system. This is a detailed study conducted with the purpose of wanting to fully understand the existing system and to identify the basic information requirements.

In my investigation, analyse of the current system, fully understand the existing manual system and basic information requirements. Investigate the current system I’ll visit to the grange hotel and Speak to head of maintenance, maintenance staff, people who order spare parts and ask what they required.

HOW IT WORKS

For the maintenance management system, following key elements must be included. In Stock management maintenance staff needs to know up to date stock, suppliers details, add suppliers, update schedules and problem history.

In this situation, proposing a hotel management system include more option namely, stock management, suppliers, update etc.

Figure1: Sample user interface (http://www.top4download.com/service-master/screenshot-mkbeikbu.html)

A thorough investigation was done in every effected aspect when determining whether the purposed system is feasible enough to be implemented. I found main problems in the global grange hotel and I describe in below.

Problem Status

Currently hotel maintenance staffs are doing in manually. Normally they put a docket with the description of the problem and maintenance department has to check every time what are the problem need to be attended and resolved. Once the maintenance personal completed a relevant job, he will be informed to the department which raised the problem.

Stock Management

In the maintenance department have to check their stock every week and order them self. Some times they fail to find the part or the supplier who sell the product.

Update schedule

Update schedule is the other problem for maintenance. They have to archive some tasks. Some are every month and some are yearly. Most of the time they forget to do those goals.

Problem history

Mostly in head of maintenance wants to know the problem history. Eg: Room 111 had an Air condition problem. They have to verify the history of each unit was. Then maintenance can do the proper solution for that.

The Global Grange hotel maintenance system is currently handling their daily operations manually. There is a high rate of bureaucracy within the organization. The hotel is presently handling the maintenance records manually therefore the problems currently faced by the hotel are as follows –

• The amount of paperback involved is high.

• The turnaround time for obtaining information to make decisions is highly time consuming.

• Lack of efficiency.

• Error rate is high in a manually functioning organization.

• The tendency to lose important documents is high.

• No backup data in a manual system, even if the organization keeps backup data records there will be a problem of space and data redundancy.

1.1.1.4 SYSTEM HISTORY

In my research i found history of hotel maintenance systems which using for maintaining their current systems. Including key elements and basics functions.

What is the CMMS?

Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) are software packages designed to help you manage the maintenance of your facilities, buildings, and assets, which includes equipment. With this software, you collect information including workforce, tasks, time, and costs in a central database, and use that data to improve your daily and long-term maintenance operations.

Facilities using CMMS system include:

manufacturing plants

hospitals

schools and universities

federal, state and local governments

hotels

real estate organizations

retirement communities

How Is Functionality Provided?

Software is designed to be flexible. You need to be able to use a CMMS with the right functionality to meet your specific needs. With its basic features, options, and customizations, gives you the functionality that makes the most sense for your organization.

The Basics

Maintenance Management software includes basic functionality such as:

automating work orders

scheduling preventive maintenance

controlling parts inventories

creating purchase orders

easily accessing needed reports

Contract management, simplified work orders, and easy admin options for web requests and handhelds are also included. Many customers also use specific features for setting automatic alerts, and viewing maintenance histories. It’s also simple to memorize and recall standard tasks, and manage warranties, suppliers, and vendors. (http://blog.mintek.com/Enterprise_Asset_Management/?Tag , www.insight-jo.com/index_files/Page1255.htm )

1.1.1.5 Technology

Normally for Hotel Maintenance system they use web applications and desk top applications. Developing these kind of systems front ends mostly they use web pages from html, xml and for the desk top application using visual basics, visual basics.net etc. For the back ends them using sql, my sql, oracle and access database.

Technology for the maintenance management system, we have to use small network with the server and two three work stations. Install to the main server and workstations for the users. System database working with the server and its update every time.

Using Visual basic.net for the inventory system, we can apply for system user interfaces. Also can create login, administrator and for the users. From this software can develop forms according to our system and its easy to use for the users. For the system back ends normally they use sql, my sql and ms access. If we use these software to back end, need to create our database according to requirements.

“Visual Basic (VB) is a programming environment from Microsoft in which a programmer uses a graphical user interface (GUI) to choose and modify preselected sections of code written in the BASIC programming language” (http://searchwindevelopment.techtarget.com/definition/Visual-Basic)

“Microsoft Access is the database application from the Microsoft Office Suite of applications. It is a powerful personal database and data manipulation tool that is also widely used in many small businesses”

( http://www.xcent.com/Glossary/Microsoft_Access)

Conclusion

Upon developing the proposed fully computerised maintenance system for Global Grange Hotel allows its maintenance personals to obtained the daily work scheduled which includes the fault and routine tasks, Maintenance supervisors and all relevant departments who log faults to track the status of faults and provide feedback or to escalate. Also Hotel management to monitor the ongoing maintenance issues and importantly the finance department can see the purchase requested and states of relevant payments to different suppliers. This will provide effective, reliable, efficient maintenance system which solved current ineffective, inefficient, highly time consuming, and complex procedures. Also implementing this system will dramatically reduce the usage of the paper work will give an opportunity to a step forward, towards Global Grange Hotel’s eco-friendly pledge.