Understanding Inspection Data Management Systems, Part 3: Filling Functionality Gaps Through Development

INTRODUCTION

In the second blog in this 5-part series, “Selecting the Right IDMS,” readers were given an overview of the selection process and a minimum list of key considerations for any new inspection data management system (IDMS) application.  Highlighted within the article was the importance of creating a fully inclusive project team early in the process to develop a robust list of requirements for the new software.  It was also shown that combining the requirements list with thoughtfully prioritized grading criteria will help ensure the selected application is one that best aligns with the company’s needs.

There are cases, however, where selecting the best application for the company means that the end users will not immediately obtain all desired functionality.  In some instances, users must forgo desirable features to satisfy more valuable requirements of the company. For example, a “Scaffolding Required” checkbox in a CML data entry screen is important but may not be as important to the company as conforming to corporate cybersecurity standards.  It is obviously much easier to have programmers add a checkbox than it is to add complex cybersecurity features. It is also possible that none of the available software options contained a specific piece of functionality and a gap would exist regardless of the selected option. In a more likely scenario, a company’s work processes have evolved and the software that has been in place no longer aligns with the business needs.  In this article, readers will learn what to do when critical functionality is missing and why in-house customization is not always a great option.