Taking field operations off paper

Challenge

Job sheets were issued on paper each morning and collected at the end of the day. Completion status was unknown until the paperwork came back, disputes about whether a visit had happened were difficult to settle, and billing lagged the work by days.

Requirements

Field staff needed their task list on a phone, with the ability to record completion, capture a photograph and take a signature — all of which had to work with no signal. Office staff needed status visible during the day rather than the following morning.

Solution

A cross-platform application with a local database as the primary store. Tasks are downloaded when a connection is available, all updates are written locally first, and a synchronisation layer reconciles with the server when connectivity returns, with explicit rules for handling edits made in both places.

Technology

Flutter for one codebase across Android and iOS, a Node.js synchronisation API designed to be idempotent so a retried upload cannot duplicate a record, and PostgreSQL behind it.

Development

The offline layer was built first and tested under deliberately hostile conditions — aeroplane mode mid-operation, interrupted uploads, the same job edited on the device and in the office.

Implementation

Piloted with a small group of field staff before wider rollout, with the paper process kept running alongside during the pilot.

Outcome

Job status visible during the working day, completion evidence captured at the point of work, and billing able to follow completion rather than paperwork collection. No percentage improvements are claimed here, as no verified measurement has been supplied.