3 Ways Engineers Can Benefit From Using Digital Forms
Better data capture, collaboration, and efficiency for engineers through digital forms
Engineers are masters of many things, from intricate electrical details to widespread plans for city expansions—and everything in between. But with this great power, comes a great need for data and data management. This is where implementing digital forms for faster, more accurate data capture and analysis comes in. Here are the top three ways engineers can benefit from integrating digital forms into their workday.
Reliable Data Capture and Management
Digital forms make it easier for engineers to collect and store their data. Long gone are the days of papers stacked up on spare desks between walls of filing cabinets. All this information can now be easily captured digitally and stored in a cloud-based environment. Put simply, a digital form gives engineers the ability to capture the same data they do on paper, but without the stress or hassle of managing the paper itself.
Prioritizing Accuracy and Integrity
When it comes to engineering work, the details are everything. Between manual calculations and inconsistent handwriting, paper forms pose a risk to the accuracy of the data, and manual entry into other systems provides an even wider margin for error. A digital form can provide clear, concise, and legible data that can be automatically transferred to other analysis and reporting systems. Not only does this open your time up to spend doing the work that matters most, but it also ensures exact details are captured at the moment you need them, with a detailed audit trail of every form edit.
Widespread Applications
With the flexible interface and complete customization available within digital forms, it’s no surprise that engineers can utilize them in a variety of ways. This can be in the form of field surveys, where digital forms can be used to capture data about site conditions, equipment measurements, and other important variables. Likewise, digital forms can be used for inspections, enabling engineers to quickly and accurately record observations and document any issues. Online sign-in sheets can be used to track attendance at events or training sessions, while also providing an opportunity to collect participant data and feedback. Digital forms can also be used for equipment maintenance, allowing engineers to log maintenance schedules, track repair work, and ensure all site equipment is in working order.
Better Collaboration and Communication
Engineers may work by themselves, but they seldom work alone. It takes many hands to take an entire project from start to finish and ensuring quick, clear, and effective communication between everyone involved is critical to a project’s success. Digital forms not only accelerate the transfer of information between stakeholders, but also facilitate a single source of truth for data capture. Digital forms can be passed from person to person, each adding important details as needed, while keeping an accurate log of each change made. By keeping data in a single place it can be easily verified, kept in an easy-to-read format, and available in real-time.
“Put simply, a digital form gives engineers the ability to capture the same data they do on paper, but without the stress or hassle of managing the paper itself.”
Unique Data Capture
Digital forms also provide methods of data capture that paper can’t hold a candle to. Mobile device accessibility means additional data points like GPS information can be attached to forms, as well as images or sketches to better illustrate complex concepts or site-specific information. Electronic signatures provide additional levels of security and help ensure legal compliance for internal and external forms. Top-tier digital form providers even allow for file attachments, making it easier to include supplementary information that wouldn’t be possible with paper forms.
Universally Beneficial
Digital forms help facilitate faster and more efficient communication throughout all engineering specialties. In construction projects, digital forms can be used to collect and share data on project progress, material specifications, and budget information. This allows project managers to quickly identify any issues and make necessary adjustments. In transportation projects, digital forms can be used to track maintenance schedules, document inspections, and ensure compliance with safety regulations. This information can be easily shared between different departments and contractors, improving coordination and reducing the risk of errors. For energy projects, digital forms can be used to monitor equipment performance, track energy consumption, and collect data on environmental impacts. Armed with this information, engineers can make more informed decisions and optimize their processes.
Better Efficiency for Engineers
If there’s one thing engineers know, it’s how much of an impact an efficient change can make. Digital forms give engineers the ability to be more efficient in their data capture, as well as their data transfer and analysis. The automation abilities within digital forms mean less time is spent on capturing and compiling data, empowering engineers to focus on what they do best.
Calculations and Analysis on Demand
Digital forms go beyond the abilities of paper forms, allowing engineers to reap the benefits of automation within their workflow. By automatically routing emailed copies of forms, compiling form data into a designated spreadsheet or cloud storage location, or even automating calculations within the form itself, engineers aren’t spending time on small, repetitive tasks. Additional time is saved when this form data is automatically routed into other platforms, like an ERP, CRM, or business intelligence tool. While many of the best digital forms platforms will have native reporting within them, getting your raw form data directly into the systems you already use within your workflow means even more time to focus on putting your data to work.
Assisting Every Step
As technology and digital form platforms continue to improve, the options and capabilities for engineering applications only continue to grow. Whether it’s within the design field to make for easier creation and sharing of specifications, models, or modifications, to work order forms easing the communication between clients and engineers, or even throughout testing to gather better data on equipment performance, digital forms are able to provide engineers of all types streamlined access to their data. Overall, digital forms have become an essential tool for improving productivity and efficiency in engineering applications, enabling teams to work more effectively and produce higher-quality results.
About GoFormz
GoFormz is a digital forms solution that helps bring your data into a single, actionable place. We believe that everyone should be able to fill out their forms online and deliver products and services that redefine how people and businesses collect and process information. No matter what your business needs, GoFormz is ready to bring your processes to the digital realm. Complete with an open API and multiple native integrations, you can rest assured that your data is always ready, whenever you need it.
