Startup capacity view
Forecast startups set against crew capacity, so the spring rush is visible days before it arrives.
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Manager oversight app for irrigation contractors
A manager oversight app for irrigation contractors shows the general manager startup capacity, open repair tickets and the backflow compliance backlog across every crew in one view. SIZ Group builds it for iOS and Android, with a web dashboard for the office that runs between calls.
01
How the customers of irrigation contractors judge the firm, and what that means for the oversight view
Irrigation customers judge a contractor on whether the sprinklers came on when promised, whether a repair was fixed on the first visit and whether the next season started without a surprise. Those three outcomes are what the general manager should watch, because they are what customers repeat to their neighbors.
So the oversight view should lead with service outcomes and then drop into capacity and paperwork. A manager who can see which startups are at risk, which repairs have waited too long and which tests are overdue can act before a customer calls. Each of those items should carry an owner and a date.
02
The first release of a manager oversight app for irrigation contractors: what the general manager sees first
The general manager signs off when the view matches what the office and the field already know. The open repair ticket aging view should show each repair's age, its property, the crew assigned and the next step. Each startup should show whether the crew has the capacity to reach it inside the customer's usual window, using a startup capacity forecast that updates each morning.
The second test is compliance. Backflow tests that are due, overdue or waiting on a certificate should appear in one backlog with the responsible technician named. A general manager should be able to answer a question from a utility or an inspector in minutes, not after a search through folders. The backlog page answers that question.
- Open repairs with age, property and assigned crew
- Startup bookings checked against crew capacity
- Backflow tests due, overdue or awaiting certificates
- Customer complaints with owner and response date
03
A general manager's Tuesday in the finished app, step by step
The general manager opens the dashboard at 7:30 a.m. and sees that the spring startup forecast is running ahead of crew capacity for the next several days. The manager adds a second crew for two days from the schedule and moves the lowest-risk startups into afternoon windows. The customers receive their updated arrival times through the app.
Mid-morning, the aging view shows a repair that has waited longer than the agreed response time. The manager reassigns it to a technician already nearby and sets a reminder for the end of the day. Before the afternoon briefing, the backlog shows three backflow tests due, and the manager confirms those bookings from the same screen. Each booking it confirms goes back into the crew schedule, so the capacity view stays accurate for the rest of the week.
What you get
Key features
Open repair aging
Repairs ranked by age and by the response time they have missed, each with a named owner.
Backflow compliance backlog
Tests due, overdue or awaiting certificates, with the responsible technician named beside each one.
Technician route utilization
Each route's booked hours against capacity, so a quiet crew can take work from a busy one.
04
Fitting in with the field service and accounting tools irrigation contractors already run
Most irrigation contractors run dispatch and invoicing in Jobber or Housecall Pro, with QuickBooks for the books. Tickets, route utilization and customer records come from those tools by API, with a scheduled export where no API exists. Duplicate customer lists are the quickest way to make the dashboard wrong, so the link comes first.
Backflow testing records are often kept by the local water authority or in the tester's own filing system. The app should track which tests are due and who holds the tester credential, while official submissions stay in the firm's own filings. Confirm each integration during scoping, before the dashboard depends on it.
05
Seasonality: startup peaks, heat-driven repairs and how the view should adapt
Startup demand arrives in a rush before the warm season, and the view should show forecast demand against crew capacity several days ahead. Summer heat brings repair calls that cannot wait, so the aging view matters most in those weeks. The overview should also flag the fall blowout queue early, before the first freeze compresses the calendar.
Between the busy seasons, the team should clear the backlog and fix recurring problems, such as zones that fail every spring. A short monthly review keeps those issues from returning as the next season's surprise. Each review should end with a short list of decisions, with an owner and a date beside each one.
- Startup forecast set against crew capacity
- Repair tickets aging past the response time
- Blowout queue flagged before the first freeze
- Recurring zone failures reviewed each month
06
What drives the cost and timeline of this project, and how to keep scope under control
Cost follows the number of crews, the systems the dashboard reads from and the roles that need their own screens. Cost turns on the number of crews and whether a payroll feed is needed, so those get settled first. One office with one field service tool and two roles costs far less than a multi-crew build with a payroll feed.
Keep the first release to the views the general manager checks each morning. Later ideas go on a written list with prices, and the team ranks them together. Post-launch support covers fixes and small adjustments once the crews rely on the dashboard.
Does a manager oversight app for irrigation contractors need its own GPS tracking?+
Not always. Many contractors already get location data from the field service tool or a vehicle platform, and the dashboard can read it where that is allowed. Separate tracking, when it is needed, gets priced and consent-checked up front.
How does the dashboard keep backflow records accurate?+
It does not replace the official filings. The dashboard tracks which tests are due and their status, and completed records stay linked to the property, so the overdue list matches what the office has submitted.
Can branch managers see only their own territory?+
Yes. Access follows role and territory, so a branch manager sees their own crews and customers, and the general manager sees every territory with the combined backlog. Roles are agreed during scoping and tested before launch.
What should the first version include?+
The startup capacity view, the open repair aging list and the backflow backlog cover the daily decisions. Extra reporting waits until managers have used the first release and agreed what each number means.
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Let's make it happen
Scope the dashboard for your crews
Tell us the crew count and the backlogs you review each morning, and we will return a first-release plan with pricing.