The Swiss state of Vaud is located in the southwestern part of the country and is one of the largest cantons with a population of 657,000. The capital is Lausanne.
In 2007, the state government contracted Optaros to build a document management application based on the Alfresco content management system that is now used for managing millions of state documents. The success of this project made Optaros a prime candidate for additional engagements.
The state service responsible for workplace safety has a team of about 100 inspectors who visit factories and other worksites to make sure working conditions comply with regulations. The program used to record and track inspections was based on obsolete technology and had major limitations (no search capability, limited reporting, etc.). The service needed a new inspection management system that could help inspectors collect information efficiently while providing easy, complete access to information about working conditions from previous visits. The new system would have to integrate very complex processes and rules in order to comply with state regulations. It also had to be delivered within a very short timeframe.
Optaros built a new application that gives the state service a much more effective tool for tracking working conditions. The application is called REFEN, a French acronym that means “referencing the enterprise,” and it is used by the inspection team to make sure that working conditions comply with regulations. REFEN records all information associated with a worksite inspection: number of employees, work hours, ventilation, safety, security, work permits, construction permits, etc. Inspectors can also use it to create fines for companies violating labor regulations. Optarors integrated the application into the state’s billing application, which issues the fine.
In building REFEN, Optaros used its OptAM methodology to quickly assemble and configure open-source components including SugarCRM, Alfresco, JasperReports, and iReport. SugarCRM provides the foundation, and was chosen for its ability to create natural workflows that conform to tasks performed by inspectors. Optaros integrated SugarCRM with the Alfresco content management system that is used to manage all inspection documents, allowing easy access to a complete history of a company’s working conditions (inspection details, status of violations, letters to management, etc.). Optaros also developed new plug-ins which may be offered to the SugarCRM community.
The OptAM methodology provides an agile user-centric approach that allowed Optaros to deliver a solution meeting all requirements in less than 10 weeks. Using OptAM, clients are involved early and often as a project evolves, and this was one of the keys to success in the compressed timeframe.
By applying Next Generation Internet expertise and Web 2.0 concepts, Optaros was able to build a solution that makes it very easy for inspectors to enter information and then act on it. Inspectors also have immediate access to years of historical data on which they can base their decisions.
Through REFEN, state inspectors now have an easily accessible, searchable, and complete source of information about companies and their inspection history. While REFEN was developed specifically for the State of Vaud, at least 15 other Swiss states as well as the national government have expressed interest in implementing a similar solution.