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Technician handbook

Everything a field technician needs to know to use Smart Maintenance Task Manager day to day.

This handbook is for the Technician role

If you're not sure what role you have, open your profile in the mobile app (Settings → Profile) or ask your Supervisor.

What you'll do with the platform

As a technician, the platform replaces paper checklists and radio calls with a structured, trackable digital workflow:

  • Receive assignments — your Supervisor (or the schedule) pushes tasks to your device.
  • Execute tasks — walk the asset, follow the prompts, capture measurements and photos, acknowledge safety steps.
  • Flag problems — submit repair requests when something's broken, or shutdown reports when a safety threshold is crossed.
  • Finish your shift — hand back a complete, signed digital record of everything you did.

Everything works offline. You can walk the entire plant without a signal and the app syncs when you're back in range.

Your primary app

The mobile app is where you spend 95% of your time. A minimal dashboard in the web portal lets you review your own completed work on a larger screen, but you don't need it day to day.

Your daily workflow

1. Start your shift

  1. Unlock your device.
  2. Open the app — use Face ID, Fingerprint, or the 4-digit PIN you set during onboarding.
  3. The Dashboard shows: today's task count, overdue items, pending uploads (if any), and your current sync status.

2. Check your list

Tap Tasks. You see every task assigned to you, grouped by due date and priority. Icons at the right of each row tell you:

  • 🟢 Due today or later.
  • 🟠 Due soon.
  • 🔴 Overdue.
  • 🔵 Draft (started but not yet submitted).
  • ✅ Completed.

See Icons and badges for the full set.

3. Pick a task and execute it

Tap the task. A summary screen shows the asset, the task type, any safety prerequisites, and the form fields you'll need to fill in. When you're ready, tap Start.

If the task requires safety acknowledgement, you'll see those steps first and must tap Acknowledge before the form loads.

The form itself is dynamic — it adapts to the task type (lubrication, maintenance, electrical, production, repair). Fields might include:

  • Numeric measurements (pressure, temperature, running hours).
  • Dropdown selections (condition: good / fair / poor).
  • Yes/No checks.
  • Photo captures (tap the camera icon).
  • Free-text notes.

The full walkthrough — including offline saves, photo capture, and submitting — is on Executing a task (mobile).

4. Scan NFC or barcodes to jump to an asset

Physical equipment in the plant has NFC tags (or barcodes on older sites). Tap the scan icon in the toolbar, hold the phone to the tag, and the app opens the matching task point instantly — no tree navigation needed.

See Scanning NFC tags and Scanning barcodes.

5. Submit repair requests when something's wrong

If you find a problem — broken seal, loose cable, oil leak — don't just make a note and move on. Tap Repair request from any task screen (or the main menu).

Fill in:

  • Asset (pre-filled if you came from a task).
  • Failure type (dropdown from the master list).
  • Description (free text).
  • Priority (low / medium / high / critical).
  • Photos (at least one is strongly recommended).

Submit, and it goes into the queue for your Supervisor and Admin to triage.

See Repair requests.

6. Report shutdowns

If an asset trips, a line halts, or a safety system engages, open the task or asset and tap Report shutdown. Fill in the reason, start time, end time (if known), and affected equipment. Submit.

Shutdown reports are visible to Supervisors in real time. See Reporting a shutdown.

7. End of shift

Before you put the device down:

  1. Pull down on the Dashboard to refresh.
  2. Look at Pending uploads — it should read 0.
  3. If it's not zero, you probably have no connectivity. Move to Wi-Fi or a signal area and wait a minute. The app syncs automatically.
  4. Tap your avatar → Sign out (optional; the session remains valid even if you don't).

Working offline

The platform is offline-first for technicians. When the app can't reach the server:

  • You can still open any task assigned to you.
  • You can still execute and complete tasks.
  • Your work is saved as a draft on the device.
  • The badge on the Dashboard shows Pending uploads: N.
  • As soon as connectivity returns, drafts upload automatically in the background (every 15 minutes) or immediately if the app is open and you have signal.

Photos are queued separately — they may take longer to upload than the task form itself.

See Working offline and Sync and connectivity for the full mechanics.

Safety procedures

Some tasks are safety-gated. You'll see a list of acknowledgement steps (for example: "Verify lock-out tag is present", "Confirm PPE is worn") before the form opens. You must tap Acknowledge on each step to proceed.

Your acknowledgements are timestamped and stored with the task record. Don't tap through without reading — your Supervisor can see if a task was acknowledged but the work looks rushed.

Photos and attachments

Photos are essential for:

  • Proof-of-work (before/after shots).
  • Evidence in repair requests and shutdown reports.
  • Documenting condition findings.

The app:

  • Compresses photos on the device before upload.
  • Uploads in the background.
  • Generates thumbnails automatically — Supervisors can scroll large galleries quickly.

Supported formats: JPEG, PNG. Maximum 10 photos per task, 10 MB per photo.

See Photos and attachments.

Notifications

You receive push notifications for:

  • New task assigned — immediately, if the app is backgrounded or closed.
  • Task due soon — one hour before the due time.
  • Task overdue — 15 minutes after the due time.
  • Repair request update — when your supervisor acts on one of your requests.

Manage notifications in Settings → Notifications.

See Notifications (mobile).

What you can't do

As a technician, the platform intentionally limits some actions so you can focus on execution:

  • You can't create, edit, or delete assets or task points. (Mappers do that.)
  • You can't assign tasks to anyone else. (Supervisors do that.)
  • You can't approve or reject completed tasks. (Supervisors and Admins do that.)
  • You can't see other technicians' detailed task data — your dashboard shows only your own work.
  • You don't have access to company-wide reports (that's the Manager / Supervisor view).

If you need something that isn't in your scope, ask your Supervisor.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and where to fix them:

Problem See
Can't sign in I can't log in
Tasks I expect aren't showing Tasks aren't showing
Pending uploads won't clear Sync is stuck or failing
NFC isn't reading tags NFC is not working
Photo upload keeps failing Photo upload is failing
App crashes on open The app is crashing