City of Perth Parking: Data Workflow Efficiency and Real-Time Reporting via CPAMS
Lateral delivered a custom software solution, the Car Park Activity Management System (or CPAMS), to resolve City of Perth Parking's challenges with workflow efficiency, data management, and real-time reporting. By integrating CPAMS with existing systems, Lateral enhanced operational efficiency, reduced job turnaround times, and enabled the real-time display of parking bay availability on their website.
Problem
Inefficient Workflows: Outdated and Unintegrated Systems Hamper Operational Efficiency
Managing over 35 parking facilities, City of Perth Parking (CPP) struggled with an outdated, disjointed system that significantly impacted staff monitoring, equipment management, and job tracking. The lack of a modern system led to inefficiencies in monitoring activities across multiple sites, causing communication gaps and misallocation of resources. Equipment management was also problematic due to the inability to track usage and maintenance, leading to operational disruptions.
Job status tracking, reliant on manual data entry and paper-based processes, was inefficient and prone to human error, resulting in project delays. The absence of real-time reporting further hampered strategic decision-making, as managers lacked timely and accurate operational data and were not able to measure workflow efficiency or reliably assess key performance indicators.
The inadequacy of this status quo underscored an urgent need for CPP to modernise its systems. They required a more integrated approach to improve workflow efficiency, data management, and overall operational responsiveness to remain competitive in a technology-driven industry.
“Lateral has been a wonderful technology partner. They adopted a highly collaborative approach and helped us achieve our business objectives.”
Pat Abernethy
Manager City of Perth Parking (CPP)
Solution
A Custom Software Solution: Improved Workflow Efficiency and a Real-Time Reporting System
Lateral responded to these challenges by developing a custom software solution - the Car Park Activity Management System, also known as CPAMS. Designed with the goal of achieving maximum efficiency, CPAMS allowed employees to create and access real-time reporting on job statuses from any location.
At the same time, management gained the ability to monitor job statuses, manage assets and stock, and access real-time costing reports directly through the app, eliminating paperwork and the need for collaboration across multiple systems. This focus on digitisation significantly reduced job turnaround times and overall costs.
CPAMS utilises Virtuoso, a database engine and middleware facilitating data exchange between machines. Integrated with HANSEN and Datapark systems, it enabled seamless information flow and display. XML data was transmitted via HTTPS to the Virtuoso server and saved on various channels. Depending on the system, the data was then retrieved, converted into a JDBC SQL Update statement, and applied to a MySQL server.
For the CPP website, this data was used to update the count of available car park bays, accomplishing CPP's goal of displaying real-time parking bay availability on their website.
Result
Efficient Workflows: Enhanced Operational Efficiency and Seamless Data Exchange
The strategic collaboration between CPP and Lateral resulted in a significant improvement in workflow management and data exchange. The creation of multiple channels in the Virtuoso server allowed for bidirectional communication between systems, ensuring a smooth flow of data without congestion.
Through the CPAMS solution, CPP not only achieved efficient workflow management and real-time reporting but also unlocked the capacity for seamless data exchange. This integration reduced job turnaround times, cut down costs, and enabled the real-time display of parking bay availability on CPP's website.
This transformation greatly enhanced CPP's operational efficiency, effectively equipping them to continue providing top-notch parking services while offering improved user-experience through real-time parking bay information.
Are you interested in improving workflow efficiency at your organisation? Contact the Lateral team today!
