Between January 2017 and December 2020, Devinium delivered a series of fundamental upgrades to ArborPlan, a highly specialised national tree management platform. ArborPlan is sold as a service, with a single data platform powering both office and field operations.
Problem
Office and field teams worked in separate systems that did not talk to each other. Field staff completed assessments on paper or in a basic mobile app. Office staff then re-entered the same data into the main system.
There was no real-time visibility of job status. Clients called the office for progress updates, but staff had no way to answer without contacting the field crew.
Previous approaches
They bought an off-the-shelf field management app. It didn't match their workflows for tree assessments and job scheduling. The app was designed for general trades, not arboriculture.
They also tried the desktop system's mobile version. It was too slow and clunky for field use. Field crews stopped using it within weeks.
Solution
We built a single database that powered four interfaces: an office portal, a field app, a client portal, and a reporting dashboard. One data model, four interfaces. Each interface was designed around the people using it.
Field staff captured assessments on their phones. The data appeared in the office system immediately. Clients could check job status without calling the office. Management gained visibility across the entire operation.
Outcome
Real-time data was available across every tool. Double entry was eliminated. Field assessments appeared in the office system the moment they were submitted. Clients checked their own job status through the portal instead of calling the office.