More focus on core tasks
How Automation Optimizes O&M Processes
by Dirk Brockmeyer, Managing Director tabtool GmbH
Manual handovers, media disruptions and administrative loops slow down the day-to-day operations in O&M. This article explains how automated workflows in TabTool eliminate routine tasks, relieve skilled workers and optimize the entire process chain from defect recording to invoicing.
9:40 a.m., a windy Wednesday. Two service technicians are standing at a string inverter in a 15 MWp solar park. The job is clear: check the fault pattern, replace connectors, document the functional test. After an hour, everything is done.
In the past, the second, administrative part of the work would have followed now: reporting the job as completed to project management, answering queries and, sometime after finishing the fieldwork, compile a report from the photos and notes taken on-site at the desk. This report would then be sent to the client and serve as the basis for invoicing for the accounting department. This was a process that often dragged on for days, unnecessarily prolonged by media disruptions and follow-up questions.
Today, the service professionals in the field simply set the status of the job to "completed" in the TabTool app. And then, at first, nothing happens – at least nothing visible.
In the background, however, this single click triggers a cascade of automated processes that initiate the entire chain of follow-up tasks:
- The department head automatically receives a notification with a link to the job documentation for final review.
- As soon as the job is confirmed as "closed," TabTool generates the final report and the accounting department receives an email: "Job XYZ can now be invoiced."
- In parallel, analyses and dashboards are updated in real-time.
A process that previously could easily create a delay of several days between technical completion and commercial closing now often reaches the "Ready-to-Invoice" status on the very same day.
The Invisible Helpers: What’s Behind Automation Workflows
The logic behind such automated processes is based on “If-Then rules,” which we at TabTool call “Workflows.” Let’s look at the three building blocks that make up automation workflows:
1. The Trigger (The “If”): What initiates the automation? This could be a changed status (“Job completed”), a new value in a form field, reaching a date, or linking a contact.
2. The Condition (optional): Under what circumstances should the workflow actually start? For example, only for defects in the “Safety-relevant” category or only if the executing employee has a specific role.
3. The Action (The “Then”): What exactly should happen? This ranges from displaying a pop-up message to auto-filling fields, sending notifications or generating entire reports.
These building blocks form the foundation on which our customers create their own workflows — perfectly tailored to their processes — without needing programming skills. For more complex automation, multiple workflows can be chained together.
Live Insights into TabTool PV O&M
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From Practice: How Automation Simplifies Daily O&M
Theory is one thing, but lived practice is another. I would like to share some examples of how TabTool users optimize processes and minimize friction with self-defined workflows:
Secure Defect Recording: Consistent Quality Through Automation
One of our customers configured the following workflow to ensure that every single defect is documented flawlessly: When a checkpoint in an inspection or maintenance checklist is marked as defective, a message appears: "Please create a defect report and take at least two photos." A simple rule with a huge impact on data quality.
Even more impressive is a solution implemented by the O&M subsidiary of a large IPP. The process:
1. The technician in the field selects the defect category and type in the digital defect form.
2. The workflow then automatically fills in the fields for the defect description, recommended action, and required tools – of course, matching the selected defect type and based on the knowledge of the most experienced technicians. If the situation on-site deviates from the standard, the information in the digital defect recording form can be easily adjusted.
The Head of O&M said after the implementation: "Today, our most experienced people don't just write concepts anymore; they write workflows that everyone can use. What used to be a matter of individual routine is now systematically anchored." I call that knowledge management that reaches directly into the field. And for the organization it means: quality in series without overburdening people.
Safety Management on the Side: Occupational Safety Through Digital Processes
Another O&M team connects internal time tracking with an ESG process: When work time is recorded at a plant, a workflow automatically reports all persons present via email to the responsible department. This has two effects: First, safety management is no longer an "additional" task but happens on the side. Second, in an emergency, it's immediately clear who is on-site.
More focus: Creating Space for the Core Business
The examples mentioned make it clear: Automated processes are not substitutes for skilled workers, but their support system. In an environment characterized by time pressure, changing conditions and safety requirements, they provide structure. They are the invisible assistant that ensures deadlines are met, reports are created without gaps and the right people are informed – without anyone having to remember to do it. The goal: less mental load, more focus on what matters – professional execution.
Decisions remain where they belong: with the professionals in the field and the managers in the office. Digital workflows only take over what no one will miss: routine, repetition and follow-up.
From Operational Benefit to Strategic Advantage
The value of automation lies not only in relieving service professionals. For O&M companies, it is also a key to making processes scalable and strengthening strategic management capabilities. The leverage that automatic workflows offer at the management level is shown in these key advantages:
- Accelerated cash flow: Shorter cycles from job completion to invoicing improve liquidity.
- Increased efficiency & employee retention: Routine tasks are automated, allowing O&M specialists to concentrate on their core competency: technical maintenance. This not only increases productivity but also team satisfaction.
- Knowledge retention & risk minimization: When the knowledge of the most experienced employees flows into standardized processes, it becomes available to everyone. This speeds up onboarding, reduces the error rate and minimizes costly rework and warranty risks.
- Full transparency & better planning: Transparent, data-driven processes provide a reliable basis for financial and resource planning.
„But We Don’t Have Time to Set This Up“
I hear this often – and I can understand the sentiment. But the experience of our customers shows: Those who take a few hours to address the biggest points of friction with a workflow will feel how processes run more smoothly after a very short time.
My recommendation for a pragmatic start:
- 1. Identify three pain points: Ask the team: "Which three routine tasks are the most annoying every day?" (e.g., deadline reminders, job status communication, photo requirements).
- 2. Build a mini-catalog of workflows: Create simple if-then rules for exactly these points (e.g., for pop-up notifications, auto-filling forms, automated notifications).
- 3. Test and roll out: Try the workflows with a small crew first and gather feedback. This way, you can make adjustments if needed before rolling out the automated processes for the entire team.
The crucial point is: It doesn't require a major overhaul. Automation workflows attach themselves to what teams in a CMMS software like TabTool already do – setting statuses, capturing data, taking photos, tracking work time.
Conclusion: Automation Creates Space and Secures Growth
The technical operations management of PV plants is a demanding business that relies on the expertise and judgment of skilled professionals. The biggest challenge is often not the technical complexity, but the administrative effort that ties up this expertise. This is exactly where intelligent automation comes in: It does not aim to replace humans, but to empower them.
By handing over recurring, rule-based tasks to digital workflows, we create space. Space for concentrating on complex diagnostics, for forward-looking planning, and for personal communication with the customer. This makes every service call more profitable, as the non-billable time for administration is drastically reduced. This gained efficiency is the foundation for healthy growth: O&M service providers can expand their plant portfolio without having to increase internal administrative costs to the same extent – a decisive factor for the scalability of your business model.
The goal should be for the service professionals in the field to say: "I can concentrate on the technical side – the rest happens automatically." When this is achieved, automated processes not only reduce the error rate and increase process speed, but they fundamentally change how work feels.
This is particularly crucial in an industry struggling with a shortage of skilled workers. You don't want to frustrate good people with administrative tasks, but rather retain them with an environment that supports and empowers them. Workflows are a big, quiet lever in this regard
