User Story: Manufacturers Management (AX04US01)

1. Problem Statement

This user story focuses on creating a centralized system to manage equipment and component manufacturers. The primary user for this feature is the Asset Manager, who is responsible for the lifecycle, performance, and strategic procurement of all utility assets.

Primary User Role & Pain Points:

• Asset Manager:
  • Inability to Compare Performance: Lacks a simple way to track which manufacturers' assets are performing poorly or failing frequently, leading to suboptimal and costly procurement decisions.
  • Disorganized Information: No centralized repository for manufacturer contact information, causing delays when needing technical support or ordering critical parts.
  • Poor Risk Visibility: Cannot quickly assess the overall risk exposure associated with a single manufacturer's equipment across the entire utility, especially during a recall or systemic failure.
  • Ineffective Strategic Planning: Lacks a clear, aggregated view of asset condition scores by manufacturer, which hinders the development of data-driven capital replacement plans.
  • Manual Data Compilation: Spends excessive time and effort manually compiling data from disparate systems (asset registry, maintenance logs, procurement records) just to evaluate a single manufacturer's performance.

Core Problem:
For the Asset Manager, the lack of a centralized and integrated manufacturer management system results in inefficient procurement, poor strategic asset planning, and increased operational risk. They cannot easily track manufacturer performance, manage supplier information, or assess the impact of a single manufacturer on the utility's overall asset health, leading to higher long-term costs and potential service disruptions.

2. Who Is the User Facing the Problem?

While several roles like the Utility Administrator and Meter Manager will use this feature, the Asset Manager is the most important user. Their core responsibility is to make high-value, long-term decisions about the utility's physical infrastructure. This feature directly provides the strategic insights they need to perform their job effectively.

Access Control:
The Asset Manager should have full create, read, update, and deactivate permissions for this feature. Other roles like the Utility Administrator will also have full access, while roles like O&M Manager and Meter Manager will have read-only access.

3. Jobs To Be Done

• For the Asset Manager: When I need to make strategic procurement and replacement decisions, but I cannot easily compare the real-world performance, failure rates, and condition of assets from different manufacturers, help me by providing a centralized dashboard that aggregates asset data by manufacturer, so that I can invest in reliable equipment, reduce long-term operational costs, and proactively manage asset risk.

4. Solution

The proposed solution is a comprehensive Manufacturers Management module integrated within the SMART360 platform, designed primarily for the Asset Manager. This module will serve as the central, authoritative source for all information related to equipment and component manufacturers, providing the tools needed to track, analyze, and manage these critical suppliers from a strategic perspective.

Key Capability Areas:

1. Centralized Manufacturer Directory: A searchable and filterable list of all manufacturers.
2. At-a-Glance Dashboard Analytics: High-level KPI cards summarizing key metrics like total active manufacturers, manufacturers of critical assets, and those with high failure rates.
3. Detailed Manufacturer Profile: A comprehensive view for each manufacturer, including contact details, product categories, and notes.
4. Integrated Asset & Inventory View: A tabbed interface within the manufacturer profile to list all associated assets and inventory items.
5. Performance & Health Score Aggregation: The manufacturer profile displays key aggregated metrics: Total Assets, Total Inventory items, and Average Asset Condition Score.
6. Structured Data Entry & Management: A validated modal form for adding and editing manufacturer details to ensure data quality.
7. Seamless Navigation & Actions: Clickable links and clear navigation to move between the list and detailed profiles, with quick actions to edit or deactivate.

5. Major Steps Involved

User Role: Asset Manager

Flow 1: Adding a New Manufacturer

1. Navigate to Settings -> Manufacturers from the main side menu.
2. On the "Manufacturers Management" screen, click the "+ Add New Manufacturer" button.
3. The "Add New Manufacturer" modal appears.
4. Enter the Manufacturer Name (e.g., "HydroTech Systems"). The Status defaults to "Active."
5. Enter the Primary Contact Person, Contact Email, Phone Number, and Website.
6. Select the Country and relevant Product Categories (e.g., "Valve," "Pump").
7. Add any relevant information in the Notes text area.
8. Click "Save Manufacturer". The modal closes, and the main list refreshes to show the new entry.

Flow 2: Reviewing a Manufacturer's Performance for Strategic Planning

1. Navigate to Settings -> Manufacturers.
2. Use the "Search manufacturers..." bar to find a specific manufacturer (e.g., "FlowControl Inc.").
3. Click on the "FlowControl Inc." row in the table.
4. The system navigates to the "FlowControl Inc." manufacturer profile page.
5. Review the key strategic metrics: Total Assets (1,250), Total Inventory items (350), and Average Asset Condition Score (88).
6. Click on the "Assets" tab.
7. Sort the asset list by "Condition Score" in ascending order to immediately identify the poorest-performing assets from this manufacturer.
8. Filter the list by Asset Type to compare the performance of their pumps vs. their valves.
9. Based on the high Average Asset Condition Score, the Asset Manager concludes that FlowControl is a reliable supplier and can be prioritized for future purchases.

6. Flow Diagram

Flow: Asset Manager Reviews Manufacturer for Strategic Decision

7. Business Rules

This section provides a detailed breakdown of rules for every visible element on the screen.

A. Manufacturers Management (Main List View)

• Page Title ("Manufacturers Management"): Static text.
• Page Subtitle ("Manage comprehensive list..."): Static descriptive text.
• Button: "+ Add New Manufacturer":
  • Visible only to users with create/edit permissions (e.g., Asset Manager, Utility Admin).
  • Clicking this button must open the "Add New Manufacturer" modal.
• KPI Card: "Total Manufacturers"
  • Title: Static text.
  • Value (e.g., 3): This is a calculated field. Formula: COUNT(Manufacturers) where Status = 'Active'. It must update in real-time if a manufacturer's status changes or a new active one is added.
  • Subtitle ("Active manufacturers"): Static text.
• KPI Card: "Manufacturers with Critical Assets"
  • Title: Static text.
  • Value (e.g., 2): This is a calculated field. Formula: COUNT(DISTINCT ManufacturerID) for manufacturers linked to at least one asset where the Asset.IsCritical flag is TRUE.
  • Subtitle ("15+ asset types"): This appears to be descriptive text. If dynamic, it would be COUNT(DISTINCT Asset.Type) for assets linked to these manufacturers.
• KPI Card: "Manufacturers with High Failure Rates"
  • Title: Static text.
  • Value (e.g., 0): This is a calculated field. Formula: COUNT(Manufacturers) who are in the Top 5 for failure rates. The Top 5 list is determined by ranking manufacturers by the COUNT(WorkOrders) where WorkOrder.Type = 'Failure' or 'Repair' over the last 12 months.
  • Subtitle ("Top 5 tracked"): Static text indicating the scope of the metric.
• KPI Card: "New Manufacturers (Last 1 Year)"
  • Title: Static text.
  • Value (e.g., 0): This is a calculated field. Formula: COUNT(Manufacturers) where CreationDate is within the last 365 days from the current date.
  • Subtitle ("Recently added"): Static text.
• Search Bar ("Search manufacturers..."):
  • Must filter the main list table in real-time as the user types.
  • The search should apply to the Manufacturer ID and Manufacturer Name fields.
• Filter: "All Status":
  • A dropdown that filters the table.
  • Options must include "All Status", "Active", and "Inactive".
  • Default value is "All Status".
• Filter: "All Countries":
  • A dropdown that filters the table.
  • The list of countries must be dynamically populated from the Country field of all manufacturers in the database.
  • Default value is "All Countries".
• Button: "Export":
  • Must export the currently displayed (and filtered) list of manufacturers.
  • The export format should be CSV or XLSX.
• Table Column: "Manufacturer ID": Displays the unique, system-generated ID (e.g., MFG-001).
• Table Column: "Manufacturer Name": Displays the official name of the manufacturer.
• Table Column: "Primary Contact": Displays the name of the main contact person.
• Table Column: "Contact Email": Displays the email of the main contact person.
• Table Column: "Phone Number": Displays the primary phone number for the manufacturer.
• Table Column: "Website": Displays the manufacturer's website URL.
• Table Column: "Country": Displays the country where the manufacturer is based.
• Table Column: "Status":
  • Displays the current status as a visual tag.
  • "Active" must have a green background.
  • "Inactive" must have a gray or muted background.
• Table Column: "Assets Produced":
  • This is a calculated field for each row. Formula: COUNT(Assets) where Asset.ManufacturerID matches the manufacturer in that row.
• Table Column: "Actions":
  • Represented by a "..." (kebab) icon.
  • Clicking it must open a dropdown menu with options like "View Profile", "Edit", and "Deactivate/Activate".
• Pagination Controls ("Previous", "1", "2", "Next"):
  • Must be present if the total number of records exceeds the page size (e.g., 10 rows).
  • The controls must correctly navigate through the pages of the manufacturer list.

B. Add New Manufacturer (Modal View)

• Modal Title ("Add New Manufacturer"): Static text.
• Section Title ("Basic Manufacturer Information"): Static text.
• Field: "Manufacturer Name":
  • This is a mandatory text input field.
  • The system must show an error if the user tries to save without filling this.
  • Uniqueness Rule: The system must validate that the combination of Manufacturer Name and Country is not already in use.
• Field: "Status":
  • A dropdown with options "Active" and "Inactive".
  • The default value must be "Active".
• Section Title ("Contact Information"): Static text.
• Field: "Primary Contact Person": Optional text input field.
• Field: "Contact Email":
  • This is a mandatory text input field.
  • Validation Rule: The input must be a valid email format (e.g., user@example.com).
• Field: "Phone Number": Optional text input field.
• Field: "Website":
  • Optional text input field.
  • Validation Rule: If a value is entered, it must be a valid URL format.
• Field: "Country":
  • A dropdown list of all countries.
  • This is an optional field.
• Section Title ("Product Categories & Notes"): Static text.
• Field: "Product Categories":
  • A multi-select dropdown.
  • The list of categories must be predefined and managed by a Utility Administrator to ensure consistency.
• Field: "Notes": An optional, multi-line text area for additional information.
• Button: "Cancel": Must close the modal without saving any changes.
• Button: "Save Manufacturer":
  • Must trigger validation on all fields.
  • On successful validation, it saves the new manufacturer record to the database, closes the modal, and refreshes the main list.

C. Manufacturer Profile (Detail View)

• Navigation Link ("< Back to Manufacturers List"): Must navigate the user back to the main list view, preserving any filters they had set.
• Profile Header ("FlowControl Inc." and "Active" tag): Displays the Manufacturer Name and Status tag, styled consistently with the main list.
• Section Title ("Manufacturer Profile"): Static text.
• Data Field: "Manufacturer ID": Displays the unique ID.
• Data Field: "Manufacturer Name": Displays the name.
• Data Field: "Primary Contact Person": Displays the contact name.
• Data Field: "Contact Email":
  • Displays the email address.
  • Action Rule: This must be a mailto: link that opens the user's default email client.
• Data Field: "Phone Number":
  • Displays the phone number.
  • Action Rule: On mobile devices, this should be a tel: link to initiate a call.
• Data Field: "Website":
  • Displays the website URL.
  • Action Rule: This must be a clickable link that opens the website in a new browser tab.
• Data Field: "Country": Displays the country name.
• Data Field: "Product Categories": Displays the selected categories as individual tags (e.g., "Valve", "Pump").
• Data Field: "Notes": Displays the text from the notes field.
• KPI Metric: "Total Assets from this MFG"
  • Value (e.g., 1,250): Calculated field. Formula: COUNT(Assets) where Asset.ManufacturerID = current manufacturer.
• KPI Metric: "Total Inventory items from this MFG"
  • Value (e.g., 350): Calculated field. Formula: SUM(Inventory.StockOnHand) for all inventory items where Inventory.ManufacturerID = current manufacturer.
• KPI Metric: "Average Asset Condition Score"
  • Value (e.g., 88): Calculated field. Formula: AVG(Asset.ConditionScore) for all assets linked to this manufacturer. If there are no assets, this should display "N/A".
• Quick Actions Box:
  • Button: "Edit Manufacturer": Must open the "Edit Manufacturer" modal, which is identical to the "Add" modal but pre-filled with the current manufacturer's data.
  • Button: "Deactivate": If the manufacturer is active, this button is shown. Clicking it prompts the user with a confirmation ("Are you sure you want to deactivate this manufacturer?"). On confirmation, the status is changed to "Inactive".
  • Button: "Activate": (Not shown, but implied) If the manufacturer is inactive, this button should appear instead of "Deactivate".
  • Button: "Contact Manufacturer": This could be a shortcut that opens the user's email client, pre-filled with the manufacturer's contact email.
• Tabs ("Assets", "Inventory Items"):
  • These tabs allow the user to switch between viewing associated assets and inventory parts.
  • The "Assets" tab must be selected by default when the page loads.
• Asset/Inventory List Controls: All search bars and filters within these tabs operate independently and only apply to the list below them.

8. Sample Data

Manufacturer List Data:

Manufacturer Profile Data (for FlowControl Inc.):

• Assets Tab:
  | Asset ID | Asset Name | Asset Type | Location | Status | Condition Score | Risk Score | Last PM Date |
  | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
  | VALV-005 | Main Line Gate Valve | Valve | Main Depot, WH1 | Operational | 85 | 63 | 2025-06-01 |
  | PUMP-012 | Centrifugal Water Pump | Pump | Station A | Under Maintenance | 72 | 78 | 2025-05-15 |
• Inventory Items Tab:
  | Item ID | Item Name | Category | Stock On Hand | Unit Cost | Last Ordered Date |
  | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
  | GASK-015 | Gasket (6-inch Flange) | Gaskets & Seals | 50 | $15.00 | 2025-06-10 |
  | VALV-PART-001 | Valve Seat Ring | Valve Components | 25 | $45.00 | 2025-05-28 |

9. Acceptance Criteria

1. The system must allow a user with appropriate permissions to add a new manufacturer.
2. The system must generate a unique, sequential Manufacturer ID for each new manufacturer.
3. The system must require Manufacturer Name and Contact Email when adding a new manufacturer.
4. The system must validate that the Contact Email and Website fields are in the correct format.
5. The system must display a list of all manufacturers in a table with all columns as specified in the screenshot.
6. The system must allow users to search the manufacturer list by name and ID.
7. The system must allow users to filter the manufacturer list by Status and Country.
8. The system must provide an option to Export the filtered manufacturer list to a CSV file.
9. The system must navigate to a detailed profile page when a user clicks on a manufacturer row.
10. The system must display all the manufacturer's profile information and make the email and website clickable links.
11. The system must display the correct calculated values for Total Assets, Total Inventory items, and Average Asset Condition Score on the profile page.
12. The system must provide "Quick Actions" to Edit Manufacturer, Deactivate, and Contact Manufacturer.
13. The system must display a list of all associated assets under an "Assets" tab on the profile page.
14. The system must display a list of all associated inventory items under an "Inventory Items" tab on the profile page.
15. The system must allow searching and filtering within the "Assets" and "Inventory Items" lists on the profile page.
16. The system must prevent a user from deleting a manufacturer. Deactivation should be the only removal option.
17. The system must correctly calculate and display the four KPI cards on the main management page based on their defined formulas.
18. The system must update the Assets Produced count in the main list whenever an asset is associated with that manufacturer.
19. The system must render the "Active" and "Inactive" status tags with distinct colors (green and gray).
20. The system must provide a confirmation prompt before a user deactivates a manufacturer.

10. Process Changes

11. Impact from Solving This Problem

12. User Behavior Tracking

Primary User Role: Asset Manager

Wireframe

Link