What's new
What's new

Computer software / process question

GregSY

Diamond
Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Location
Houston
Let's pretend you run a shop which assembles a product made from 5 custom built pieces. You buy each piece from 5 different machine shops.

It's always a problem for you keeping track of how each vendor is progressing. You'd like to have a common file (Excel spreadsheet for example) that each vendor can modify at the end of each day to show how close he is to being finished with his piece. This means there would have to be some sort of website or webhosting site that they could log on to to make their changes to the common document.

Is there a company or software or?? that offers this service?
 
Do you have/run your own server? Most likely Microsoft's sharepoint services could be made to do this.

Also, there are some workflow features in exchange.

Both of these are kind of complicated if you aren't already working with them.

You could also have vendors upload and excel subfile, and then have a script that caused excel to consume it and link it into a main spreadsheet.

However, you may be asking for a consultant or ISP that does this sort of thing?

Oh, you could also search for "project tracking" software or "dependency management" software. Each build is a "project" with dependency on each vendors part.
 
It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but if you set up a webserver with a wiki program like say py-wiki, you can have a webpage document that your guys can access with a password and can all modify. It's usually used for collaborative projects like keeping several programmmers working smoothly in several different locations. As each person makes changes, the original text isn't lost, you can still view the pre-change document.
 
There is stuff out there bespoke for this job, but it can be pricey or free but awkward to set up to your requirements.

For example :-
http://workwiseinc.net/tcm-overview

And searching on freshmeat for the keyword MRP gives a few :-
http://freshmeat.net/search/?q=mrp&section=projects&Go.x=0&Go.y=0

Id suggest if your serious to think deeply about putting your requirements down clearly (Im have a difficulty understanding exactly what you looking for, but I think you want some kind of JIT inventory system that vendors can update nightly which keeps track of how many widgets made of pieces a,b,c,d and e you can make from stores), and get a consultant to assess the various packages to find one that suits you and your pocket...

Actually re reading your requirements, just a simple script on the webserver to allow some people to update a page and password protect it would do you fine, sorry I was overcomplicating the solution...
 
Last edited:
Maybe I'm oversimplifying it, but is there not free forum software rolling around out there that can be password protected? Sounds like you might want to just set up your own private "forum" unless you don't want the suppliers to know about each other....Joe
 








 
Back
Top