Product Updates: December 2020

In an effort to ensure you are always up to date on the latest additions, improvements, and changes to your ARC system, we’ve started our new Product Updates series. We will show you the new features available to you now, as well as the exciting upcoming releases.

Recent Updates

ARC App

Version 1.5 and 1.5.1 of the ARC App have been released. These updates made a number of changes, most notably to the ARCrisk module. Released on the web version of ARC last month, the new RAT Approval process, which allows supervisors to Approve medium and high-risk assessments, is now available on the App.

Along with this update is the addition of a status column, so you can track where each assessment is within its process. This brings the benefits of the updates released last month to the mobile version so your teams can use the features while on the go and/or away from Wi-Fi access.

Additionally, all available risk assessment templates, including custom templates are now available on the App. Operators with risk assessments for maintenance, drone operations, etc. can access those along with the flight risk assessment directly form the App. Operators with multiple risk assessments will now have a drop-down menu available to them, much like they do on the web-based version.

If you don’t have the ARC App yet, be sure to download it.

ARCrisk

The team has improved the flow of this module by updating the system so when a risk assessment is saved as a draft, you are now redirected to the risk assessments list. Previously you simply remained in the current assessment. This new flow will provide clearer confirmation that the assessment has been saved as a draft and return you to a point where you can see the full risk assessment list.

Additionally, users can now also delete their own draft risk assessments, so you don’t have extra unnecessary assessments cluttering your system.

ARCmetrics

The Project Bingo beta test has closed with the completion of Mission 2 & 3. These missions tested a number of new dashboard items and 2 new metrics. Our team is working on some final changes and are working on rolling these updates out.

Users will now have the ability to delete, reorder, and add metrics to their dashboards. Additionally, they can now see user logins by week and last login time by user. This will provide administrators and teams with one way of measuring company engagement in the SMS system.

Upcoming Updates

ARCmetrics

Coming up in the next two months

Metrics continues its overhaul with phase 1.2 of the project. We are in the final legs of releasing an updated metrics UI with new features. This will include additional filters for existing metrics, such as the ability to filter submissions by the type of form. Additionally, the ability to select custom date ranges is being expanded for all metrics.

Scheduled for the beginning Q2 of next year

The ARCmetrics module will be going into its second and largest phase of the update project to date. This is an update that has been most anticipated by you and us. This launch will include the rare SMS functionality of being able to define your own custom metrics. Operators will be able to decide what data to track and analyze based on what makes the most sense for them and what best supports their organizational goals.

Additionally, this will tie into the release of the just launched tagging system of ARCreport, as operators will be able to create custom metrics using the tagging feature. If you aren’t using the tagging feature yet, this is why you should start now.

Lastly, we are working on laying the groundwork for development of a Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) tool that will allow operators to set and track SPIs. This is another customer requested feature that we will be working on next year.

Home Page

We are working on a major update to our home page and overall UI. The home page will provide valuable information at a glance and will serve as your new home base for communications, completing tasks, and an overview of your department from a safety perspective. These updates will make the home page itself an even more useful tool just like the other modules.

ARCreport

We are working on improving the flow of several forms in ARCreport to allow for greater flexibility. Improved flows will include the option for operators to allow the assignee for the Management Review stage to reject a form and re-assign it to the safety officer for further review.

This promotes collaboration when needed, while keeping the process automated and within the digital ecosystem. New form customizations will also be available, such as the ability for a field to show or remain hidden based on answers to questions previously asked in the form. There will also be a new way of organizing forms using grid layouts, making the forms more visually friendly and easier to use.

The change management form will also be getting an update so that whoever is chosen as the implementer at the management review stage will be the only person who can close/complete the form at the final, review for effectiveness stage. This will ensure a proper closed communication loop and that a form is not accidentally marked as completed before the implementer has ensured the project is actually completed.

ARCaudit

We are currently testing an improvement to ARCaudit which allows co-auditors to save comments on open audits, where previously only one of the parties could comment. This makes completing audit tasks more efficient as co-auditors will no longer have to relay information to each other. We are also working on a rollback function for audits that will allow auditors to rollback an audit to a previous stage. The benefit being that it improves user control over the system, so you can move a process back if you later discover the need for additional action in a previous step.