The value of connected worker platforms

What is a connected worker platform?

Connected worker platforms (CWPs) are innovative digital tools that employers can use to monitor, manage, and integrate their processes and teams. Business leaders using CWPs can gain a comprehensive, end-to-end view of industrial processes across their organization while improving the experience, safety, and productivity of workers. More broadly, CWPs facilitate high-level communication, collaboration, guidance, and support between stakeholders.

CWPs enhance various aspects of field processes through a combination of connected, intelligent, automated, and integrated technologies. These platforms are already transforming how workers operate across sectors like manufacturing, construction, energy, and mining and have the potential to revolutionize virtually every modern industry.

The use cases of CWPs are numerous. For example, managers tasked with overseeing a distributed workforce can use connected worker solutions to track and boost employee performance from a centralized platform while ensuring that all in-house technologies are operational and corporate processes are correctly followed.

Research firm Gartner reports that the connected worker market is already worth over $3 billion annually and will triple in the coming years.

The technology behind connected worker platforms

Connected worker platforms vary in technology approach, application areas, and scalability. They can use sensors, wearables, mobile apps, or centralized platforms, and can be applied to maintenance, quality inspection, assembly, audits, and occupational health and safety. Solutions can be tailored to small, medium, and large organizations.

Some of the core technologies powering the modern CWP include:

• Platforms for app design & process control,
• Interfaces for immersive interaction,
• Smart Sensors and IoT for real-time data,
• Cloud & Edge Computing for analysis & faster response time.

Why connected worker platforms are worthwhile investments

The modern workplace is changing rapidly. Remote, hybrid, and distributed workforces are increasingly becoming the norm across sectors. The emergence of new high-tech tools has boosted the importance of training employees in technological systems and processes. At the same time, generational churn makes it necessary to create an efficient way for veteran workers to share and pass down their knowledge and expertise to newcomers.

Connected worker platforms allow management to tackle these various challenges by ensuring that an organization’s knowledge, processes, and human capital remain at all times integrated, up-to-date, and resilient.

How to approach building a connected worker platform

To build the right connected worker solution for your organization, you should address the following questions.

Who will be connected using the platform?

Identifying the workers you need to integrate more fully is the first step in evaluating connected worker technologies. This will help you access their needs, desired outcomes, and potential roadblocks early, setting a foundation for the solution review process.

Which tasks will be improved by connectivity?

Consider what your workers need to do to successfully complete their tasks and how connectivity can enable them to perform them more effectively. For example, will they need their hands for their work? What tools and materials are necessary at every station? It's important to go beyond the generalities of "assembly" or "machine maintenance" and consider the specifics of the job.

Which systems are your workers currently embedded in?

Understanding the larger processes the workers are part of is crucial. This includes the software they interact with, as well as the sensors, machinery, and IoT devices involved. Figuring this out early can simplify the introduction of new technologies by helping you efficiently integrate them into existing systems.

Where are the vulnerabilities in the current system?

Human error is often a consequence of poor system design. By identifying where workers are making mistakes and the root causes of those mistakes, you can protect workers against the most common forms of human error. This will also help in designing solutions that address the specific vulnerabilities in the system.

What additional visibility is needed?

Connected worker solutions are not just about making humans more efficient. They are also important for creating a record of human action. Consider what data will make a positive impact on your operations, and how you intend to use it. By collecting the data that matters most, connected worker solutions can provide insights and improve decision-making across the organization.

Conclusion

Connected worker platforms are revolutionizing the way workers operate across sectors. This solution not only offers intelligent guidance and remote support to modern teams, it also allows managers to maintain a clear-eyed view of all activities within their organization.

As digital technology transforms how we perform, monitor, and measure our work, organizations that invest in staying ahead of the curve and ensuring total workplace transparency will be rewarded in the long term.

The U+ Method can efficiently and effectively lead the development, implementation, and improvement of innovations in any sector. To date, we have used this method to bring 100+ products to market, creating over $2 billion in value for Fortune 1000 companies. Check out U+ success stories here.