Field teams on the map, office on the list, same work

If the pin lives in a separate GIS tool, status scatters again. In Ontra location sits on the task card. The mobile view opens the same record; photos and comments land on the card. The office sees it on the same card the next morning. A separate gallery app is not born. A field vocabulary can be planned, on the way, on site, done. The board generates columns from that record. List sorting does not delete the record. The map is a lens.

A technician does not need every project. List and map show only assigned work. `tasks.assigned_only` is the default for a field seat. The office plan does not force a milestone onto the field — linked tasks are already visible. That is not condescension; it is fine-grained access in the field. Wrong folder, wrong client site, wrong invoice — all three root in a wide role.

The field sometimes loses signal. Open the card ahead of time, keep the photo local, write it when the link returns. Ontra mobile does this with the same task id; a second “field Excel” does not appear in the office. “I couldn’t write it now, I’ll put it in Excel tonight” is hidden delay in the field. The evening row contradicts the morning board. One record kills that contradiction.

When a client writes “take a look,” chat is not a record. The request queue wants a subject, priority, location, and assignee. A repeating fault becomes a feature. A form standardizes intake. Closed work is archived, not deleted. The billable tag feeds the effort report. A separate field product, a separate support product, a separate billing Excel — all three split the record. Ontra keeps all three on the same card.

In the morning the technician opens “near me.” The pin is from the task card, not a separate GIS. They open the card, move to on-the-way. The office sees the same record on the list. On site the photo lands on the card. If signal drops the card was opened ahead of time and writes with the same id. Putting it in Excel at night is hidden delay; the row contradicts the morning board. One record kills the contradiction.

`tasks.assigned_only` is the default for a field seat. The whole project is not browsed. The office does not force a milestone onto the field; linked tasks are already visible. Wrong site, wrong invoice, wrong folder are born of a wide role. A service “take a look” is a queue, not chat: subject, priority, location, assignee. A repeating fault becomes a feature. A form standardizes intake. The billable tag feeds effort.

A field vocabulary can be planned, on the way, on site, done, billable. The board generates columns from that record. A separate field app, support product, and billing Excel split the record three ways. Ontra keeps all three on the same card. List sorting does not delete. The map is a lens. Location is a field, not a second app.

Morning near-me. The pin is from the card not GIS. On-the-way is pulled. The office sees it on the list. On site the photo lands on the card. When signal drops it writes with the same id. Evening Excel is hidden delay. assigned_only is the default. The whole project is not browsed. A milestone is not forced. Wrong site comes from a wide role. Service take-a-look is a queue. A repeating fault becomes a feature. A form standardizes. Billable feeds effort.

Vocabulary: planned on the way on site done billable. Board columns come from that record. A separate field app support billing Excel split three ways. Ontra keeps all three on the same card. The list does not delete. The map is a lens. Location is a field not a second app.

At shift end the office opens the same card. Photo comment location sit there. There is no second field truth. That is the moment the lens earns its keep.

In week one bind three field jobs with real work. Leave GIS read-only. Require photos on the card. Ban evening Excel entry. Without those three the map is a showroom.

The field sometimes loses signal. Open the card ahead of time, keep the photo local, write it when the link returns. Ontra mobile does this with the same task id; a second “field Excel” does not appear in the office.