CAP Talk

Operations => Tools of the trade => Topic started by: a2capt on June 12, 2011, 05:59:30 PM

Title: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: a2capt on June 12, 2011, 05:59:30 PM
Can SIMS perform things like in/out processing, funds paid, paperwork submitted/checked, etc. for a training event?

I've got a set of Excel documents now, duplicated in the Cloud but I'd prefer that to be a fallback and to do it locally on something else.

I guess the custom stuff like funds, submitted forms, etc, can still be tracked in parallel on a spreadsheet. What I'm really after is some nicer way to generate a certificate at the end of the event, too. Nicer than just typing a name on a document and printing, change name, print, repeat loop.
Title: Re: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: lordmonar on June 12, 2011, 07:13:21 PM
Sort of like using an aircraft carrier to cross over a river....but you could.

When they send in their paper work enter them into SIMS as INACTIVE.
Use the dues function to track their funds paid.
When they check in change them to ACTIVE and back to INACTIVE when they check out.

I think a simpler excell spread sheet would do the same thing with out all the extras that come with SIMS.

Printing certificates is fairly easy from excell.
Title: Re: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: Eclipse on June 12, 2011, 11:11:03 PM
Use the encampment management system from NYWG. 

It is highly and easily customizable and if you have access to an access guy can be just about anything you want.

http://www.burns-computing.com/emp/index.shtml

Title: Re: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: a2capt on June 13, 2011, 04:22:30 AM
Heh.. aircraft carrier to cross a river. :)

Encampment Management.. that probably pretty much has to cover it. Never knew that existed.. thanks for the tip :)
Title: Re: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: Slim on June 13, 2011, 05:39:12 AM
Second on using NYWG's program.  I've used it for our encampment a couple of times (upwards of 300 attendees), and it really takes all the headaches out of it.

Registration/data entry is a bit cumbersome, unless you can get a CAPWATCH download for the level of the activity.  With that, just enter the CAPID, and all the info is populated from the CAPWATCH files.  It tracks payments in/out, logistics, medical info, and has report features that will-among others-automatically generate encampment/attendance reports, and print certificates of accomplishment.
Title: Re: SIMS for Activity Management?
Post by: Robborsari on June 13, 2011, 04:19:08 PM
IMU will allow you to use ICS methods to manage your activity.  Probably overkill for your needs unless you use it already for ES stuff.