Operator Virtual Log for the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Record keeping is critical. If you’ve ever worked at a “plant”, whether it be a water/wastewater treatment plant, a power plant, or an oil or gas plant, the operators and maintenance team at these plants keep a dedicated daily log. In my experience, these logs are primarily paper-based. But why? It’s because there is no good (or easy) software to manage these virtual logs. So, while working as an Operator at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I elected to learn the Google Sheets Programming language & to create a custom virtual daily log. This log mirrored the paper log that previously existed, so it was easy to use, but it is able to do much more. At the end of each day, it automatically stores the log & clears a new form. The stored log entries can be searched, which ends the need to filter through thousands of pages of daily log entries. The operator is also able to set reminders that pop up on a certain day as well as highlight notes that are specific to certain shifts. Finally, instead of finishing a task and then hiking down to the old hand-written log, users can access the virtual log on their phones and make an entry DURING that task. It has ultimately led to more log entries, which helps the whole organization.

When implementing something new to staff that have been doing the same thing for years, training is critical. I hosted several training sessions for my peers to ensure that they knew and approved of this concept. They loved the idea & have been now using this log for over a year. Still today, I maintain this log and train new hires when necessary. Below are some screenshots of the log & how it is used.