The App is Dead, long live the Progressive Web App

We are asked about apps all the time.  It normally comes into every conversation with a new prospect or existing client.  So we knew it was the biggest priority for us to develop a suite of apps.  Trackplan now offers three apps for facilities managers, their team of engineers and maintenance staff and the client’s end users:

– Trackplan Manager – built using Native App technology and available on Android and Apple devices.  It is intended for the central facilities and maintenance team to view and manage their reactive and planned jobs.  And soon to be extended for viewing and managing assets, job requests and electronic forms.

– Trackplan Engineer – built using Progressive Web App technology and so available on any mobile or tablet device whether Apple, Android or other.  It is intended for the engineers and contractors, to view and manage their instructed jobs from the main Trackplan CAFM and CMMS application.

– Trackplan Requestor – to be built using Progressive Web App technology and so available on any mobile or tablet device whether Apple, Android or other.  It is intended for the client’s end users such as tenants and client staff, who need an app to create job requests and work orders remotely, and view their status.

UPDATE – asset management software in both the apps  is live. Read more about asset management software here.

So we have experience of both Native App technology and the new Progressive Web App technology.  And that is why we are choosing to complete the last app “Trackplan Requestor” using Progressive Web App technology.  Why?

– A Progressive Web App is faster to develop.  It is built as a web application using HTML5  written to run in a web browser.  No need to worry about different technology requirements of each type of device.

– Publishing the app is much faster and hassle free.  As any technology house will testify, publishing the app to Apple is a pain in the neck.  With PWA, you publish to one central website – so every user downloads from the same web link, whether Apple or Android

– Trackplan Engineer developed on the Progressive Web App platform is actually faster! the HTML sits natively on the device.

– All the features that we need that a native app offers are also available to us with PWA.  For example the app working offline when out of signal and taking photos.

Sure, to be fair to native apps, they will be able to do things that PWA apps cannot.  Such as games.  But for us, Progressive Web Apps make a whole load of sense.  The native app is dead, long live the Progressive Web App!