FMS Client: HVAC

Meeting summary and major takeaways 

1. Nature of HVAC Work

Jason described his work as highly reactive and variable:

• Issues arise unexpectedly (e.g., leaks, temperature complaints, equipment failures)

• Urgent Priority (UP) calls require immediate responses

• Preventative maintenance is ongoing but difficult due to staffing shortages

“You come in and don’t know what happened overnight.”

Additionally, staffing shortages (currently ~2.5 workers instead of 4) make it difficult to keep up with both urgent and preventative work.

2. Communication is Fragmented and Inefficient

Communication systems exist but are inconsistently used:

• Texting and phone calls are most common

• Google Chat is used for broader communication

• EZMaxMobile exists but workers operate independently

Key issue:

• Workers don’t consistently communicate updates, leading to inefficiencies

“Communication is pretty bad… people don’t take the time to update each other.”

3. Major Pain Point: Transporting Tools and Equipment

A critical recurring issue was the difficulty of transporting tools:

• Workers walk everywhere across campus carrying tools and equipment often requiring multiple trips

• Ladders are especially problematic:

  • Hard to carry alone

  • Difficult to find (no tracking system)

  • Sometimes taken by others or contractors

This creates:

• Time inefficiency

• Physical strain

• Delays in urgent repairs

4. Lack of Resource Tracking and Organization

Another key issue is lack of accountability and tracking:

• No system to track ladder locations

• Shared tools frequently go missing

• No centralized real-time visibility

Potential opportunity:

• A tracking or visibility system for shared equipment

5. Environmental Constraints

Work is constrained by:

• Class schedules (rooms unavailable at certain times)

• Crowded campus transitions (between classes)

• Elevators and stair limitations when moving equipment

“Worst walk is during class changes when hallways are so crowded.”

These constraints are not always known in advance, leading to wasted trips.

6. Technical Challenges with Systems

Jason highlighted issues with outdated and complex systems:

• Older HVAC control systems still exist

• Limited access to certain control settings

• Poor documentation of parts and systems

To compensate:

• Workers rely on:

  • Prior experience

  • Existing parts

  • Google/vendor support

Main Identified Opportunity Areas

From the discussion, several potential problem areas emerged:

High-potential focus areas:

• Ladder transport (handle, strap, portability solution)

• Equipment tracking (especially ladders)

• Tool carrying efficiency

• Spatial awareness / navigation challenges

• Reducing repeated trips

Your thoughts after holding the meeting and discussing as a team 

Tiffany: I found the meeting to be very insightful and a lot different from what I expected. We went in with a set list of questions that we wanted to ask, but we ended up asking many many follow up questions sometimes leading into different directions. For example, we had a whole discussion about ladders and how Jason wanted to find a device that helped him carry ladders around campus. He also discussed with us how ladders go missing, and that there is a lack of ladders problem in his job, which is a problem that technically we could not solve for him. But this discussion was insightful and allow us to better understand how we can serve him as students. The interview allowed us to have additional follow up questions regarding other areas of potential improvements, such as communication systems or even something less UXUI design.

Tim: I thought that the meeting was pretty helpful and provided us a lot of information to work with. We received very detailed answers for all of our questions, and by the end of the interview we had a clear picture of how his daily routine goes and what he does in HVAC. For example, one of our biggest takeaways was the role of communication in his work. Each member of the team works by themself most of the time, and works within a specific area of the school. Beyond that there isn't much communication within each day. Another big challenge is the lack of a system to track ladders, which causes Jason to bring a ladder with him everywhere he goes. Although we can't really help with this problem within the scope of the project, there are meaningful ways to alleviate other parts of his work to make this problem less severe. With the information we got from the interview, we decided to email him with follow-up questions to see if there's a specific direction towards which we could help. 

Jessica: The meeting was overall very productive and largely followed our planned agenda, allowing us to gather detailed insights into the interviewee’s daily workflow and challenges. Our structured roles helped keep the conversation organized, while still giving us flexibility to explore unexpected but valuable topics, especially around tool transport and communication issues. One of the biggest strengths of the meeting was how clearly we were able to identify specific, actionable pain points, particularly the difficulty of carrying ladders and tools across campus. However, in hindsight, we could have asked more targeted follow-up questions to better quantify these problems and prioritize which issues impact the interviewee the most. There were also moments where we could have more deliberately steered the conversation toward narrowing down a single focus area. As a team, we felt the meeting gave us a strong foundation, and moving forward, we would aim to ask more precise, evaluative questions and validate potential solutions more directly during the conversation.