Disaster And Incident Command System

Disaster system and structure works and quick respond.There is a disaster in waiting every moment, so it is of utmost importance to have a system in place that would tackle the challenges faced during any such emergency and provide the required help to the people in need.

This system needs to be available in all the departments of a particular business, practice and residential or commercial structures to make them foolproof from any emergency that can occur at any given time. Also, this system must have all the required equipments and people to pull off a rescue operation with high success percentage.

One such system which is followed in the US is called the Incident Command Structure or System (ICS). The ICS is particularly defined as a method that takes care of the 3C's (control, coordination and command) during an emergency. It could be better explained in a better way as a structure containing predefined rules, a certain number of experts, a fully equipped facility and processes which are used all together to cater response to emergencies of any complexity and type.

The Incident Command System is a well tested and trusted form of managing and reducing the damage caused by an uncalled for emergency. This method of limiting damage has been successfully used by many government and non-government structures, including hospitals and military. The system has also proved its worth in a lot of businesses as well. The major role of ICS is to significantly narrow down the damage caused to property and people during a case of an emergency as well as non-emergency disaster.

The ICS looks majorly into the planning, command, logistics, administration and operations during any particular emergency. Every part of the system is handled by an expert personnel, who takes care of the proper working of his respective are of interest. First of all there is the Planning Section Chief who collects all the required information from every other department and thus constructs a plan of action. Then, there is the incident commander who directs every person and every action. The logistic Chief caters to providing relief material at the facility in question.

The administration Chief looks into the finances during any emergency operation. While the Operation's Chief handles the staff and the residents of the facility in need of emergency help. Apart from these people, there are several others as well who get the operation rolling and inform the media and outside world about the happenings.

Importance Of Time Expense (T&E) Management System

Over the years, time and expense management systems have become an essential part of all sizes of organizations. Employees need to accurately keep track of their work hour schedules so that the organization gets paid by the clients for the dedicated amount of time and expenses for their projects. As the organization keeps growing, the employee strength increases and so does the number and variety of projects handled by the employees. Inevitably, it becomes a headache for the organization to allocate and optimize resources with considerable visibility to fetch the maximum output as well as to maintain the account receivables with utmost accuracy.

There lies the importance for a time and expense (T&E) management system. This kind of a system can help an organization to effectively manage T&E entries and timely generate the invoices in order to keep the cash inflow running. An efficient application can keep track of all the work hours based on tasks, projects and/or resources for a particular client in order to bill the clients correctly and timely. It can also contribute to streamline the work flow at various levels of running projects. Organizations, big or small, are increasingly turning up to third party providers or for in-house development team to implement T&E management system as per organizational structure and project requirements. There exist a number of such application products in the market that enable single users as well as organizations to manage their project schedules and invoicing data efficiently.

 Employees, however, do not always feel free to use these applications. Most of the time, it takes a whole new system for them to understand thoroughly before they can actually fill the time sheets up online. Often the T&E applications are complex and difficult to interpret for the users. It requires a lot of time to first learn the system and then completing the process on a regular basis. Most of the employees consider this tasks as out of their project scope and nothing but waste of time.

Therefore, it is important for organizations to opt for a system that is simple and easy to use. It should have rich functionality to track time and expenses incurred in projects, separately and together. There should be some efficient tools to analyze the data stored in the system so that it can keep track of all invoiced and un-invoiced T&E entries and accordingly bill the clients for UN-invoiced time and expense sheets. For example, an effective dashboard view can help to slice and dice all the data and make reports of invoiced and un-invoiced T&E entries based on different parameters. Also, convenience is very important for such a system. As employees have to submit time sheets on a regular basis, it is essential that they can add, save and submit T&E entries as well as upload any necessary document/file without any hassles.

Currently existing web-based or browser-based systems have some restrictions when it comes to convenience and user experience. Such a system asks for certain hardware and software requirements. Employees can full up time sheets only while working in office network. But if an employee is working out of office or in some other remote place, he/she may not be able to log in to the system and submit time sheets.

This difficulty can be overcome by newly emerging cloud based systems. A cloud based system requires no upfront investment. A computer with Internet connection will suffice. The system can be accessed anytime anywhere as it demands no software or hardware. All the data is stored in the cloud and can be freely accessed. Employees, irrespective of where they are working from, can simply log in to a computer or a mobile and can submit time sheets on a regular basis. A cloud based application can offer all these advantages in order to optimize the time tracking and invoicing process with minimal complexity. The only
constraint for a cloud application is that some big organizations who deal with huge resources find it not secure enough to rely upon.

Organizations of varied sizes are increasingly adopting time and expense management applications into their systems. Even individual professionals and freelancers who work alone or in small groups are understanding the importance of such a tool that can help them to collaborate more effectively with the clients and keep the payment system more transparent. And with the ever growing complexity of organizational hierarchy and increase in clientele, cloud based applications are sure to make a big impression in near future in addressing the time sheet and billing management issues in organizations. Proper running and record management system.

Identity Badge System For Security Purpose

ID badge systems can be a convenient way to monitor the occasions that people enter and leave the building without having to look over tedious sign-in sheets or even other antiquated techniques. Not only can they be used to track exactly how people move all through your building, they will also serve as an all-purpose pass card. One such example on this versatility is the all-in-one student card that allows students to enter the campus, obtain food from the on-campus store, or check out materials from the library. The possibilities pertaining to ID cards are unlimited today. 

ID Badge systems are easy to implement and affordable, making it easier for you to monitor how people are moving throughout the workplace. There are many card printers available on the market today. It really depends on your individual needs as to what sort of printer you should buy. You should consider some of the following points before investing in a printer: 

- Why are you printing id cards? Are they required for a small businesses or a college? 

- How many cards will you need to print? If you need to print in bulk you will need a specific type of printer. If you are only going to print a few cards then you can purchase a smaller printer. There are three main types of ID badge printers: Value, Standard, and Premium, with Value being the most economic up to Premium which is one of the most robust and versatile ID badge printers on the market. 

- Would you like to print both sides on the card? Some id badge cards only offer single-side production, while these usually are cheaper, it might be necessary to get double-sided printing. You should definitely know which one you need. 

- What kind of encoding features do you need from your ID badge printer? Depending on the level of security needed, there are multiple options you can choose. Bar codes are one of the easiest options for encoding. 

The ID badge software includes the bar code technology. Some cards possess a magnetic stripe that allows data to be stored around the magnetic band located on the back of the card. Credit and debit cards will often have this option. Even more advanced smart cards include Contact and Contact less cards. These cards enable you to store more advanced data, such seeing that encrypted certificates. 

There are many advantages to using ID badge systems in your workplace, school, or apartment complex.

Aquaponics Project sustainable Food Production System

Aquaponics or pisciponics, is a sustainable food production system that combines traditional aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as snails, fish, crayfish or prawns in tanks) with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In aquaculture, effluents accumulate in the water, increasing toxicity for the fish. This water is led to a hydroponic system where the by-products from the aquaculture are broken down by nitrogen fixing bacteria, then filtered out by the plants as vital nutrients, after which the cleansed water is recirculated back to the animals.

Clifford Chin has a small aquaponics project in Charlotte, NC. He says:
"It's like growing plants on steroids," said Chin. "The vegetables grow three to four times faster than what you put in the ground. You can actually eat here on Friday and come back on Monday and see the difference in size."

Environmentally the basic idea is to have a closed system in which the fish eat the plants. The wastes excreted by the fish are converted by microbes and bacteria into a nutrient that is consumed by the plants. The plants then are eaten by the fish. This is environmentally good and sustainable but has no advantage since neither the fish nor the plants could be eaten by humans to remain sustainable. The modified aquaponics model is to feed the fish with an external supply of food. The fish grow and at the same time excrete wastes that are converted to plant nutrients that grow the plants that are also eaten by humans. The advantage is that we get fish to eat and the nutrients from the fish waste efficiently grows plant food that we can eat. All of this without the use of chemical fertilizers.

There are several disadvantages to this model:

Sustainability of the system depends on the sustainability of the feed for the fish. Efficient fish growing requires specially formulated feed. The wastes produced by the fish in a closed aquaponic system go to the feeding of the plants in the system. The plants are to be eaten by humans not the fish.

It requires growing fish in a recirculating environment that is connected to the plant growing environment. This is not a simple or inexpensive process. If the climate is not suitable for the fish the process must be grown indoors and that requires energy to maintain the proper temperatures.

A proper balance must be maintained between the amount of fish in the system producing the wastes that provide the nutrients for the plants and the amount of plants needed in the system to maintain proper water quality. This balance is not always easy to determine.

Growing plants in liquid requires more labor than growing plants in the ground. The faster growth in a liquid environment, however, may partially offset the extra labor required.

A better model is to grow the fish in the most efficient manner possible. Efficient means growing the fish in an environment that assures the best feed conversion ratios possible, the lowest energy requirements and high survivability. The feed conversion ratio is the amount of feed required to produce a pound of fish. The growing environment must also allow for the capture and removal of the fish wastes from the water. A recirculating environment is the most efficient fish growing environment achieving very low feed conversion rations and low energy costs.

The manure from the fish can be captured and removed from the water in these systems. The manure is de-watered and dried to about 65% moisture. It is then combined with a carbon source, inoculants and a small amount of clay and decomposed in a controlled process into humus compost. The resulting humus compost is a complete organic fertilizer that can be stored and shipped anywhere for growing organic crops.

Humus compost is a more efficient form of compost. More organic matter is bound to the clay particles and will not be converted into carbon dioxide as is the case with regular compost. The organic matter in a recirculating aquaponic system will also decompose into carbon dioxide in a few months. Humus compost is a better form of the fish nutrients and it also makes a smaller carbon footprint since more carbon is sequestered in the soil when humus compost is used.

The consistency of the final fertilizer product is coloidal and putty-like. It is moist and will form a ball if compressed. It will readily mix in water and will form a uniform liquid with suspended particles. The liquid can be pumped through a hydroponic system or sprayed on crops or soil. The solid form can applied to the soil as well.

Since the fish production process has been separated from the plant growing process a complex balancing act is not needed. The amount of organic fertilizer needed in the form of the humus compost made from the decomposed fish manure can be determined for any quantity of plants for any location. The fertilizer can be delivered and applied.

This model is more sustainable, environmentally advantageous and healthier than growing chickens, beef or pork. The feed conversion ratio in a re-circulating environment is 1.6 or less. For chickens the ratio is 2 and for beef as high as 10.

There are also many health benefits from eating fish. Most fish feeds are grain based with fish meal or other fish related products added. Some of the organic fertilizer produced in the above described process could be used to grow the grain. The use of the organic fertilizer would further improve Aquaponics the sustainablilty of the system.

Document Management System Software

Numerous business organizations these days put their money on electronic document management system or EDMS. This has not only become a trend but the reality will tell you that if you are dealing with a small or midsized business without a hell lot of finance, it is imperative for you to take on board a process that will make sure that your business is being done in an arranged manner where your employees won't need to devote unnecessary hours in finding or sharing paper documents through one to the other wooden or steel racks. Hence business people have surely realized the value of having a document management system in their office.

This is not surprising though since there are a lot of benefits this system has to offer. Some of these benefits are can be physically seen. And some of them may be intangible but still reflect in the better performance and production of the company. Some of the most substantial benefits of using an Electronic Document Management System in an office setup are:

Storage solution - the traditional process to store up heavy paper files' and such other documents in long racks are gone now simply because today you won't have that much of space available in your office. When budget is petite, you need a system that will help you store all your crucial business files and papers in the most hassle free manner yet it won't take up much space. Whether you have a small business or a colossal company, your office ought to have enough space for the staff to work and walk around. But with an EDMS, you will be enjoying a great reduction in the storage of paper in your office. Office will virtually become paperless! Since the files and documents will be converted into electronic structure, there won't be heaps of papers in cubicles, ultimately creating more space for your office.

Faster and easier retrieval of documents - electronic document management software is also very beneficial since it paves the way for faster retrieval of documents and other essential files. This is because all the files, business information or data will be loaded into a system which networks through all the departments and offices of the company. Interdepartmental sharing of information will also be faster and more convenient. A person just has to browse through the system to view, manage or share any crucial document.

Cost saving - most of the small scale industry business people have agreed to the fact that the biggest advantage of using document management solutions is that it greatly reduce costs of the business in many ways. Since the files will be electronic, you don't have to spend much of the company budget into buying papers, printers, resulting into less need for printing and file reproduction.

Apart from these factors, there will also be a great lessening of the need for manual labor, particularly in terms of archiving, managing or sharing of all necessary paperwork. Moreover only few staffs would be required to manage the system.

Organization System And Organized Coach

Organization system, Kaizen (Japanese for "continuous improvement") is a strong focus of many large corporations today because they realize that small changes that shave seconds off of a process can lead to huge savings in the long run.
As a new coach, you can save a ton of time by setting your systems up in the most efficient way possible. A process that wastes just 5 minutes can add up to hours pretty quickly!

Here's an example: I used to work with a friend who kept all his emails in his inbox and never filed them in separate folders. There were several times when I'd go over to his desk and our conversation would steer toward a topic that required us to reference a recent email and I'd just sit there in amazement as I'd watch him re-sort his email a dozen times until he finally found the email (usually took at least 5 minutes - sometimes longer!). Search for 12 emails and there's a full hour wasted!

Now I'm sure you're probably much more organized than my friend but I mention this story to illustrate a point. No matter how organized you are, your organization systems will be tested when you start your coaching business. I always felt as though I was highly organized until I opened up the flood gates of information that I was exposed to as I started my coaching business.

My "business" folder quickly grew into about a dozen different sub-folders (marketing, procedures, referrals, website, etc... ). Each time I'd expand my system, it took quite a bit of time to re-organize all my materials and I realized that if I had taken the time up front to create one effective folder system in both my email system and on my computer, I could have saved quite a bit of time.

In the Coaches First Year coaching program I lay out a template you can use but here are some of the main points you'll want to consider as you set up a coaching business.

    Create Email and Computer Folders: As you setup your coaching business, you will be coordinating every aspect of your business. Create a separate folder for each area you come across and use them to store emails, notes and documents.

    Create a "Notes" folder: You're going to read and learn a lot about business ESPECIALLY during your first year. I found it tremendously helpful to keep a separate "Notes" folder with a different blank word document for each learning category. As you learn a new topic or come across a new resource, I jot it down in the corresponding note file.

    Create a folder to store all your electronic receipts for business expenses: This one is HUGE! You never know when the tax man will come around and ask you to justify some random "Amazon" business expense. I recommend creating a separate folder for each expense category I have in Quick books (the software I use for my bookkeeping)

    Create a Swipe File: A Swipe file is a folder you use to store marketing materials and emails you come across that you like or you find to be particularly effective. When one of the "Guru's" you follow sends you an email for their new coaching program, move it to your Swipe file so you can follow a similar process when you're ready to roll out your new coaching program.
    Create a "To Read" folder: This one was HUGE for me. I'm on so many distribution lists. I follow all the great coaches and business experts out there who regularly pump out fantastic content and I quickly got to the point where I'd stop what I was doing every time I'd receive one of their emails. Continuously learning is great, but not if you stop taking actions that grow your business. By creating a separate folder (in Drop box) I was able to proactively put controls in place that would allow me to set specific times to focus on my business, and other times to read that content. Just this one strategy boosted my productivity exponentially!!! And since I saved the folders in Drop box, I'm able to read them on my iPad or iPhone whenever I'm waiting in line, eating lunch, or sitting in the waiting room when I'm getting an oil change!

    Create a folder with links to useful tools: I can guarantee you'll need to solve a problem as you start your coaching business. Here's how the situation will likely play out: You're adding your logo to your website and your logo doesn't quite fit in the allotted space. You Google "how to re size your logo" and after 15 minutes of reading the top 5 search results, you finally come across a good free online tool that does the trick. 6 months later you run into a similar situation and have to go through the process again. That 15 minutes can be saved if you had just saved the link to that tool in a separate document.

    Create a folder for your procedures and regularly update them: For example, you write a blog post and then tweet it and add it to Facebook. That's all well and good but did you know there are dozens of other free resources you can use to post your blog post for free? If you have a document with a step-by-step process with links to each article submission site, you can follow a quick and easy procedure to maximize the value of that blog post while increasing your reach among your target market as well as your SEO! (This is one of the tools I've created for you in the blogging module of the Coach's First Year program).

When you take the time to setup effective storage folders up front, you'll minimize the time you spend searching for an old email or valuable reference.

Your business will grow! As it does, your current systems will be tested. Don't wait until you're forced to change reactively. Plan ahead, create systems that support growth.