How DLR Leisure Transformed Operations from Paper-Based Chaos to Digital Operational Clarity
DLR Leisure replaced their paper-based system with OpsPal’s digital operations software, eliminating audit nightmares and ensuring staff know exactly what needs doing every day.
Organisation:
DLR Leisure
Sector:
Council Leisure Services
Sites Using OpsPal:
3 Sites
Service Area:
County Dublin, Ireland
Key Decision-Maker:
Brendan Quinn, Operations Manager
Key Outcomes Achieved:
Eliminated Paper
No more paper laying around, no more scanning of documents or storage
Clear Task Management
Staff know what needs doing daily, problems logged nothing gets missed
Enhanced Training
Easy retraining with video support, 2 button clicks to get staff to read updates
About DLR Leisure
DLR Leisure operates leisure centres on behalf of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, providing high-quality sporting and leisure facilities to communities across the region.
3 leisure centres, multi-purpose facilities offering:
- Swimming pools requiring rigorous testing and maintenance
- Gym and fitness facilities
- Sports halls and activity spaces
- Changing facilities and customer service areas
- Multiple staff coordinating across different operational areas
- Compliance with health and safety regulations
- Daily, weekly, and monthly operational tasks
As Operations Manager, Brendan Quinn is responsible for ensuring the centre runs smoothly, maintains compliance, and delivers excellent service to the community—all whilst managing a busy facility with multiple operational demands happening simultaneously.
The Challenge: The Paper-Based Nightmare
Before implementing OpsPal, DLR Leisure operated using traditional paper-based systems. At a busy leisure centre with diverse operations and regulatory requirements, this approach created significant challenges that impacted efficiency, compliance, and staff effectiveness.
The Audit Nightmare
The most acute problem was managing documentation for annual audits:
“The company relied on a paper-based system. The task of storing this documentation and ensuring its presentation for the annual audit proved to be a formidable challenge.
The Paper Storage Problem:
With paper-based operations, DLR Leisure faced:
- Physical storage challenges: Boxes of paper documentation taking up space
- Organisational difficulties: Finding specific documents when needed
- Version control chaos: Which copy is the current version?
- Audit preparation stress: weeks of work compiling and organising paperwork.
- Presentability concerns: Making paper systems look professional and comprehensive
- Missing documentation risk: Papers get lost, damaged, or misfiled
The annual audit—which should be a straightforward demonstration of compliance—became a stressful, time-consuming process of searching through paper records and trying to present a coherent picture of the centre’s operations.
For Brendan, as the operations manager, this was not just inconvenient—it was a significant operational risk and a drain on time that should have been spent on improving the centre’s services.
Daily Task Management Confusion
In a busy leisure centre, clarity regarding daily tasks is essential. With a paper-based approach, this clarity was difficult to achieve:
The Daily Operations Challenge:
- Staff was unsure about what needed doing each day.
- Tasks written on whiteboards, printed checklists, or communicated verbally
- No systematic way to track what had been completed
- It’s easy for tasks to be missed during busy periods
- It was difficult to see what was outstanding at a glance.
- Shift handovers were complicated by incomplete information.
When operations managers or staff wondered, “Has the pool test been done?” or “Who’s completed their checks?”, finding the answer required searching through paper records or asking around—neither reliable nor efficient.
Weekly and Monthly Tasks were overlooked.
The most concerning aspect of paper-based systems is what doesn’t happen:
“It highlights the day-to-day tasks but also the weekly and monthly tasks and checklists that sometimes get overlooked.”
The Hidden Tasks Problem:
Paper systems are reasonably useful for routine daily tasks that people remember. But they’re terrible for less frequent tasks:
- Weekly deep cleaning – Easy to miss when you’re focused on daily operations
- Monthly equipment inspections – No reminder until something goes wrong
- Quarterly safety checks – Forgotten until the deadline approaches
- Annual maintenance – Only remembered when equipment fails
These overlooked tasks accumulate into:
- Compliance risks (missed inspections, overdue reviews)
- Equipment failures (maintenance neglected until breakdown)
- Safety concerns (checks not completed on schedule)
- Audit problems (gaps in documentation)
- Increased costs (reactive repairs instead of preventive maintenance)
For a council-operated leisure centre with clear accountability and duty of care requirements, tasks being “overlooked” isn’t just inefficiency—it’s operational risk.
Staff Training and Knowledge Retention
Training new staff is time-consuming. Ensuring they retain and apply that training is even more challenging with paper-based approaches:
The Training Challenge:
“It’s a great training tool for new members of staff. As even after going through the induction process, one can easily forget the way to do different tasks.”
Paper-Based Training Problems:
- New staff complete induction, then struggle to remember procedures
- Printed training materials outdated or unavailable when needed
- No way to refresh training without re-doing full induction
- Difficult to demonstrate procedures clearly with paper instructions
- Staff have to interrupt colleagues to ask questions
- No tracking of who has been trained on what
When a staff member can’t remember a procedure, paper-based systems offer no easy solution. They have to find the manual (if it exists), find the right section (if it’s clearly written), or interrupt a colleague—all of which wastes time and reduces confidence.
The Operational Impact
These challenges combined to create serious operational impacts:
- Staff Stress: Uncertainty about what needs doing and when
- Manager Burden: Excessive time on coordination and checking
- Compliance Risk: Tasks missed, documentation incomplete
- Audit Anxiety: Weeks of stressful preparation for annual reviews
- Inefficiency: Duplicated effort, repeated questions, wasted time
- Service Risk: Critical tasks overlooked affecting safety and quality
Brendan recognised that paper-based operations weren’t sustainable for a professional leisure centre with high standards and clear accountability requirements.
Why DLR Leisure Chose OpsPal
DLR Leisure needed a solution that would:
- Eliminate paper-based chaos and create digital order
- Make annual audits straightforward rather than time-consuming.
- Give the staff clear visibility of what they need to do every day.
- Ensure weekly and monthly tasks don’t get overlooked
- Provide effective training support for new staff
- Enable managers to track progress and ensure nothing is missed
- Prove that procedures and risk assessments have been read
- Make operations easier for everyone, not harder
OpsPal’s digital operations platform addressed all of these requirements. Unlike generic management systems, OpsPal had been designed specifically for leisure operations—the exact environment and challenges that DLR Leisure was dealing with.
The platform’s structure—procedures, tasks, risk assessments, training, and problem managementaligned perfectly with how leisure centres actually operate and what they need to manage.
Critically, OpsPal’s accessibility meant that staff could access procedures and complete tasks on any device—at the reception desk, on the leisure centre floor, in the plant room—breaking down the limitations of paper-based systems.
Implementation
DLR Leisure implementation focused on replacing their paper systems with digital operations:
Phase 1: Core Documentation Migration
- Upload of all operational procedures to OpsPal
- Migration of risk assessments from paper to digital
- Import of training materials and documentation
- Setup of user access for all staff members
- Configuration of centre structure
Phase 2: Task Management Setup
- Implementation of daily operational tasks (pool tests, checks, inspections)
- Setup of weekly task schedules (cleaning, maintenance, reviews)
- Configuration of monthly tasks (deep inspections, equipment checks)
- Integration of reminders and notifications
- Training staff on task completion and tracking
Phase 3: Training Resource Development
- Creation of video-based training materials
- Upload of procedure guides with visual aids
- Setup of retraining resources accessible on demand
- Integration of training tracking and compliance
Phase 4: Audit Preparation
- Organise all compliance documentation digitally.
- Setting up audit-ready reporting and documentation
- Training on how to demonstrate compliance through OpsPal
- Prepare for the first digital audit cycle.
The implementation transformed DLR Leisure’s operations from paper-based to digital, addressing each of the challenges Brendan had identified.
The Results: Operational Transformation
The impact of implementing OpsPal at DLR Leisure Loughlinstown has been transformative across every aspect of their operations. The centre now operates with clarity, efficiency, and confidence that was impossible with paper-based systems.
Paper Eliminated
One of the most immediate and visible changes has been the elimination of paper chaos:
“Less paper laying around”
What This Means:
Before OpsPal:
- Paper checklists on clipboards
- Printed procedures in folders
- Handwritten task logs
- Physical filing of risk assessments
- Printed training materials
- Paper audit documentation taking up storage space
After OpsPal:
- Digital task completion on phones or tablets
- Procedures accessed electronically when needed
- Automatic task logging in the system
- Risk assessments stored digitally
- Training materials available online
- Audit documentation instantly accessible
The Benefits:
- Physical space recovered: No more boxes of paperwork
- Professional appearance: Tidy, organised facilities
- Environmental impact: Reduced paper waste
- Easier access: Information available on any device
- No lost documents: Everything stored securely in the cloud
- Version control: Always the current version, no outdated papers
The transformation from paper-based to digital has improved not just efficiency but the entire working environment at the centre.
Clear Daily Task Visibility
OpsPal has solved one of the most fundamental challenges in busy leisure centres—ensuring staff know what needs doing:
“Staff knowing what needs to be done on a daily basis”
The Clarity Transformation:
Every staff member can now:
- See their tasks clearly: Personal task list showing exactly what needs doing
- Know the priorities: Visual indicators (green/amber/red) showing urgency
- Understand timeframes: Clear deadlines and scheduled times
- Access procedures: Instructions available if they need guidance
- Confirm completion: Simple check-off system
Brendan explains the benefit: “The product is easy to use. It also allows staff to understand what jobs need to be done and also a time frame for doing them. When you work in a busy centre, it’s easier to stay on top of the work that is required.”
The Impact:
- No confusion: Everyone knows their responsibilities
- Better coordination: Teams working together efficiently
- Reduced stress: Staff confident about their work
- Consistent standards: Tasks completed properly every time
- Professional operation: Nothing missed, everything tracked
For a busy leisure centre where multiple things are happening simultaneously, this clarity is transformational.
Weekly and Monthly Tasks No Longer Overlooked
Perhaps the most significant safety and compliance improvement has been systematic management of less frequent tasks:
“It highlights the day-to-day tasks but also the weekly and monthly tasks and checklists that sometimes get overlooked.”
Systematic Task Management:
OpsPal ensures that:
- Weekly tasks get scheduled and reminded automatically
- Monthly inspections appear when they’re due
- Quarterly reviews are flagged in advance
- Annual maintenance is tracked and scheduled
- Nothing gets forgotten regardless of how busy the centre is
The Compliance Benefit:
Tasks that used to be “overlooked” with paper systems are now:
- Scheduled systematically
- Reminded automatically
- Tracked through completion
- Documented for audit purposes
- Impossible to miss
This transformation means that DLR Leisure’s compliance is systematic rather than hopeful, proactive rather than reactive.
Staff Progress Tracking
As Operations Manager, Brendan now has complete visibility of operations:
“Easy to track the progress of staff and that nothing is been missed”
Management Visibility:
OpsPal provides:
- Real-time task status: See what’s completed, in progress, or outstanding
- Individual staff tracking: Monitor each team member’s progress
- Site-wide overview: Complete picture of centre operations
- Completion confirmation: Evidence that tasks have been done
- Pattern identification: Spot recurring issues or training needs
The Management Benefit:
Rather than hoping tasks are being completed, Brendan can:
- See immediately if something has been missed
- Track progress without micromanaging or constant checking
- Identify support needs when staff are struggling with tasks
- Demonstrate accountability to senior management
- Manage proactively rather than reactively
This visibility transforms management from reactive firefighting to proactive oversight.
Compliance Confidence
The audit nightmare has been replaced with audit confidence:
“Easy to check that all procedures and risk assessments have been read and understood”
Digital Compliance Tracking:
OpsPal enables DLR Leisure to:
- Track document access: See who has read each procedure and risk assessment
- Confirm understanding: Staff acknowledge they’ve read and understood
- Generate audit reports: Produce compliance documentation instantly
- Demonstrate due diligence: Clear evidence of systematic compliance
- Respond to queries: Find any document or record immediately
The Audit Transformation:
Before OpsPal (Paper-based):
- Weeks of preparation gathering paperwork
- Stress about missing documents
- Manually compiling evidence
- Presenting boxes of paper
- Uncertainty about gaps
After OpsPal (Digital):
- Audit-ready at all times
- All documentation instantly accessible
- Comprehensive compliance reports generated automatically
- Professional digital presentation
- Complete confidence in compliance status
“Time-consuming” has become straightforward and professional.
Enhanced Training Effectiveness
OpsPal has transformed how DLR Leisure trains and supports staff:
“It’s a great training tool for new members of staff. As even after going through the induction process, one can easily forget the way to do different tasks. The opspal allows videos to retrain staff on how to perform tasks.”
Training Innovation:
Initial Training:
- New staff complete induction using OpsPal
- Access to all procedures and training materials
- Video demonstrations showing how to perform tasks
- Clear, structured learning pathway
Ongoing Support:
- Staff can access procedures anytime they need refresher
- Video training available on-demand
- No need to interrupt colleagues to ask questions
- Confidence that they’re following correct procedures
The Training Benefit:
Rather than staff having to rely on memory or interrupt colleagues:
- Self-service learning: Access training when they need it
- Visual demonstration: Videos show exactly how to do tasks
- Confidence building: Know they can check procedures anytime
- Reduced management burden: Less time spent answering basic questions
- Consistent standards: Everyone following the same procedures
This approach recognises the reality that people forget things after induction, and provides systematic support rather than expecting perfect recall.
Operational Ease
The overarching result of implementing OpsPal is captured in Brendan’s recommendation:
“If you’re thinking about it, you definitely need it. As it will make yours and your staff jobs easier.”
Making Jobs Easier:
For staff:
- Clear task lists instead of confusion
- Easy access to procedures instead of searching
- Confidence in their work instead of uncertainty
- Support when they need it instead of having to ask
For managers:
- Visibility instead of hoping
- Audit confidence instead of nightmare preparation
- Proactive management instead of reactive firefighting
- Evidence instead of assumptions
DLR Leisure’s operations are now easier, more professional, and more effective than they were with paper-based systems.
Testimonial
“If you’re thinking about it, you definitely need it. As it will make yours and your staff jobs easier.
The product is easy to use. It also allows staff to understand what jobs need to be done and also a time frame for doing them. When you work in a busy centre, it’s easier to stay on top of the work that is required.
It highlights the day-to-day tasks but also the weekly and monthly tasks and checklists that sometimes get overlooked.”
Features used by DLR Leisure
✓ Tasks – Daily, weekly, and monthly task management ensuring nothing gets overlooked
✓ Procedures – Digital storage of all operational procedures accessible on any device
✓ Risk Assessments – All risk assessments stored digitally with read receipt tracking
✓ Training Matrix – Staff training records and video-based training materials
✓ Document Management – Complete elimination of paper-based systems
✓ Compliance Tracking – Easy verification that procedures and risk assessments have been read and understood
✓ Progress Monitoring – Track staff progress and ensure nothing is missed
✓ Mobile Access – Staff can complete tasks and access information on phones and tablets
✓ Audit Documentation – Generate compliance reports and audit-ready documentation instantly
Key Success Factors
What made DLR Leisure’s OpsPal implementation successful:
1. Clear Problem Recognition Brendan understood that paper-based systems weren’t sustainable and was ready for digital transformation.
2. Complete System Replacement Rather than keeping paper alongside digital, DLR Leisure committed to full digital operations.
3. Focus on Making Jobs Easier The implementation prioritised practical benefits for frontline staff, not just management reporting.
4. Video Training Investment Creating video-based training materials maximised the value of OpsPal’s capabilities.
5. User-Friendly Approach OpsPal’s ease of use meant staff adoption was smooth and natural.
6. Audit Preparation Setting up systems to be audit-ready from day one ensured immediate compliance benefits.
Whats next for DLR Leisure
With OpsPal now embedded in their operations, DLR Leisure Loughlinstown continues to refine and enhance their use of the system:
Ongoing Optimisation:
- Expansion of video training library
- Refinement of task schedules based on operational experience
- Enhancement of reporting for council oversight
- Continuous improvement of procedures and standards
Future Opportunities:
- Integration of problem management for systematic issue tracking
- Expansion to other DLR Leisure facilities
- Development of advanced reporting and analytics
- Further enhancement of training and development resources
With paper-based chaos replaced by digital clarity, DLR Leisure has the foundation to continue raising standards and demonstrating operational excellence.