Blog entries

The word for 2009

Larry

Happy New Year!! Seems like Y2K was just yesterday, but here we are in 2009! From the 911 attacks, to the war on terror, to the financial markets meltdown of 2008 it's been a fast and furious 9 years.

Hope everyone is ready for the next 9? But before trying to imagine what the next 9 years have in store, let's talk just about this year for a moment. The word Challenges, certainly has to be at the core of any discission about 2009 - and beyond.

chal&sdo [...]

Collaborative needs of the Army AT&L Enterprise

Larry

To date, technology has not been implemented into the Army AT&L community to change the nature of work but to simply automate old ways of working. Financial ledgers and budget execution have become the organizational cow path. Transaction systems, based on accounting and finance have overwhelmingly determined the management and flow of information. The science of Army Program Management has suffered greately and it has been costly to the mission.

Army organizations con [...]

Architecting a Program Management Framework

Larry

Everywhere you turn you see DoD/Army initiatives underway with long range objectives to bring about improvements in our acquisition management businesses? But are there some basic tried and true program acquisition management actions that can be implemented right away? Yes.

There are numerous AT&L documents that provide guidance for architecting program management frameworks. One of the most important documents is the DoD MIL 881-WBS Handbook. The WBS Handbook states; "The [...]

Improving Operational Tempo, the Key to Business Tranformation

Larry

The more we work with Army organizations the clearer it becomes that the foundational element to Army business transformation is in improving business process management (i.e. workflow).

Clean audits and reporting this or reporting that are all worthy of our attention and efforts, but the common thread across the Army enterprise is the overwhelming need for the Army to have the ability tobe able to efficiently and effectively flow business information(mission requirements, schedules, b [...]

Empowering the Army workforce

Larry

Wow what a busy past several months we've had working with our new PMADS customers. It's very rewarding to help organizations transform their business operations because it all translates directly into increased timely support to our war fighters!

Developing standard business processes from a mission focused perspective is essential. PMADS continues to prove itself as a collaborative business platform whereby standard business processes and operations can be achieved.

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The Silver Bullet Syndrome

Larry

No I'm not referring to a popular American beverage. But rather I'm talking about the mindset that contracting for the development of some new automation system capability will deliver business modernization/transformation.

What I'm about to say may seem odd coming from a solutions provider but here it is. No tool, software system, portal, dash board, reports, or any technologieswill bring about improvements in the DoD/Army's ability to operate its business.

[...]

Business Transformation from a Mission Focused Perspective

Larry

After a recent GFEBS Roadshow event, a series of questions we're raised that I believe continue to suggest the real possibility that we don't yet have the workforce engaged around a set of clearly defined mission focused objectives for doing business transformation. After the presentation by the GFEBS team, a few of the questions rasied are as follows;

Are there any plans to staff a help desk?Who will maintain the GFEBS system after implementation, a current contracto [...]

System of Systems Approach to Army Acquisition

Larry

It seems clear, that given the increasing interdependence of weapon systems hardware and software, that an integrated approach to acquisition management would be a good thing. Our current approach to acquisition is mostly a stove-pipe approach (see yesterday's post regarding stove-pipes as a forcing function).

In order to begin to get at an integrated "System-of-Systems" approach to acquisition, we have to begin to operate in a seamless fashion across the Army enterprise. [...]

Stove-pipe forcing function

Larry

People have been using the term stove-pipe for some time now when talking about the subject of government software applications. As we've been working with Army organizations on using PMADS and business process imporvements, I've come to understand there has been a large price paid by the AT&L enterprise for years of stove-piped software development efforts. I'm not talking so muchabout the obvious cost in terms of money, but rather I'm talking about what it has cost in t [...]

Welcome to Insights.

Larry

Welcome, here you will find us posting thoughts, ideas and observations based on our experiences and lessons learned during our business transformation work.