FM transformation program management

Air Force Comptroller, Jan, 2004 by BJ White-Olson

As we recently celebrated the beginning of the New Year, many of us followed the long-standing tradition of assessing our accomplishments and resolving to make some meaningful improvement in the year to come. We often see these resolutions as a new beginning in our personal lives--lose weight, exercise more, or renew ties with old friends--the list goes on and on. And while sometimes these resolutions fall by the wayside, the examination still serves a useful purposee--we can only grow and improve when we take that first step. As important as this process is to our personal psyche, so it is for our Financial Management community's growth as well. Let's take a look then at the past year and see how we've done on our vision for transformation. After that, we'll ask you to join the PMO in making a New Year's resolution for 2004.

We completed the Strategic Plan through a series of strategic summits with all the senior FM leaders. It lays out a series of 17 strategic objectives and each has one or more strategic initiatives to specifically address the objective and each strategic objective as measurable outcomes and designated performance targets. This plan has been organized into three strategic themes that correspond to our most important goals:

* Warfighter Support: Developing an expeditionary-focused FM workforce (military and civilian) trained and prepared to support deployed commanders and members.

* Strategic Resourcing and Cost Management: Maximizing resource effectiveness and cost efficiency by linking systems and resourcing strategies to measurable performance.

* Information Integration and Reliability: Providing relevant, timely, accurate and reliable financial information that supports decision-making.

The transformation initiative task forces have been nothing less than spectacular. Each of our task force members dedicated time beyond an already overloaded schedule to focus on the future and making our community better. We have the foundation of a new FM Knowledge Management Concept (FMT 03-5) in place (www.km.saffm.hq.af.mil) and on it is the Automated Tools Forum (TDD 03-1), one of the most visited sites on the entire Air Force FM Knowledge Management system. In the coming year, the Knowledge Management task force will introduce even more improvements, both in terms of content and function.

Our Reengineer the Air Force--DFAS Relationship (FMT 03-4) task force has pilots underway which will save the Air Force millions of dollars and makes significant progress toward improving the quality and accuracy of our accounting records. This work will continue in FY04 with a shift in focus to the contracts process. The Combat Comptroller Concept (FMT 03-3) task force has a pilot underway to test a central processing site for deployed accounting operations and is developing initiatives to increase the use of electronic banking for our deployed forces and establish a formal FM doctrine for Financial Management deployed operations.

The Reengineer O&M Decision Support (FMT 03-1) task force is deploying software to modernize target loading in the accounting system and is beginning work on improving support to resource advisors and streamline the financial plan. At the same time, the Reengineer Acquisition Decision Support (FMT 03-2) task force is piloting two processes to improve the cost analyses required of new weapons systems. Phase two of this initiative will reengineer FM processes and practices to maximize stability of acquisition funds, provide greater funding flexibility, enhance transparency in program financial status, and enhance the FM role in supporting acquisition programs in concert with on-going PEO realignment efforts.

Our final FY 03 initiative, End-to-End Governance (TDD 03-2) has found several areas where they have been able to reduce the frequency of required tasks, and others where additional guidance will make the job easier and faster to perform. As this magazine is being published, phase two of this initiative is kicking off and will take on even larger issues impacting governance of our work.

In addition to the above initiatives, we are beginning initiatives to Expand Activity Based Costing in the Air Force (FMT 04-1), Leverage Private Sector and Other Resources (FMT 04-2), Reengineer and Standardize Core Processes (FMT 04-3), Reengineer FM at Wing Level beginning with the FSO (FMT 04-4) and Improve Analytical Education and Training (FMT 04-5).

One of the significant factors in our success has been the consistent methodology we've used on each of the task forces. Our Diagnose--Redesign--Pilot--Implement approach has proven itself over and over. In the diagnose phase, we made sure we understood how the current process worked, how others did it (best practices), and what the stakeholders thought about it. This ensured we were fully able to define the issues before venturing off onto a solution which might have only addressed part of the problem. Redesign was perhaps the most interesting and exciting phase. Here was the opportunity for all those great ideas to come forward. In fact, one of our greatest challenges was winnowing down the solution set to a manageable number of alternatives. Once the problem was diagnosed and redesigned, the solution will be tested in a pilot project. This will lower the risk by controlling the environment surrounding the pilot and making sure any unanticipated consequences were not thrust onto the Air Force at large. Finally, once all the work and testing are complete, the projects will be ready for implementation Air Force-wide. It's a long process, but one that's proving to be very successful.