Major logistics IT program planned for 452nd Published June 16, 2010 By Major Dave Enfield 452nd Communications Squadron MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, CALIF. -- The Air Force is in the midst of an historical transformation. The way the Air Force is organized and the ways that airpower is employed are changing in revolutionary ways. Changing, too, are the ways in which Air Force logisticians provide support to war fighters. The Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) is the cornerstone enabler of the logistics transformation effort. Using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solution, ECSS is applying best commercial practices and using industry-proven tools to establish the Air Force's first capability to globally view and manage its logistics resources (i.e., major end items, materiel, people and funds). But ECSS is much more than an IT system. It will fundamentally change business processes, personnel roles and jobs across the spectrum of the Air Force logistics community. Locally, ECSS will drive dramatic changes and improvements in the way logistics is done. For example, the process of scheduling a repair currently means setting a repair date at the base level without the ability to ensure technicians, parts, facilities, tools, etc., are available Air Forcewide. With ECSS, an integrated global view of people/parts availability will enable greater scheduling effectiveness and ultimately increase availability of repaired components or major end items. Simply put, Air Force logisticians will have what they need to get the job done when repairs are system-scheduled under ECSS. Citing another example, today Air Force logisticians collectively rely on paper forms and enter data into multiple base-level systems. This labor-intensive effort will be replaced by entering data once into one system. When fully implemented, ECSS will replace hundreds of logistics information systems and will be the single source of truth for logistics information. While it will be several years before ECSS reaches full operational capability and its benefits are fully realized, the implementation process is already underway. And that process will affect March very soon. ECSS will be fielded throughout the Air Force in multiple releases and March will see ECSS fielded in June of 2012. While that may seem to be a part of the distant future, the reality is that we need to begin preparing for ECSS now. To help with that preparation, the ECSS program will conduct its kickoff meeting with March leaders and ECSS users on June 24th. During that meeting, ECSS program officials delivered an informational and educational briefing about ECSS, its goals, program time lines and how the Air Force will be affected. The kickoff represents the beginning of the ECSS organizational change management program, which is designed to help prepare everyone for this transformation effort. History tells us that no change is ever successful until individual behaviors change. The people who perform Air Force logistics processes (from all functional communities) must personally engage in the transformative aspects of ECSS in order for it to succeed. As is always the case, these sweeping changes will not be easy, as long-standing ways of doing business will either dramatically change or completely disappear. ECSS will pull people from their comfort zones and cause them to do new tasks in different, unfamiliar ways. To help logisticians navigate these changes, the ECSS program will provide education and training programs for those who will use the new system. An Air Force-wide change agent network, supported by an ECSS program team, will share information on ECSS activities, schedules and lessons learned and conduct local problem-solving meetings to help smooth implementation at each installation. This same network will support the sustainment of ECSS after fielding is completed. ECSS will drive changes in the way the Air Force does business and the way logisticians perform their jobs. The result will be an Air Force enterprise better enabled to provide its war fighters the right materiel at the right time. ECSS will also enable logisticians to use their time more productively, significantly reducing the cost of accomplishing the Air Force logistics mission. Program FAQs What is ECSS? The Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) is one of the major initiatives to better support the war fighter by transforming the way the Air Force performs its logistics business. ECSS will enable the transformation of the Air Force logistics operations by incorporating best business processes and practices. The majority of Air Force logistics retail, wholesale and depot maintenance and overhaul systems will be replaced with a single solution set of business processes and software applications. ECSS will enable the transformation of Air Force logistics operations by guiding the redesign of business processes supported by selected, configured and deployed information technology products. The ECSS is a multi-year program targeted to replace more than 400 legacy systems. Benefits include the establishment of a common set of logistics business processes with improved data quality and information timeliness and availability. Other benefits include the ability to generate more responsive demand and supply planning and the capability to recognize and assess logistical constraints. Each area of improvement will translate into better support for the war fighter. Why did the Air Force launch ECSS? ECSS was driven by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and implemented by Air Force Staff and Senior Leadership to enable the goals of expeditionary logistics for the 21st Century and logistics enterprise architecture efforts aimed at improving war fighter support and reducing costs. The decision was made to transform Air Force logistics using a single enterprise-wide solution. Business processes will be defined across the full spectrum of functions, such as supply, procurement, distribution, finance, maintenance and repair and other key business areas. What is the strategy for ECSS? Deliver a commercial off-the-shelf IT capability integrated with redesigned business processes and possessing the following attributes: Integrated Technology Consistent Data Model Web-based Technology Scalable (variable users and locations) Proven Technology Core functionality is provided by the Oracle Suite based Enterprise Resource Planning software, augmented by a limited number of bolt-on applications. What is the scope of ECSS? ECSS will support a broad range of functionality, including: Advanced Planning and Scheduling Material Management, Contracting and Logistics Finance Configuration and Bill of Material Repair and Maintenance Product Lifecycle Management Customer Relationship Management Distribution and Transportation Facilities Management Quality Control Document Management Budgeting