Key Insights and Decisions

Going into this week, we had two hypotheses we intended to examine:

       1. We can run a mechanical test of our product live on site to establish a Proof of Concept.

We received immediate approval from Brigadier General Stewart to come down and test with his support. We will be heading down next Wednesday or Friday in order to test our idea.

        2. There are roughly 90 dispatchers across the Marine Corps, these dispatchers spend about 6 hours per day update data across systems. Data that is used in their jobs can be exported and imported from GCSS, MOL, and TCPT.

 

A new estimate from Capt. Bender via General Stewart was approximately 150 dispatchers, increasing our total hours saved to roughly 600. We are maintaining our estimate of six hours per day after multiple confirming interviews. We did not receive a concrete response in regards to Excel capabilities, we will be validating this at Camp Lejeune next week.

        3. While this aspect of bridging TCPT with the other systems will be helpful, we can apply this to many more areas of the Marine Corps.

Through discussions with Christopher List, MSgt McLaughlin, and MSgt Lemus, we have narrowed our focus to two new areas for our next step. The first is an auditing tool for GCSS, that provides feedback on the information Corporals put into GCSS so there is less discrepancy between actual readiness and reported readiness. Another area that we examined was revisiting the Motor Pool floor and actually improving this area in a similar way to how we had originally imagined. Finally, Lt. Pavlo thought that on top of a synchronized TCPT, a field ready TCPT would allow for even more accurate assignment of equipment and personnel as well as give our solution in combat application. Run Rosters are another key takeaway from this week, and we will be exploring them further.

 

Next Week: We will continue pursuing each of our leads on continuing problems, but will also be heading down to Camp Lejeune to conduct a field test of our design.

Capt. Bender

• Demoed our MVP (Microservice)
  • Thought the CG would be all in for it.
  • Not sure if we will be able to actually implement our solution immediately
  • Liked the idea of a POC via mechanical run through of our solution
• BG Stewart wants us to “go faster”
  • Plan on going to Lejeune Wednesday the 20th or Friday the 22nd
  • Dry run on site with Dispatchers

• New Problem sponsor is coming in next week, brief Thursday 15th
• Wants us to look into areas for our scooter.
• DRRS may be difficult to penetrate. Security Clearance issues, however using dummy data to bypass this may work.

Lt. Pavlo

• “That would be the dream” if TCPT spoke to the other three systems
• Two Dispatchers and a backup
  • One in TCPT and one in field
    • A mobile TCPT would be huge for the field for combat
• Across MLG, 50 overseers. At least one Dispatcher per overseer
• Because systems don’t talk, continuous recognition and validation
• Mobile would be great. Because group may be training, their reflected readiness is likely too high
• Dispatchers would be training. Currently, you have to task out a person to update this stuff.
• Currently, if a company goes on a mission. CO briefs higher-ups. MOL gets updated but that’s it.

MSgt McLaughlin

• Availability of equipment vs. Maintainence readiness
  • This difference leads to differences in readiness
• TCPT
  • Validates different types of licenses throughout MLG
    • Units don’t update it, so he pulls it and has one Marine update it by going around to each shop and verify.
  • Units don’t have the capability to update TAD advanced licenses.
    • IPAC is supposed to update it
  • MCTIMS connecting to TCPT would be money
  • Assign everything, but hard to identify and forecast to make a run roster
    • Motor pool gets a mission to create run roster
      • You’re driving this vehicle at this time
    • Command sees each motor pools run roster and who is providing support
    • Export TCPT to Excel document that needs to be manually created, nice if the system could create its own roster
    • The current system is a bit finicky, Microsoft Access. Homemade sheet everywhere. Means allocation.
    • Additional work put in, some units hand punch, some use system
      • Less work
      • Consistency
• TLCM
  • Real-time GCSS tracker

MSgt Lemus

• The Maintenance Production Report (MPR) frequently contains items that clearly demonstrate information was not properly entered into GCSS.
• The hypothesis is that these improper entries are having a meaningful impact on readiness reporting. i.e. The readiness number is overly optimistic or pessimistic.
• A tool that looked at the MPR and applied business logic could identify/flag items that do not appear internally consistent.  This would have two benefits: 1) Serve as a training tool for the mechanics. 2) Increase data accuracy and consequently the accuracy of readiness assessments

GSgt List.

• Some of the inconsistencies in the MPR are intentional.  E.g. If an operator’s seat on a HumVee needs to be replaced, it is automatically a deadlining issue according to the manual. However, no maintenance chief in the Corps is going to deadline a HumVee that warrants a replacement seat because the seat is ripped.
• There are other analytical reports and tools available to help ID problems in the maintenance chain. This may lessen the value of a tool that analyzes the MPR.
• Anything that simplifies data entry into GCSS especially for the mechanics has value. One possibility, when a mechanic picks up a part from the Parts section, a bar code scan of the part could auto-update GCSS that the mechanic is working on that part & vehicle “now”.
• Would like us to visit him when we come down for our demo

Lt. Reaver

• Supply Officer: does everything from property management to acquisitions to contracts to managing a unit-level budget
• Suggest reaching out to G4 (logistics shop) to get an exact # of dispatchers
  • Not sure how many dispatchers there are in the MLG given the variability per unit
  • Pavlo might work in G4 if not, contact Mappin again
• IT System Approval Timeline
  • Depends on CG’s prioritization of project
  • Lots of front-end paperwork and IT waivers
  • Likely 6mo-1yr, 3-6mo after all testing is completed

SSgt. Clemens

• Verified information entered from GCSS into TCPT is vehicle availability; confirmed that this is a simple available/not available with an option for comments
• Confirmed that Staff Sergeants have the capacity to upload documents into TCPT, download from MOL and GCSS
• Excel documents that are entered into TCPT do not auto-populate the respective fields
  • Automating this would make his life easier in entering information and generating run rosters
• Licensing information is entered manually. Said that the information in MCTMS is unhelpful and serves no purpose

Cpl. Torres

• Verified that fields entered into TCPT from GCSS is vehicle availability. Mentioned ability to write comments on the exact status of the vehicle
• Licensing information is manually entered after receiving a morning report of the status and availability of personnel
• Confirmed that not everyone has the ability to export information from MOL since this was a capability he could not use
• Automation in generating a run roster would be a huge help. This report is generated using information from TCPT and GCSS, so there is potential for automatic creation

Sgt Collins

• Reiterated that information entered from GCSS into TCPT is vehicle availability
• Estimated around 30 dispatchers, putting in 5-6 hours a day
• Was not really how Excel works with TCPT
  • you can pull it up as an excel sheet and that’s how you update it (is this what they meant by TCPT generates excel?)
• Weekly update personnel status for individual Marines in TCPT
• No one can get excel data from MOL
• Don’t add new recruits to MOL (they’ll have their own profile), instead manually input it line by line in TCPT
• Get licensing and availability from individual Marines

Sgt Brown

• Verified that field entered into TCPT from GCSS is vehicle availability. Mentioned ability to write comments on the exact status of the vehicle
• TCPT
  • Has the right to generate Excel from, but doesn’t know if you can/how to upload Excel
  • 1-2 hours updating personnel status, 4-5 hours inputting vehicles
  • Inputs licensing gets it from the individuals themselves
• MOL
  • Receives availability from MOL, leaves it at “available”
  • Can export data from MOL, but he doesn’t
• GCSS
  • Can’t export data from GCSS, but the truck master can
  • Would like GCSS & TCPT to talk about truck availability
• MCTMS/MOL
  • No one knows how to use MCTMS or MOL to update licensing
  • Doesn’t see the purpose in using MCTMS/MOL for licensing because he still needs to manually input into TCPT
• Manually updates roster
• Would like it if GCSS & MOL generated a run roster
  • Personnel, vehicle serial #, date, time

Capt. Baker

• Our new problem sponsor
  • Not too familiar with systems we are working with
  • Has many connections to different people in the Marines
• Pain Points
  • Doesn’t fully understand our problem yet, wants to work with us to figure it out
• Wants us down 2/22 for the demo.