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Case Studies
Application to Enhance the Tactical Collaboration Capabilities of the US Warfighter
The US Army Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications Tactical (PEO C3T) Chief Knowledge Office.
Project
Army Battle Command and Enabler System of Systems (ABC&E SOS) Test Portal: A document management tool and a model for the future of Battle Command Knowledge Management Systems.
Overview
A DSA team was given the challenge to create, within a two-week timeframe, an application that would transform an enormous volume of data into an actionable set of information. The resulting ABC&E SOS Test Portal was developed to successfully fulfill this requirement.
The portal is a proven, reliable knowledge management system and collaborative tool that allowed PEO C3T to synchronize communications and operations across four time zones and between multiple parties concurrently to ensure maximum collaboration. In addition, the ABC&E SOS Test Portal provided real-time situational awareness, issue resolution and executive decision-making during these Warfighter test exercises. This portal will serve as a model Battle Command Knowledge Management System which will be used for later exercises, and can also be transformed easily for other collaboration needs, such as those in support of tactical hurricane relief.
Features
The ABC&E SOS Test Portal homepage utilizes a Status Reporting area, which proved essential to providing commanders the right information, at the right time, enabling them to make informed decisions. In the Status Reporting area, all users can view the latest Battle Update Brief (BUB), view archived BUBs as well as post new ones. This portal facilitated the use of a collaborative, Virtual BUB for the first time ever during a Battle Command exercise.
Executive Summary reports (EXSUMs) and Commander Critical Information Reports (CCIRs) also are available on the homepage.
Additional collaborative tools are provided by the ABC&E SOS Test Portal:
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Access to an online Test Support Center used to submit issue reports across all participating locations, to aggregate submittals for analysis and response, and to permit users to view the status of existing issue reports (also known as trouble tickets).
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Access to the daily Battle Rhythm, exercise schedules and Contact Rosters so that all test participants can operate in sync and can quickly contact each other.
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Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) Collaborative Tools for Instant Messaging, Web Conferencing, Teleconferencing, as well as information to connect to video teleconferences (VTC). These tools allowed for screen sharing with voice and video capabilities.
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A shared document repository for key documentation, such as: Leadership guidance messages; Operational Orders (OPORDs); Fragmentary Orders (FRAGOs); Player Unit Orders; After Action Reports (AARs); Exercise Comments; Announcements and Administrative areas for traveling test participants.
Benefits to Client
The immediate, tangible return on this investment was the reduced need for video teleconferences, which were completely eliminated for unclassified communications during this exercise through the use of the ABC&E SOS Test Portal. Additionally, there was no time lapse in communication despite the different time zones. All communications were synchronized to the same Battle Rhythm, with reports immediately available 24x7, and e-mailed to the senior leadership for information and action.
Complimentary feedback pertained to the portal’s ease of use and having all of the necessary information available in one place, when needed, at one’s fingertips. There was never any question about where to find something; everything was right there on the portal.
Acquisition business partners with a “need to know” also were provided access to the ABC&E SOS Test Portal to facilitate cross-fertilization of ideas across functional communities to resolve issues more quickly and efficiently.
The benefits of the ABC&E SOS Test Portal also include recognition by the Army that the Portal is not only a document management tool but a model of the future of Battle Command Knowledge Management Systems. This was exemplified as the ABC&E SOS Test Portal was named the Army Knowledge Award 2006 winner in Knowledge Management in Battle Command. It ensures immediate notification of important status changes to commanders and senior leaders, providing situational awareness while enabling a virtual collaborative environment to all personnel involved in battle oversight.
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