Army's Task Management System Provides Digital Transformation and Cost Savings Across DOD

The Army Enterprise Staff Management System’s (AESMS) Enterprise Task Management Software Solution (ETMS2) is modernizing the Department of Defense (DOD) by updating its task management and document routing processes.

Originally known as the Task Management Tool (TMT) when it was fielded six years ago to Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) users, ETMS2 is helping the DOD evolve into a paperless workplace and having a positive impact on the entire workforce. Usage of ETMS2 has expanded exponentially from 8,377 users at HQDA back in 2016 to over 120,000 users at 55 distinct organizations across DOD today, with continued growth projected for the next four years.

ETMS2 is powered by the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) TMT solution. TMT was initially designed to digitally transform manual administrative processes into comprehensive business rules, enabling real-time visibility into automated task management and document routing processes. Since its implementation throughout the DOD, it has evolved from individually hosted instances to a single enterprise-wide environment that standardizes task and correspondence management via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. ETMS2 enhances workforce efficiency by increasing task completion and reducing the number of missed deadlines caused by antiquated physical routing methods.

ETMS2 has helped DOD users realize significant improvements in tasking efficiencies, including a 19% reduction in late taskers, a 20% reduction in tasker processing time, and a 16% reduction in average days late for completed taskers. Since 2016, AESMS has saved the DOD an estimated $79.8 million through the consolidation of contracting, hosting and maintenance services.

“The people behind ETMS2 should be proud of themselves,” said one Department of the Navy user. “This is a great system!”

At its core, ETMS2 provides managers and team members with the ability to submit, track and act on tasks and documents with ease and transparency. Task managers can quickly disseminate work to teams and monitor progress without having to request status updates via email. The solution eliminates the need for personal spreadsheets and other tracking mechanisms by incorporating standard and configurable dashboards that provide readily accessible information about organization processes to everyone from action officers through top leadership. Senior leaders also have metrics available to them that provide insights into work efficiencies.

ETMS2 users have explored new applications for the solution, devising comprehensive processes and automations to enhance the productivity and transparency of their organizations. These processes and business rules can be quickly configured to users’ exact specifications, reducing administrative burden and providing for a single routing solution regardless of subject matter or documentation requirements.

Having been deployed to customers on both the Non-classified and Secure Internet Protocol Router (NIPR/SIPR) networks, ETMS2 can handle both unclassified and classified tasks and documents without the need for costly, time-consuming software development. The cost savings realized through AESMS’ SaaS model enable smaller organizations with leaner budgets to take advantage of the same efficiencies available to larger organizations with bigger budgets. Cost sharing of common services such as program management and hosting affords organizations the lowest possible entry price.  Coupled with economies of scale and the ability to leverage bulk purchasing power through a centrally managed contract, organizations with as few as 100 users or as many as 14,000 users are benefiting from lower software and support costs than when employing standalone contracts.

Looking ahead, AESMS plans to leverage cloud computing for its next evolution of ETMS2. Migrating the current enterprise solution to a cloud environment will not be an easy task, nor will it occur overnight. However, once complete, cloud computing will afford organizations greater capabilities as the ETMS2 underlying software elements will be upgraded, providing DOD with greater capability through advanced automations and workflows not currently available with on-premise software.

“AESMS’ ETMS2 solution provides DOD leaders with decision-making abilities at the speed of need,” said G. W. “Gus” Burnside, product lead for AESMS. “By enhancing the tool with cloud-based capabilities, we’ll ensure that ETMS2 remains the enterprise solution of tomorrow for the DOD.”

AESMS is a product office within the Enterprise Services portfolio at Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems. AESMS is responsible for procuring, developing, delivering and sustaining staff management task tracking and correspondence solutions that enable end-to-end communication, collaboration and application hosting across the Army.