PEO Perspective: September 2020

PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

Summer is always a time of great transition in Army acquisition programs, and if you are keeping track, we have had quite a few changes in recent months (please see last month’s Perspective for recent leadership changes). With a portfolio as vast and diverse as ours, there’s always movement and change, and with them, a need to be agile.  

Across the board, COVID-19 has changed the way we do business, and the Army and PEO EIS have been successful in rapidly adapting and innovating solutions to maintain the necessary tempo of our mission. I am fortunate to have joined a group of dedicated acquisition professionals who have not allowed a remote work environment to deter us from accomplishing our mission to deliver kit and capability to Soldiers.  

In September, it’s traditional for the PEO to speak with industry at the AFCEA Belvoir fall kick-off luncheon. While we can’t physically gather as in past years, I am happy to announce that I will keynote the virtual luncheon September 29. This month’s Perspective will serve a similar function – to provide a snapshot of the programs as we embark on a new fiscal year with several new faces and developments in our focus areas.  

ALIGNING PRIORITIES 

I am invested in making sure that the PEO EIS priorities support and move forward the Army’s priorities of Readiness, Modernization and Acquisition Reform: 

READINESS: The Army’s ability to compete and win relies heavily on its ability to make data-informed decisions at the speed of operational relevance. Data and cloud migration is also a critical step toward optimizing interoperability within the mission partner environment and positioning the Army for success. 

MODERNIZATION: The network is the military’s foundational weapons platform and our ability to defend it is paramount. Our Network, Cyber and Services portfolio is partnering with our stakeholders to deliver command and control; end-to-end network, defensive cyber and enterprise services.  

Additionally we are closely partnered with the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Financial Management & Comptroller (ASA[FM&C]) on the Enterprise Business System Multi-Functional Capabilities Team (EBS-MFCT), a business process reengineering initiative of the National Defense Strategy with the aim of modernizing business systems to evolve at the same speed as industry. 

I’m also excited about ERP modernization as it applies to business process reengineering, the number of systems that are sunsetting and how this will ultimately produce efficiencies for the Army. 

REFORM: Being agile and innovative positions us for greater success. This past year, we leveraged Other Transaction Authority (OTA) to develop informed requirements across the portfolio, and to allow speed and flexibility in the acquisition process. Recent successes include Enterprise IT as a Service (EITaaS), a first of its kind pilot prototype effort that asked industry to propose enterprise-level network and IT delivery options to commercialize IT networks on more than 200 posts, camps and stations around the world; Army Vantage, allowing leaders to assess, understand and improve Army readiness and decision-making; and Defensive Cyber Operation’s successful use of the SOSSEC consortium to purchase cyber solutions for Soldiers. While not a panacea, OTAs can be a revolutionary tool for narrowing in on requirements, with participation from vendors throughout the process.  

REORGANIZATION 

I am also building on the reorganization that started last year and making some additional changes. As I highlighted before, Dan Joyce has been assigned as the Assistant PEO for the Business Mission Area, and John Howell has been serving as the Assistant PEO for Networks, Cyber and Services. Some other highlights so far include: 

• Standing up the Project Manager Army Data and Analytics Platforms (PM ARDAP) in July and transitioning Army Vantage from headquarters to the ARDAP portfolio 
• Kicking off the Global Force Information Management (GFIM) prototype, a two-phase process that will sunset 12 legacy systems  
• Transitioning PM GFEBS to PM Defense Integrated Business Systems (DIBS) on October 1, with GFEBS-Sensitive Activities and GFEBS Dev Mod merging to become Product Director GFEBS  
• Moving Army Human Resource System (AHRS) out of Integrated Personnel and  Pay System - Army (IPPS-A) to be a direct report to the headquarters and provide oversight on the Army Information Environment (AIE) program 

DISCIPLINE 

One of my priorities is to ensure discipline in all we do. And I mean a few different things when I say that. One of them is: How do we see ourselves? As we are developing a program and testing it, how are we measuring that were are on track? And before we do that, does the contract contain the right deliverables and leading indicators to measure progress?  

We want to use tools to measure vendor performance while implementing best practices. We are also capturing pockets of excellence inside PEO EIS and documenting them to help future leaders. Providing a “compass” to new PMs will help them get up to speed on what is expected of them as they enter this complex environment and will help them zero in on priorities, make sure that they are on track with milestones and apply best practices. We need to be able to leverage our tools and metrics every week to ensure that we are on schedule and within cost. If we are able to see ourselves, we can readily adjust and address negative trends. 

DIVERSITY 

PEO EIS was well ahead of the Army mandate for leaders to take a critical look at their organization’s approach to diversity and inclusion. Early in June, I asked the PMs to conduct sensing sessions to have candid conversations about racism, because I know that if it is affecting our country, it is affecting our organization.  

I am strongly committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce, with zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment. In our organization, everyone has a voice. These sensing sessions were the first in a series of conversations, and we learned from this first round that we need to host smaller, more intimate groups that allow for sharing sensitive or painful experiences.  

We will continue these discussions, and this month, I am also issuing a climate survey and developing a plan to initiate discussions to capture the full workforce experience. I want to hear what people have to say about their environment, their perceptions about opportunities and training, and what we can do to improve – because there is always room for improvement. Bottom line, the workforce has a voice; I want to hear from them, and we are taking that feedback and assigning actions to keep moving this team forward.  

A LOOK AHEAD TO FISCAL YEAR 2021 

September is the end of the fiscal year. There’s no doubt that 2020 has been an unparalleled year with a lot of challenges. But challenges often provide an opportunity for people to shine, and I have been so impressed with this team and this community’s immediate response to our rapidly changing environment. This is a team with a can-do attitude, positioned to take on new challenges with the same unflappable determination.  

I’m excited about the work ahead. IPPS-A promises to be a game-changer for the Army, and it’s a thrilling time to sit at the helm as our ERPs are modernized and transformed in one of the largest IT efforts the Army has ever seen. We are leading the way in data convergence and tracking, and in providing enterprise services to help Soldiers around the world better perform their mission and globally connect. And finally, I’m incredibly proud of the work the team is doing across the portfolio in support of COVID-19 relief efforts.  

At the end of the day, what matters is people – our greatest asset. Keeping them safe and ensuring their freedom is why we’re here. I thank you for your contributions to these goals, and for partnering with us. 

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.  

Ross R. Guckert 
Program Executive Officer