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U.S. Army gives paperwork an honorable discharge

Paperwork is getting pensioned from the military with electronic form and content management systems. DCLnews reports.

The U.S. Army has enlisted IBM to create an automated record keeping system that will end the need for forms and other content to go through a long-winded paperchase. In conjunction with a handful of technology partners, IBM says it has created a system to pension off paperwork from Army bureaucracy

When fully implemented over the next decade, the new form and content management system will cut out a whole string of unnecessary paperwork and administrative procedures, according to an Army Audit Agency report. It will also save money.

New S1000D specification helps military scale digital heights

The military is embracing digital publishing on many levels. A new specification, known as S1000D, is one example. It has been developed to establish standards for technical documentation in the military and in those organizations supporting it. The specification powers content management, content reuse and Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs). Click here for more technical details and benefits of S1000D It is based on international standards such as SGML/XML and CGM for production and use of electronic documentation. The goal of S1000D is to establish a standard that can be used internationally by a wide variety of organizations and thereby: Facilitates multi-channel publishing to paper as well as web and IETM based electronic products. Reduces the cost of producing documentation since material is authored in one format, which streamlines the publishing process, regardless of the product being manufactured. Greatly enhances global marketability of products since prospects will already be familiar with the "look and feel" of the product documentation. Data becomes interoperable and communication and data mining is greatly improved - because the U.S. military and NATO countries will be authoring to the same specification. Maximizes content reuse capabilities and slashes overall document load, along with the costs of maintaining data. (Editor's note: the latest S1000D release Issue 2 allows both SGML and XML output using the same specification.)

"It's anticipated it will offer $1.3 billion in cost avoidance per year," said Jim Acklin, the civilian project manager working for the Army publishing directorate.

Currently, the Army has the ability to convert paper-based forms into digital files that can be accessed from an official web site. However, while it is possible to fill-in a form and store the data electronically, users are forced to print a paper copy, manually sign and then hand-carry or mail the form to complete the authorization process.

The Army now relies on up to an estimated 100,000 different forms for everything from supply-ordering and pay-disbursement to medical record keeping and the awarding of citations.

"You have no way of knowing in today's environment what the status of any previous action is," said Acklin, who works for Enterprise Information Management Inc (EIM), the project's contractor. "An electronic content management [system] will allow all these processes to be tracked."

Automation

"Army now relies on up to an estimated 100,000 different forms."

The new single, centralized, document warehouse is comprised of XML-based forms, digital signature approval technology and content management software that will help the Army automate the entire form-completion process.

It will be used by the 1.4 million direct and indirect employees of the Army, which includes both uniformed staff, reservists and civilian contractors. According to IBM, in an average year, they fill out some 15 million forms.

A performance appraisal system for officers and noncommissioned personnel is to be the first application and is now under development, said Acklin.

"Users are forced to print a paper copy, manually sign and then hand-carry or mail the form."

Transformation

The project is part of the Army's Forms Content Management Program (FCMP), which will let soldiers access all form-based processes through the Army Knowledge Online portal.

"The Forms Content Management Program revolutionizes the Army’s form-based activities and will enhance the readiness of our warfighters and personnel around the world,” said an Army spokesman. "It will transform the manner in which the Army has managed information for more than 200 years, automating business processes currently managed by forms.”

An IBM spokesperson added: "Units in the field will be able to view the same forms as their counterparts at other bases worldwide and capture all the required data in a single Extensible Markup Language (XML) format that can then be quickly and securely transmitted via email. With the benefit of auto-population of data, the soldier will no longer be required to enter the same data on multiple forms. XML is an industry standard computer language that allows database programs to rapidly identify information and place it in context within a form or document."

Embracing new technology

This project is another sign that the Department of Defense is seeing the importance of embracing the new content management and content reuse systems that are revolutionizing business, public sector, and government publishing. Organizations all over the world who store and publish large amounts of documentation are recognizing that managing and deploying their content more effectively using the very latest technologies can bring sizable cost savings. The Army is no exception.

DCLnews editorial
Jan 4th, 2005