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DLA develops innovative training for forward-based personnel

  • Published
  • By Debra R. Bingham
  • DSCR Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  What do you do when you have hundreds of people to train and no space to do it? That was the challenge for the Defense Logistics Agency team charged with training its work force at forward sites on the Agency's Inventory Management and Stock Positioning system. From necessity -- and a good dose of imagination -- came the invention of DLA's traveling training trailers.

Treacy O'Hanlan, DSCR Enterprise Business System liaison, said he got the idea for the traveling trailers after attending a September 2008 planning conference on IMSP. Mr. O'Hanlan said while the idea may have popped into his head, he credits a DLA team -- from many different disciplines -- for making it a reality.

IMSP is a key part of DLA's Enterprise Business System process and extends capabilities and system functionality necessary to support its new consumer-level supply, storage and distribution responsibilities taken on as a result of Base Realignment and Closure 2005 law.

"When I learned that there were no classrooms available at DLA's supply storage and distribution sites, I joked about using trailers. Starting at DLA Warner Robins, I checked to make sure that classrooms were, in fact, non-existent. I surveyed the base and checked local resources, including colleges and technical schools," Mr. O'Hanlan said.

He soon found out that the base had no space, since its training building was being taken over by another command, so started exploring the concept of modular, moveable classrooms. Lack of space wasn't the only factor behind the moveable classroom concept.

Using a non-DLA computer system wasn't an option since access to the DLA Internet training domain was required to deliver the training. Also, the cost of sending nearly 1,000 personnel to DSCR for training, along with lost production time made such an undertaking impractical.

"Having trailers at the site also allowed people to return to work after a partial-day class," Mr. O'Hanlan said. "In March, I recommended trailers as the only solution to Col. Gary Wiest, DSCR's deputy commander of operations, who gave the OK to proceed."

Mr. O'Hanlan wrote a statement of work describing the classroom environment needed and Colonel Wiest assigned the project to DSCR's BRAC team who worked with DLA Enterprise Support Richmond and information technology personnel to bring the concept into reality.

"There was a whole lot of DLA teamwork in this process, starting at DSCR's Business Process Support Directorate and extending through the BRAC Office, DES and J6. Other partners included Accenture and civil engineering on the bases -- and many more," Mr. O'Hanlan said.

DLA Warner Robins was the first site scheduled for training. Johnny Urban, DSCR BRAC support program manager, took the lead in setting up the trailers, working with the Robins Air Force Base civil engineers on the proposal.

Warren Nuckols, and a team of DLA electricians, worked on designing the power supply for the trailers, because there was a difference between the commercial voltage and that on base. DLA information technology personnel, Dave Griffin and Mary Howse, worked with their counterparts on base, Greg Mixon and Mike Kochera, to bring the DLA network to the computers. They created student accounts and a boot file that assigned the printers to each workstation.

Training began in early June, with almost 100 percent of DLA Warner Robins workers attending. Mr. O'Hanlan said there were lots of innovations in training and lessons learned at Warner Robins that were applied at Tinker.

"Management buy-in and support of IMSP was a big factor in the success. Gene Moore, DLA Warner Robins site training liaison, was instrumental as well. Students' rated their EBS instructors a 4.6 on a 5 point scale -- the instructors did a great job," O'Hanlan said.

Each of the three training trailers has 20 student desks which are canted into the wall so students don't have to turn 90 degrees to face front. Each student has a personal computer with DLA network connectivity. Other trailer features include a ceiling mounted projector and screen, sound system to counter the noise of five air conditioners, and adjustable lighting. The trailers also have pneumatic ramps and height-adjustable desks for those needing accommodations. Weather warning radios were installed to allow a safe evacuation in case of high winds.

IMSP is being implemented in a series of development spirals. Spiral 1 was delivered at Air Force sites, first at DLA Warner Robins, followed by DLA Oklahoma City. The final Air Force rollout will be next year at DLA Ogden and then for DLA personnel at other service sites.

IMSP enhances DLA's ability to support industrial maintenance customers at the consumer level. It also improves visibility of consumer-level demand patterns, provides consumer-level support to depot maintenance customers and combines consumer/wholesale inventory level-setting capability.

The logistics of setting up and moving trailers across the country required careful planning, coordination, and hard work. When it was time to move to Tinker Air Force Base, the BRAC Office contracted a hauler. Gary Selph, information technology site supervisor, and his team worked the weekend to get the trailers ready for class.

Jerry Liles, stock control division chief at DLA Oklahoma, and his team began preparing for the trailers long before they arrived at Tinker Air Force Base on Sept. 8. They located a suitable site next to a club on base for more than 300 employees attending the training. Most of the employees are supply and inventory management specialists and some logistical maintenance specialists. The length of the training depends on the roles and responsibilities of the person attending, Liles said.

"The team here is dedicated to making sure the training goes smoothly and to prepare workers as they transition from using Air Force tools and approaches to using DLA's business tools. When we turn the key on Sunday Nov. 15 and come to work on Monday, the transition should be invisible to customers," Liles said.

DSCR business process analysts from order fulfillment and demand planning serve as instructors. DLA Oklahoma employees had good things to say about the training which began September 14.

"I'm impressed with the mobile training unit, although it has limited space. It's nice and very different from the image I had when I learned we would be offered training in trailers," said Gerald Walker, aircraft structures material support branch chief.

"I'm glad to see so much information is available and that it's all in one system. I like the training environment -- I get training directly from the instructors and can ask questions on the spot and get clarification," said Chris Basden, a retail item manager.

"Change is here, it's for the better and necessary to accomplish DLA's mission worldwide -- not just at Tinker," Liles said.