APRIL 2018 INSIDE THIS ISSUE RPAMNEXT INNOVATION ACTIVATION! FY18 VOLUME III RPAMNext Innovation Activation! PL Corner Venue for May 2018 RCB at OCAR HQs Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Town Hall Meeting RCAS Personnel Product Owner Retires RCAS Supports NJARNG SRP Fort Dix, New Jersey Upcoming Conference/Event Support RCAS Training Corner At the Reserve Component Automation Systems (RCAS)/Information Management Architecture (IMA) Town Hall on March 15, 2018, the RCAS Applications Management staff discussed the activation schedule of the much anticipated Retirement Points Accounting Management (RPAM) Next application in RCAS Release 7.1.6. Mr. Max Dunn, RCAS Product Owner, is heading up the aggressive activation schedule (Figure 1 below). All Data Processing Installations (DPIs) should be at Release 7.1.6 which deployed April 5th, 2018 in preparation of their scheduled RPAMNext activation date occurring between 9 April 2018 and 29 June 2018. During a typical activation week, daily status dial -in meetings will occur between RCAS and the States that are activating RPAMNext for that week. States activating the following week are invited during the current week meetings in preparation for their activation and to hear of any lessons learned that may help them during their activation period. Once activation is complete, RPAM Administrators compare RPAMNext to RPAM legacy and look for any RCAS RPAMNext application login screen discrepancies. If there are no issues, the Administrator gives the DPI the green light to deactivate RPAM legacy, and RPAMNext becomes the system of record for the State. RPAMNext has a fresh new look and feel with more clear screens. The application is Oraclebased and is Windows 10, Internet Explorer (IE) 11 and Windows Edge compatible! Should you have any questions regarding the RPAMNext activation project, please contact Mr. Max Dunn, max.g.dunn.civ@mail.mil or (703) 806-3128. NEED HELP? HAVE QUESTIONS? WANT TRAINING? Contact a service desk for assistance: Army National Guard 1-844-722-2373 (toll free) United States Army Reserve 1-844-770-3737 (toll free) Figure 1: RPAMNext Activation Timeline RESERVE COMPONENT AUTOMATION SYSTEMS SERVING THE SOLDIER...SERVING THE NATION Pg 1
RESERVE COMPONENT AUTOMATION SYSTEMS SERVING THE SOLDIER SERVING THE NATION PL CORNER MS. SAMMI FOONG PRODUCT LEAD Spring has sprung and we are well into FY18. That being said the team is continuing on with all our FY18 efforts. RCAS USAR MARKET PLACE The Reserve Component Automation Systems (RCAS) Program Office is implementing a U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) MarketPlace tool to automate the existing equipment ordering process for the USAR. It allows USAR Technical points-of-contact (POCs) to submit equipment orders using web-based forms on the RCAS Customer Engagement Portal. The equipment orders are routed by automated workflows to Hardware/Software Engineers, the USAR G6 Office and the RCAS Requirements Manager for validation and pricing. Once the orders are approved by the USAR G6 Office, they are routed through the Request to Initiate Purchase (RIP) process, where the orders are fulfilled. Users can use the tool to track their equipment orders throughout the procurement cycle. For more information on the USAR Market Place tool, please contact Walter Farrell, RCAS Requirements Manager by email at walter.m.farrell.civ@mail.mil or at (703) 8063414 or Saj George, Deputy, RCAS by email sajjan.m.george.civ@mail.mil or 703-806-3099. We have completed delivery of RCAS Release 7.1.6, which includes the roll out of the new RPAMNext application, and we are now hard at work supporting the FY18 Hardware Infrastructure Refresh and Telephony efforts for the ARNG and USAR. I am very pleased with the progress being made on the USAR MarketPlace tool to automate their infrastructure refresh effort which will be deployed later this year. I am also happy to report that phase one of the server environment relocation from National Guard Bureau (NGB) Level 1 to U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) is on schedule to be complete within the next few months. I look forward to meeting with our ARNG and USAR leadership again at our next Requirements Control Board (RCB) meeting, on May 17, 2018 here at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Our Requirements Management Team is fully engaged to ensure we have another successful RCB session. Be assured that the entire Product Office team will continue to support our ARNG and USAR Soldiers with the highest quality of service you have come to expect from us. As always THANK YOU for taking the time to read and browse this edition of our RCAS News!! USAR Market Place Workflow on the RCAS Customer Engagement Portal VENUE FOR MAY 2018 RCB AT OCAR HQS The Office of the Chief, Army Reserve (OCAR) Headquarters located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, will be the venue for the May 17, 2018 Requirements Control Board (RCB) meeting. This meeting provides the Army National Guard (ARNG) and U.S. Army Reserve (USAR) technical and functional representatives the opportunity to communicate directly with the Product Office team regarding both their current activities and other topics that are relative to supporting their respective information technology capabilities. Planned agenda items will cover RCAS key initiatives including but not limited to an applications update, the RPAMNext roll out, strategic update and status of the FY18 Product Refresh effort along with the latest on innovations to the RCAS customer engagement portal. Program status reports will include general updates followed by stakeholder assessments and comments. OCAR HQs Building, Fort Belvoir, VA For more information on the May 17, 2018 RCB, please contact Walter Farrell, RCAS Requirements Manager by email at walter.m.farrell.civ@mail.mil or at (703) 8063414 or Saj George, RCAS Deputy Product Lead, by email sajjan.m.george.civ@mail.mil or 703806-3099. I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y I n f r a s t r u c t u r e I n t e g r a t i o n a n d Re f r e s h / Re q u i r e m e n t s M a n a g e m e n t Pg 2
RESERVE COMPONENT AUTOMATION SYSTEMS SERVING THE SOLDIER SERVING THE NATION HEAR YE! HEAR YE! TOWN HALL MEETING The Quarterly Reserve Component Automation Systems/ Information Management Architecture (RCAS/IMA) Town Hall was held Thursday, March 15, 2018. Mr. Jim Cook, RCAS Assistant Product Lead (APL) for RCAS Applications Management, welcomed participants and began with Administrative comments. Mr. Cook announced that RCAS Release 7.1.6 deploys April 5, 2018, and it is crucial that States perform installations as close to the deployment date as possible since Retirement Points Accounting Management (RPAM)Next activates follow soon thereafter. Please refer to the article on RPAMNext Activation for more details. RPAM administrators, who were in attendance, received information regarding activation roll out and their role in comparing RPAM legacy with RPAMNext to ensure all data transfers successfully. Once the administrator verifies data is transferred properly, legacy RPAM may be deactivated. Following deactivation, RPAMNext becomes the new system of record. During the RCAS Technical Management briefing, a question arose regarding a technical bulletin for the implementation of VMWare 6.x. A status update on the move of the Army National Guard (ARNG) Level 1 server at the National Guard Bureau (NGB) to the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as well as a status update from the IMA team, were also provided at this forum. As always, we are appreciative of all participants and welcome anyone who would like to join us to gain further insight into what RCAS is accomplishing for the Soldiers and civilians of the ARNG and USAR. The next RCAS/IMA Town Hall is June 21, 2018. If you are interested in attending, please contact Ms. Rita Bartholomew by phone at (703) 806-3119 or by email at rita.g.bartholomew.ctr@mail.mil. RCAS PERSONNEL APPLICATIONS PRODUCT OWNER RETIRES On March 22nd the RCAS staff celebrated the retirement of Mr. David M. Cornelissen the Personnel Applications Product Owner. Between his time in the Navy, as a Contractor and Government employee, and three years at the Executive Office of the President under the Clinton Administration, Dave has served his country for over 32 years. Dave graduated from Valley City Teacher s College (now Valley City State University) with a Bachelor s Degree in Education. He was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserves from Officer s Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Dave served in the Navy at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California; in London, England; Vietnam and Arlington, Virginia. Dave also managed a two-tier Help Desk for the Executive Office of the President during the Clinton Administration. Dave enjoys travel and has visited over 30 countries on all continents except Antarctica. He also enjoys golf and has played The Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland for six straight decades. Our sincere congratulations go out to Dave on his retirement. He will be missed, but we know he will be enjoying the things he loves to do most in life, being with his family and friends and some well-deserved fun. We greatly appreciate all that he has done for RCAS and our great nation. We wish him well in the days ahead and in all his future endeavors. He will always be part of the RCAS family. Among other much deserved recognition from the RCAS staff, pictured here are the RCAS Product Lead, Ms. Sammi Foong (left) presenting Mr. David M. Cornelissen (right) with a Commander s Award for Civilian Service. Photo provided by Mr. Pete Van Schagen, RCAS Communications Support. I n f o r m a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y I n f r a s t r u c t u r e I n t e g r a t i o n a n d Re f r e s h / Re q u i r e m e n t s M a n a g e m e n t Pg 3
RESERVE COMPONENT AUTOMATION SYSTEMS SERVING THE SOLDIER SERVING THE NATION RCAS SUPPORTS NJARNG SRP AT FORT DIX CW3 Michael Lynch, FIRO NJARNG providing support to the NJARNG G-3, checks in Soldiers by scanning their CAC and then uses MPDV to track them through the SRP event. Photo Credit: Mr. Max Dunn, MPDV Product Owner. Thinking about using the RCAS Mobilization Planning Data Viewer (MPDV) application, but not sure how it really works or about some of the changes and enhancements to the application? Just ask RCAS, and we will assist. Using the RCAS MPDV application makes the Soldier Readiness Processing (SRP) Check-In and Check-Out process a breeze. CW3 Michael Lynch, Force Integration Readiness Officer (FIRO) for the New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG) knows just how much, as he processes a Soldier into a recent SRP event using a Common Access Card (CAC) which automatically pulls up the Soldiers information in MPDV. This saves valuable time and makes the process much easier. Mr. Max Dunn, the RCAS MPDV Product Owner, supported the SRP event this past January at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Over 130 NJARNG Soldiers were processed during the event using MPDV. To assist unit personnel, unit administrators and commanders with the use of this time-saving MPDV tool, RCAS offers MPDV Leadership Workshops, briefings and SRP support for all levels of command. This support is fully funded by RCAS so there is no cost to the field. Want to know more about MPDV and what it can do for you. Go to the RCAS homepage on Army Knowledge Online (AKO) at https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/207093. There you will have access to the latest MPDV information, briefings, contacts, the MPDV schedule of events and much more. To request MPDV SRP support or a project briefing contact Mr. Pete Van Schagen, RCAS Communications Support, by phone at 703-806-3282, or by e-mail at peter.g.vanschagen.ctr@mail.mil. UPCOMING CONFERENCE/EVENT SUPPORT RCAS is providing support at the events in the table to the right. If you are planning to attend any of these workshops or conference events, visit the RCAS area for a software demonstration and a discussion of RCAS products and services. The RCAS Team is available to provide briefings and answer RCAS related questions at various ARNG and USAR events. To request RCAS participation at your next conference or workshop event, contact Mr. Pete Van Schagen, RCAS Communications Support, by phone at 703-806-3282, or by e-mail at peter.g.vanschagen.ctr@mail.mil. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve Multi-Component Joint Assessment (M-CJA) and SRP Support Events M-CJA Support Fort Hood, Texas 5 through 8 May 2018 Information Technology Infrastructure Integration and Refresh / Requirements Management Pg 4
RESERVE COMPONENT AUTOMATION SYSTEMS SERVING THE SOLDIER SERVING THE NATION FORWARD FOCUSED RCAS is always innovating and working to improve the end user experience, across the suite of applications. As a result, sometimes it s out with the old so we can bring in the new! In March 2018, the last Retirement Points Accounting Management (RPAM) class on a system that has been in use since the early 90s was taught by Lead RPAM Instructor, SFC Marty Phelps. Product Manager, Ms. Althea Wilson, and RCAS Training Coordinator, Mr. Robert Medley, were on-hand to support the event. The class was held at the 260th Regional Training Institute (RTI) at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Keeping the classroom technology running was a coordinated effort with assistance from SGT Kenneth Larigey, SFC Catalina Blackman and SSG Kathy Nichols of the RTI support staff. The RCAS Training team will support the rollout of RPAMNext, helping to train the initial batch of students on the new application with a smooth transition. This next generation software looks and feels very similar to the legacy application, but, has been re-coded for efficiency, security, and ease of maintenance. It also includes some streamlining and handy new features, such as an Audit Log and Extract Transform Load (ETL) Warnings. The RCAS Team is working hard to support the rollout of RPAMNext and spread the word that all States must be at 7.1.6 PRIOR to activating RPAMNext. The rollout was carefully planned and is being managed for maximum success. The first sites to install are the National Guard Bureau (NGB), Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG), Kentucky ARNG and the Texas ARNG. Each of these sites worked with the development team to test preview versions of the software prior to the actual installation. Other sites will follow, in accordance with a phased and strategic order. See the roll-out schedule published in the RPAMNext Activation article on page one of this RCAS News. In March 2018, RCAS Instructor, Andrew Lewis introduced nearly fifty Soldiers from the Safety Office/Florida Army National Guard at Camp Blanding, Florida to the many benefits of using the RCAS Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) software. Working with the Florida Army National Guard was a great experience, and they are excited to solidify and manage their Army Safety Program with the implementation of the RCAS SOH application. They expressed special appreciation for features that will help them track and analyze safety concerns at both the unit level and for individual Soldiers. R C A S T R A I N I N G CORNER SFC Phelps and Mr. Longoria training the last RPAM Legacy class at the 260th RTI, Fort Belvoir. Photo credit: Mr. Robert G. Medley, RCAS Training Coordinator. COMING SOON RCAS Training team will roll-out a new customer -facing portal for submitting and tracking Training Event Requests. This new tool will enable the fastest, most efficient response to your requests, and will also provide a permanent record for your reference. Check the next newsletter for details! We hope to serve YOU in 2018! Sign Up for Classes: View all current RCAS training schedules at https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/207093, click on the Training Support tab at the top, and then click the RCAS Online Training Link on the left. To schedule training for your site, contact Mr. Robert G. Medley, RCAS Training Coordinator at 703-806-3163, or Robert.G.Medley.civ@mail.mil. You can also submit a Request for RCAS Training APPLICATION NAME helpdesk ticket through the NGB Helpdesk at ng.ncr.arng.mbx.helpdeskngb@mail.mil, or 1-800-821-3097. For the USAR, contact your Major Subordinate Command Point of Contact for training. We are on the web at https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/207093 Want to provide input to RCAS News or be added to the distribution list, contact Mr. Robert G. Medley at robert.g.medley.civ@mail.mil. Reserve Component Automation Systems, ATTN: RCAS, 6010 6th Street, Building 1465B, Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060 Information Technology Infrastructure Integration and Refresh / Requirements Management Pg 5