Page 10 - MILConnection_Summer_2020

Distributed, disparate data to a sound system solution

Challenge
Maintaining accurate and consistent employee data is difficult for any organization, but the challenge is amplified when dealing
with more than 2,000 staff members in over 170 offices around the globe. For years, an MIL federal government client has dealt with
employee data that is spread across multiple, disjointed systems and applications, such as Salesforce, SharePoint, websites, and locally
maintained spreadsheets. Inconsistencies have persisted in the accuracy and quality of the data across these systems, and the lack of
a single authoritative source for information has resulted in several IT security and business problems. As the experts in application
development for this client, MIL stepped in to offer a timely solution that will have lasting benefits for the organization.

Solution

Product and Process Quality Assurance (PPQA), a target team, was assembled to objectively evaluate
work products and project team adherence to the documented Global Financial Architecture
Administration (GFAA) process. Its existence offered a means to objectively evaluate work products
and project team adherence to the documented GFAA process; it is the ‘eyes and ears’ of the
organization. Additionally, PPQA is responsible for recording and facilitating the resolution of all
process non-compliance issues discovered during these evaluations. Its activities are designed to
ensure all projects follow the defined process to maintain CMMI Maturity Level II compliance.
Further, in order to achieve full CGFS/GFMS compliance, PPQA enacted a multi-phased compliance
improvement initiative that not only brought PPQA to the forefront, but also increased project
team involvement. This compliance improvement initiative set a strong foundation for continued
compliance.

Benefit
In October of 2019, CGFS/GFMS achieved CMMI Maturity Level II. The assessment team identified
zero weaknesses, which is very unusual and impressive. Based on this overwhelming positive
feedback on the strides the organization has taken, CGFS/GFMS has set a target for upgrading to
CMMI Maturity Level III in 2022.

employees of the month

March 2020: Tristan Cills

The Combined Federal Contributions to redesign State’s internal process so campaign contributions
(CFC) Campaign is the world’s largest could be compiled into a central database and then mass loaded
annual workplace charity campaign. Each into the payroll system. His automated workaround reduced the
year between the months of October number of data entry instances from 1,135 in 2018 to 16 in 2019.
and January, federal, civilian, postal, and In addition to the reduction of tasking for State’s Pay Processing,
military donors raise millions of dollars Tristan’s database was able to provide OPM officials with real-time
for charitable organizations. After two reporting during the campaign’s open season.
years of process improvement and system In January 2020, the State Department’s Global Foreign Affairs
development, the CFC Campaign has a fully automated process Compensation System (GFACS) Annuitant payroll system
with State Department compensation systems. implemented full automation of the CFC process by using

MIL’ s Tristan Cills inherited a labor intensive and manual Tristan’s work as a basis for requirements and design. His work
process that required multiple State Department and Office of will also serve as the model for the upcoming GFACS Americans
Personnel Management (OPM) personnel to track and file paper system.
forms so that charitable donations could be routed to over 6,300 Tristan’s contributions to this global effort have been recognized
charities. The legacy process made for difficult data entry for by the State Department Certificate of Appreciation award and
State Pay Processing staff, challenging reporting methods for by OPM with their 2019 Impact Award. His service and forward
OPM representatives, and a confusing user experience. In 2018, thinking provided tangible solutions for MIL’s clients and
an initiative was started to automate the entire process across all customers. As the March Employee of the Month, Tristan is what
payroll systems. However, the timeline to accomplish the task was Making a Difference looks like at MIL.
past the open season window for contributions.
While system development occurred, Tristan took the initiative
10 | The mil connection | Summer 2020