THE EXPEDITIONARY COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM (ECSS)
The Expeditionary Combat Support System was meant to be an improvement in the methodology the United States Air Force used in managing its logistics by applying an enterprise resource planning solution. The enterprise resource planning solution to be developed was to replace the outdated Air Force computer systems with a single integrated system so that the Air Force could provide an auditable set of financial records which had been a challenge in previous years.
The Air Force planned to procure a Commercial off the Shelf software to replace its legacy business system software and adjust current Air Force business processes to accommodate the Off-The-Shelf software capabilities, however market …show more content…
Trilogy was carried out in three phases; upgrade the FBI’s Information Presentation Component which is basically its hardware, upgrade the FBI’s Transportation Network Component which is basically its communication network, then upgrade the FBI’s five most important investigative applications, the User Applications Component (UAC). The first two elements of Trilogy were awarded to Computer Sciences Corporation in one contract because both components involved physical IT infrastructure enhancements. The UAC element of Trilogy was awarded to another contractor, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).
After various security threats, most significantly the September 2001 attacks, the UAC phase of the project was modified into the Virtual Case File by the FBI. VCF was intended to be a new case management system that would improve the FBI personnel’s ability to manage and access its …show more content…
The vendor had no reason to protest these repeated changes based on their contract type which did not penalize missed milestones nor did it require project milestones.
• Management: The FBI lacked personnel skill sets such as qualified software engineers, program managers and contract managers. There was also a high turnover in Trilogy program managers and Chief Information Officers with the FBI going through five people in the Chief Information Officer role in four years.
• The FBI underestimated the complexity of interfacing with the legacy system and did not retain a project integrator to manage contractor interfaces and take responsibility for the overall integrity of the program.
• The use of a flash cutover deployment made it difficult to utilize the system until it was perfected. A flash cutover deployment is an immediate change in a complex system with no phase in period, which meant that no aspect of the program could be tested until completion.
• Scope creep: The VCF scope grew by about eighty percent since initiation with requirements continually added to the system even as it was falling behind
The Expeditionary Combat Support System was meant to be an improvement in the methodology the United States Air Force used in managing its logistics by applying an enterprise resource planning solution. The enterprise resource planning solution to be developed was to replace the outdated Air Force computer systems with a single integrated system so that the Air Force could provide an auditable set of financial records which had been a challenge in previous years.
The Air Force planned to procure a Commercial off the Shelf software to replace its legacy business system software and adjust current Air Force business processes to accommodate the Off-The-Shelf software capabilities, however market …show more content…
Trilogy was carried out in three phases; upgrade the FBI’s Information Presentation Component which is basically its hardware, upgrade the FBI’s Transportation Network Component which is basically its communication network, then upgrade the FBI’s five most important investigative applications, the User Applications Component (UAC). The first two elements of Trilogy were awarded to Computer Sciences Corporation in one contract because both components involved physical IT infrastructure enhancements. The UAC element of Trilogy was awarded to another contractor, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).
After various security threats, most significantly the September 2001 attacks, the UAC phase of the project was modified into the Virtual Case File by the FBI. VCF was intended to be a new case management system that would improve the FBI personnel’s ability to manage and access its …show more content…
The vendor had no reason to protest these repeated changes based on their contract type which did not penalize missed milestones nor did it require project milestones.
• Management: The FBI lacked personnel skill sets such as qualified software engineers, program managers and contract managers. There was also a high turnover in Trilogy program managers and Chief Information Officers with the FBI going through five people in the Chief Information Officer role in four years.
• The FBI underestimated the complexity of interfacing with the legacy system and did not retain a project integrator to manage contractor interfaces and take responsibility for the overall integrity of the program.
• The use of a flash cutover deployment made it difficult to utilize the system until it was perfected. A flash cutover deployment is an immediate change in a complex system with no phase in period, which meant that no aspect of the program could be tested until completion.
• Scope creep: The VCF scope grew by about eighty percent since initiation with requirements continually added to the system even as it was falling behind