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Transformation Update – January 2007 |
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On 18 January 2006, Secretary Mike Leavitt communicated a vision for a Transformed
Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps). That vision included
augmenting the human resource management of officers to better prepare the Corps
for coordinated response, staffing of difficult-to-fill clinical and public health
positions, and continuous career development and training of officers.
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Responding to the Secretary’s vision requires the leveraging of existing Corps systems
and the development of new Corps systems. Many of the new systems will have an information
technology component to maximize the Corps’ ability to manage its most valuable
asset, the officer, as needs arise and officers are recognized for the unique abilities
they bring to the Department of Health and Human Services.
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The Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) has embarked on an ambitious
overhaul of existing information technology systems and is planning the addition
of other systems to help realize the Transformed Commissioned Corps. Within the
first quarter of 2007, OCCFM anticipates deploying the first of many systems to
better manage how Corps officers are recruited and compensated.
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The table below depicts systems planned as part of the Transformation initiative
along with anticipated rollout dates:
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Call to Duty
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27-Mar-2007
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Recruitment System
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27-Jun-2007
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Active Duty
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26-Sep-2007
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Officer Profiles
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27-Sep-2007
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Functional Groups
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27-Sep-2007
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Selection System
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29-Sep-2007
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Billet Rewrite
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30-Mar-2008
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Billet System
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30-Mar-2008
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Revised Call to
Duty
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29-Jun-2008
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The initial implementation of a new electronic Call to Active Duty (eCAD) system
should be online by the end of March 2007. The new system is intended to help manage
the documentation associated with recruiting new officers into the Corps. Potential
officers will be guided by marketing materials and a new recruitment Web site to
apply online. The eCAD system will pre-qualify individuals interested in serving
in the Corps to assure that each applicant meets minimum qualifying criteria for
entry into the Corps. The pre-qualified individuals will fill out information guided
by a series of questions intended to make the online application user-friendly.
The applicant can save his or her work at any time, and an online status report
will let the prospective officer know where in the process his or her application
stood.
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Once an applicant receives a commission, the electronic information captured though
the online application will be shared amongst the payroll and benefits system, the
electronic Official Personnel Folder, a job assignment system, a readiness system,
and a career management and training system. Many of these systems remain in the
planning stages, but the Transformation timeline as approved by the Secretary mandates
that key elements of all the systems mentioned be completed before calendar
year 2008 ends.
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We have all seen how information technology systems are often incapable of communicating
data with other systems. This results from the use of divergent technologies, different
nomenclature for the same or similar data, security precautions, and a litany of
other causes. To address the issue of program interoperability, OCCFM will be adopting
a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) to tie together both legacy and new software
applications. The fundamental concept underpinning SOA is that software applications
communicate through the SOA rather than directly with each other. The SOA serves
as a middleman that enables applications to share data based on business logic built
into the SOA itself. The business logic of the SOA is built upon the needs of the
user, whether it be an officer in an isolated site or a hiring official in the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Any applications providing data to the SOA become
less essential because the SOA provides what the end user needs in a familiar format.
Even if the underlying application is retired or replaced, the SOA will be able
to gather needed information from replacement data sources, in a manner tailored
to each type of user (Chief Professional Officer, hiring official, supervisor, officer,
etc.).
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Look to see eCAD in March, and be aware that the future services envisioned stem
directly from the requirements of Transformation workgroups, independent consulting
groups, and ongoing interaction with key stakeholders as each system is developed.
Information technology is being applied to build a better system of serving officers
and the Agencies and organizations we serve. Electronic data systems have the capability
to perform many tasks that are currently being done by Office of Commissioned Corps
Operations (OCCO) and OCCFM staff, and the use of such technology will permit their
personnel more time to directly interact with our customers.
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The success of Transformation information technology systems is dependent upon the
provision of detailed specifications based upon tested human resource processes.
Transformation Officers will develop these specifications in conjunction with working
groups representing Corps officers and other stakeholders. If you have specific
suggestions for improving human resource processes, please convey your ideas through
the appropriate chains of communication.
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