HUNTSVILLE, Alabama –The U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Resource Management Directorate’s Business Practices Division team was recently recognized with the 2021 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Innovation of the Year Award.
The team developed data management solutions and data visualization tools for project management at the Huntsville Center.
Col. Marvin Griffin, Huntsville Center commander, said the BPD team’s contribution to organization yielded unprecedented results, including saving money and providing leadership with insight into program execution.
“Their work has resulted in a paradigm shift in how Huntsville Center measures, reports and executes monthly program review boards and overall program management with regards to cost, schedule and performance,” he said.
The automation process began a year ago when the BPD team adopted and employed commercial and government off-the-shelf data visualization tools, stakeholder survey tools and leveraged digital repositories for hosting video training resources, all at zero cost.
Data reconciliation that once consumed over 400 labor hours is now performed in minutes saving more than $1 million.
Instead of expending more than 200 man hours per month in PowerPoint chart development, program managers and analysts now have an automated dashboard which enables PRBs to be conducted online.
Program managers are also now provided with data forensics via the employment of Business Intelligence (Power Bl) and are alerted to program data elements that warrant attention instead of executing a 100% line item review.
Chip Marin, programs and business director, said these automated processes are ending labor-intensive work while yielding more accurate data validation and empowering Huntsville Center leadership with better data and better decisions.
Griffin said the BPD team has seen their mission support requests increase threefold as executing directors see the value added to their efforts.
“The BPD team is a group of consummate professionals,” Griffin said.
Award recipients are: Russ Dunford, Angela Rackard, Susan Armstrong, Jimmy Johnson, Amy Sullivan, Amanda Odem, John Dodson, Mary Hinson and Brian Tachias.