Across the Army’s sustainment enterprise, data experts and analysts have made innovative changes that improve readiness while modernizing the force.
Representing the best minds across Army Materiel Command, these professionals are growing in number and working hand in hand with one another, and the results of their efforts were on full display at the AMC Data and Analytics Summit, held July 23-25 at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
“Many people say AMC leads the Army in advanced analytics, and it’s because of you,” said Christopher Hill, AMC’s chief data and analytics officer. “You are the problem solvers for our command. Our leaders never make complex decisions without consulting data analytics.”
While the summit provided an opportunity to interact in person, data and analytics professionals have been doing a lot by connecting virtually through the AMC Data and Analytics Communities of Interest. These communities provide a framework for collaboration in areas such as programming, dashboard development, and more. Information is shared in online knowledge management systems, and community members meet via video conferencing.
“I want to emphasize how easy it is here to call Lifeline, call a friend, make a friend, network,” said Carla Bolton, with Corpus Christi Army Base’s Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Division. “This is a great opportunity for us all to learn from each other.”
Bolton presented a case study on how CCAD, Tobyhanna Army Depot, McAlester Army Ammunition Plant and Letterkenny Army Depot are working together to better track Defense Asset Management System and asset loss financial accountability investigation data. He said the virtual chat helped him realize other organic industrial base sites face similar challenges to his own and provided an opportunity to consolidate efforts.
Across the command, experts are not only collaborating to solve problems, but also experimenting with reducing duplication and streamlining business processes. Joint Logistics Command partnered with the 377th Theater Logistics Command and AMC Headquarters to create a large-scale language model to summarize weekly reports. The team decided not to duplicate efforts being made by other Army organizations, but the effort was more about process than product, said Robert Kitchen, a data analyst at JMC.
“We didn’t go to school for this,” Kitchen said. “This is a rapidly growing technology, and we have to use it wisely. We’re a logistics command. There’s no reason we can’t use these tools.”
In this spirit, AMC is gaining momentum in collaboration and use of cutting edge advanced analytics tools. The command’s culture is shifting to be data-centric. The AMC Analytics Group will be surveying data professionals in the coming days to gauge where the command stands with respect to data use and advanced analytics.
“We have the support of AMC leadership and they look to us to lead the command through this modernization,” Hill said. “This study will help show where we are and how far we can continue to grow.”
AMC also plans to launch competitions, including one that challenges experts in the field to develop tools to better track unit readiness before deployment. Details of these competitions will be shared through the AMC Data and Analytics Community SharePoint site. At the summit, experts had an eight-minute competition to showcase their dashboard creations.
As AMC looks to the future and evaluates its data-centricity, Hill said the command must continue to enable and scale grassroots innovation while maintaining collaboration across echelons.
“One of the most amazing things I’ve seen in all the years I’ve helped, and especially now, is the quality of our workforce,” Hill said. “I’m amazed at our employees’ ability to provide creative solutions to ever-changing situations.”
