United States Air Force
The Air Force Integrated Digital Environment Project grew out of a government-wide initiative to create an integrated digital environment (IDE) for the exchange of information between Communities to make better decisions and to retain essential evidence. This initiative was also intended to help the government become “paperless” -- to use information and Internet technologies to improve the productivity of the business.
A team of selected qualified professionals worked, over a period of three years, on what it would take to develop an integrated digital environment and how, practically, to implement such an environment in the Air Force. This effort was successfully concluded, in 2001 with the creation of a Work Culture Transformation Board. This is a management group composed of dedicated senior leaders who are committed to implementing the work of their directorates in an IDE. That effort is now underway.
From 1998-2001 the Integrated Digital Environment Project Team accomplished the following:
Developed an understanding of the characteristics of an integrated digital environment, three principles of such an environment, and a methodology to create the environment.
Definition: A digital work environment in which there is immediate access to information needed to conduct business (do work). Such an environment requires an information-sharing work culture, digital tools, connectivity, and a corporate memory.
Principles:
The owner/creator should be the keeper of information.
Access to information should replace reporting.
Corporate memory (essential evidence) should be re-used.
Methodology
Determine the Work and define the workflow.
Identify the information needed to do that Work.
Identify the information created in doing that Work.
Make information need to do the Work immediately accessible.
Make information created in doing Work accessible to others who need it to do their Work.
Transform the Work and optimize the workflow
Nurtured Innovation Centers to pilot the real world implementation of an integrated digital environment were effected as follows:
Electronic Systems Center (Hanscom AFB): Replaced reporting with access.
Warner Robins Air Logistic Center: Made data and information immediately accessible to do Work.
Air Force Research Labs: Developed knowledge management capabilities for scientists and engineers and a virtual private network to allow information to be shared regardless of location.
Wright-Patterson AFB: Enabled collaborative work in contracting and procurement and developed plans for a virtual work place.
Kelly AFB: Developed system and methodology to capture corporate memory and move it to another location.
Air Force Wide: Secured leadership commitment to transform work culture to an information-sharing environment using the principles defined in the IDE initiative.
A summary of the work of the team that he led is contained in a report suggesting how the Air Force can transform its work culture from an information hoarding to information sharing work culture.
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