House of Representatives member excited for IPPS-A to solve long-standing Army Human Resources issue

By Kyra DavenportDecember 20, 2019

Rep. John Bergman
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Rep. John Bergman of Michigan's 1st Congressional District met with Integrated Personnel and Pay System - Army (IPPS-A) leaders at their headquarters in Arlington, VA, on November 18, 2019. IPPS-A is an online human resources (HR) system that will integrate personnel and pay data in a single system for all Army components for the first time ever. The Army IPPS-A program will be replacing industrial age processes to revolutionize HR -- improving service for Soldiers, increasing effectiveness, efficiency and readiness; and providing Total Force visibility.

Bergman received an in-depth brief on the fielding of IPPS-A to the ARNG and the way ahead for development of the program that will include the Active and Reserve components. IPPS-A successfully partnered with the Army National Guard (ARNG) using a phased deployment strategy to bring Release 2 capabilities to all states and territories organized by fielding groups. The system is currently live for approximately half of the U.S. and on track to complete nationwide fielding to all 54 states and territories in March 2020.

IPPS-A will streamline personnel and pay functions, as well as enable personnel data updates to trigger automatic pay transactions. It will correct current system shortfalls by using the latest technology and deliver enhanced transparency and access to Soldier records and personnel actions like never before. In addition, it will ensure compliance with cyber security, information assurance and audit requirements for the Army. IPPS-A completed its critical design review for Release 3 capabilities in November. Bergman is excited for the future of the program as it will solve long-standing HR challenges for the Army.

"Having a system that functions for the Active component, National Guard, and the Reserve, solves a decade-long problem," said Bergman. "The Army has a solid plan, and I am excited to receive more updates on how we are going to be able to roll this out so that all the Soldiers have access to IPPS-A."

Maj. Lee Baklarz, Release 2 Sustainment Lead, provided a demonstration using the IPPS-A mobile app. The app provides Soldiers easy access to their records, with self-service functions to submit personnel actions using a mobile device. To date, the app has been downloaded by over 6,000 users.

For Release 3 and beyond of IPPS-A, the team showed Bergman prototypes profiles for a decentralized, regulated, market-style hiring system that aligns officers with jobs based on preferences. This marketplace dialogue will be assisted by the 25-Point Talent Profile, which provides a detailed level of professional characteristics about each Soldier. The 25-Point Talent Profile is a new feature specific to IPPS-A that will provide a multi-dimensional view of a Soldiers' knowledge, skills, behaviors and preferences to provide visibility on the talent within the Army.

Additionally, an IPPS-A objective includes delivering a return on investment with a reduction in IT and military pay costs. At full deployment, the Army expects to save over $180M in annual labor and military pay efficiency. For Bergman, these accomplishments in fielding and capabilities of the current legacy systems showed the quality of the IPPS-A team.

"What I observed was a solid team during my brief," said Bergman. "Everyone was in sync and enthusiastic about the mission to take care of our Soldiers."

IPPS-A's planned fielding to Michigan is slated for January 2020. Bergman, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General, is the first congressional representative to visit the IPPS-A headquarters. He pledged to continue to support the program as it migrates to the rest of the Army.

"I look forward to coming back to visit you all whether that be at the IPPS-A headquarters or out in the field, and I will be sure to bring more of my colleagues as we continue to support the success of IPPS-A," said Bergman.

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The Integrated Personnel and Pay System - Army will fill the capability gaps in personnel, pay, and managing talent and data for the total Army. Currently, there are approx. 200+ HR and pay systems and over 650 interface and data exchanges between internal and external systems. IPPS-A will subsume 30+ systems, eliminate 300+ interfaces and provide essential capabilities to the Army including total force visibility, managing talent and data, and auditability. IPPS-A will serve as the vehicle to enhance total Army readiness by maximizing the potential of the Army's greatest asset, the Soldier. To learn more, follow IPPS-A on social media.

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