FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Less than one year after the Army began rolling out an upgraded version of its Soldier tuition and credentialing assistance portal, ArmyIgnitED, U.S. Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems and the Army Credentialing and Continuing Education Services for Soldiers have achieved full deployment of the system, effective Aug. 24, 2023.
On Aug. 29 of last year, the Army completed the first phase of the rollout, improving tuition assistance processing for Soldiers and enabling the processing of outstanding and new Soldier tuition assistance requests and associated payments. Two months later, the system enabled Soldiers to apply for credentialing assistance funding, and by year’s end, Army cadets could request Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship funding.
Progress on the system continued in the new calendar year. In spring 2023, the Army incrementally released capability to automate payment processing via an interface with the General Fund Enterprise Business System. Then, in July, ArmyIgnitED achieved another key milestone with the release of functionality for Army civilian professional development. Over the following month, the ArmyIgnitED team focused on improving the system’s performance, and as of Aug. 24, ArmyIgnitED is considered fully deployed.
Just because the Army’s tuition assistance portal is fully baked does not mean that the work is done. The ArmyIgnitED team will continue using Agile processes to provide system maintenance and software enhancements following each two-week sprint. The next big milestone, according to ArmyIgnitED team members, is the system’s interface with the Integrated Personnel and Pay System – Army, which was rolled out by PEO EIS and the Army G-1 earlier this year. By directly linking with IPPS-A, ArmyIgnitED will be able to access data instantaneously and ensure that Soldiers receive timely responses to applications.
Like with any new system, ArmyIgnitED has been ironing out kinks in its first year of deployment, largely due to feedback from users. And generally, the feedback has been positive. One Soldier from Fort Knox, Kentucky recently shared how he used the portal while pursuing his education.
“I completed a Bachelor of Science in business administration, and I am now working on a master’s degree in project management, both through ArmyIgnitED,” said Staff Sgt. Aaron Overstreet. “The easiest part was applying for TA. Once you get into the system, it’s self-explanatory, but if there are problems, when I submit a work order, they are quick to respond.”
“I like the way ArmyIgnitED shows you how close you are getting to achieving your degree and seeing the progress advance until you have completed your degree,” he added. “To anyone who hasn’t tried ArmyIgnitED, I’d say ‘do it’ — it’s easy, and if you have any questions, the education service centers can help you out.”
Leaders from PEO EIS’s ArmyIgnitED Product Management Office are pleased to have provided Soldiers, cadets and civilians with the required capability — and some additional enhancements like the GFEBS automated invoicing to boot.
“Our team achieved more than what people thought we could do in less time than expected,” said Keith Baylor, product lead for ArmyIgnitED. “We surpassed expectations in the areas of cost, schedule and performance — the three pillars of program management. It’s a proud moment for PEO EIS and the U.S. Army.”
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