DEFENSE CIVILIAN PERSONNEL DATA SYSTEM (DCPDS)
|
The Defense Civilian Personnel Data System (DCPDS) will provide the software application tools and the requisite hardware to support civilian personnel mission requirements for DoD. Its genesis was the regionalization of DoD personnel data centers, with the consolidation of personnel service centers. DCPDS complements regionalization in that the automated tools it provides will facilitate the expected decrease in the personnelist to customer service ratio (from 1:50 to 1:100).
The basic design of the system is a client-server architecture. Data entered into the system at the Customer Support Units will update the database at one of the Service's Regional Service Centers. The database of record for each Service's region (and for each DoD agency) will reside at its respective Regional Service Center. The Civilian Personnel Management Service will keep a DoD enterprise database for survey and planning purposes.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In FY96, DCPDS underwent an Operational Assessment (OA) to evaluate the success of initial personnel process improvements provided by DCPDS, but it was found that these enhancements were not being employed. Another OA was conducted during FY97, which noted marked improvement, due in part to the increased emphasis after the first assessment.
During FY98 and early FY99, T&E activities were limited to developmental and technical testing. This activity included software unit testing and integration testing in which the system's end-to-end performance was tested in a laboratory environment. The formal Software Qualification Test (SQT), the last DT prior to OT, was initiated. Representatives from the components participated in the integration testing and the SQT.
During the period extending from June 1999 to February 2000, AFOTEC conducted QOT&E on DCPDS at several test sites in two stages--system level evaluation and dedicated OT&E--in accordance with the DOT&E-approved TEMP and Operational Test Plan (OTP). AFOTEC employed a new test approach, Combined Test Force, to maximize the sharing of data collected at all phases of testing.
The dedicated OT&E phase was conducted during 2QFY00 at civilian personnel offices located at Ft. Richardson, AK; Ft. Shafter, HI; Silverdale, WA; McChord AFB, WA; and Randolph AFB, TX. This test phase was managed and controlled exclusively by AFOTEC, which used mission task accomplishment analyses to evaluate DCPDS operational effectiveness and suitability. Several shortcomings in the execution of QOT&E were noted by DOT&E. Prominent among these were inadequate data collection during the dedicated OT phase and frequent system baseline changes during the test events. However, the most significant shortfall was that operational requirements were reduced by Civilian Personnel Management Service (CPMS) just prior to the start of the dedicated OT phase. Accordingly, no testing was carried out to evaluate the performance of several major system capabilities. As a result of these and other shortcomings, DOT&E directed that additional testing be completed prior to full fielding. This initial QOT&E activity was subsequently labeled QOT&E Phase I.
TEST & EVALUATION ACTIVITY
The Follow-on OT&E, labeled Phase II QOT&E, was conducted by AFOTEC over a 2-week period in July and August 2001, at three test sites in Fort Benning, GA; Redstone Arsenal, AL; and San Diego, CA. Phase II was designed to evaluate the deferred (from Phase I) functionalities and the pre-planned upgrades (released since Phase I QOT&E), to resolve COI 1 (Administrative Training), which was resolved as unsatisfactory for Phase I, and to re-evaluate other deficiencies noted during the Phase I testing, such as Mass Action¾ which include Mass Pay, Mass Realignment, and Mass Appraisals.
TEST & EVALUATION ASSESSMENT
During the Phase II testing, AFOTEC observed that the majority of the users rated the deferred functionalities and pre-planned upgrades as "largely acceptable" or "completely acceptable." AFOTEC, however, was unable to completely resolve COI 1 (Administrative Training), because some of the required capabilities were not installed at the test sites, hence could not be observed. Surveys of users at the five test sites showed a 60 percent approval rating of the Mass Action functionalities, including Mass Pay, Mass Realignment, and Mass Appraisals. AFOTEC concluded that DCPDS was operationally effective and suitable; DOT&E agreed except for COI 1 and Mass Actions. DOT&E has required additional testing of the previously unobserved Administrative Training capabilities and the Mass Action functionality.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
