NAVSEA Success Story

Systems Consulting/Business Process Analysis  

Major Command Implements Defense Travel System (DTS)

SCOPE/Problem:

Headquarters of a major command, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), led DTS implementation. Once DTS started to proliferate within the command and sub organizations, a decision was made to delegate travel process and approval to lower level commands with headquarters still performing audit oversight.

Two directorates that were given this delegated authority hired Immersion to evaluate how they could optimize the value of DTS as well as develop the training, business rules and responsibilities for there travel administrators.

Methodology/Execution:

We could almost relate this to a 6 sigma tool:

• Define - command wants to ensure their approving officials are efficiently reviewing/approving orders and vouchers and that they are enforcing policy.
  
• Measure - run reports to determine routing efficiency
  
• Analyze - review reports/metrics to see where improvements can be made
  
• Improve - create training materials to help DTS Administrators & Travelers become more knowledgeable on system. Add knowledgeable reviewer in the routing process.
  
• Control - continue to run reports to monitor the routing process and to review documents to ensure travelers are following policy. If reports indicate that delays/mistakes are being made, enhance training or conduct more training to improve the process.

What we did:

• Review the current state of the organization data in the system.  Ensure that profile and organizational data was current.
  
• Interviewed key personnel within the travel process
  
• Run reports to see how long documents were sitting at one step in the process to determine if there were any bottlenecks in the process. 
  
• Run unsubmitted voucher reports to see if any travelers were delinquent in filing their vouchers or in processing a cancellation to obtain a refund/restore the funding back to the budget for someone else to use.
  
• Audit 10% of the vouchers for the FY to date.  Took a statistical sampling (selected every 10th voucher) and conducted an analysis to see if the proper documentation (receipts) was included and that expenses matched the receipts, review to see the traveler stayed within per diem, review to ensure the correct mileage (DTOD) calculations were being used, etc. 
  
• Presented results to help client create local business rules and worked with client to create and focus training materials to train travel administrators and travelers . 

Results:

One command decided it would use our insights and recommendations to ramp up one of their administrators to manage DTS. The other command realized the gap between where they where and where they need to go to make this DTS change in a short period of time was too big and hired Immersion to provide the key DTS administrator.

Back to top