Business Process Engineering Case Study (B):
Commander, Navy Installations Command Support
The Challenge
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma showed National Leadership that we were still not prepared for major catastrophic events on U.S. soil. Plans needed to be in place to ensure that we could respond to and recover from future events.
After the overwhelming success of Task Force Navy Family (TFNF), the Chief of Naval Operation (CNO) directed the Commander, Task Force Navy Family (CTFNF) and the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) to “create a model for family support in future crises.” As TFNF prepared to stand down, their focus shifted from providing immediate “full spectrum community service operations” (see Business Process Engineering case study A) to writing the TFNF Functional Plan (FUNCPLAN) that would guide all future recovery operations.
To create this FUNCPLAN, CTFNF and CNIC would need to capture lessons learned during the 2005 hurricane season and train personnel to create plans in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) guidance.
Skilled in Knowledge Management (KM), the Systems Approach to Training (SAT), and the DoD’s Joint Operation Planning and Execution System (JOPES), SOLUTE was tasked to form the CTFNF and CNIC Planning Cells and facilitate the creation of strategic-level plans.
SOLUTE's Approach
Our overall approach to operational / strategic planning is to:
Collect core knowledge gained by Subject Matter Experts
Incorporate best practices into straight-forward directives
Implement comprehensive training programs for appropriate personnel
Recognizing a need for trained planners at TFNF, SOLUTE established a JOPES training plan in accordance with the SAT. In the first stage of this training plan, SOLUTE taught five uniformed Navy officers the details of JOPES Volume II. These core personnel, led by SOLUTE’s Operational Planning experts, would form the Planning Cell.
 Next, the SOLUTE-led Planning Cell focused on capturing lessons learned, best practices, and business rules that TFNF SMEs employed during hurricane recovery operations. Implementing the second stage of the JOPES training plan, the remaining 50 TFNF personnel were familiarized with the basics of planning. The Planning Cell created and disseminated planning templates for these SMEs to capture their functional-area knowledge in a “5-paragraph order” format.
SOLUTE coordinated, compiled, and edited inputs from these 50 personnel. After finalizing the TFNF FUNCPLAN, the Planning Cell disseminated this document to Navy Leadership and endorsed it for Navy-wide approval.
Value Delivered
The SOLUTE-led TFNF Planning Cell was recognized as a “value-added” process for TFNF. Critical to the success of future contingency planning, the team was reassigned to CNIC to provide numerous tangible and intangible benefits:
: JOPES plans typically take 18-24 months to complete, but Navy Leadership had approved and published the 350-page TFNF FUNCPLAN within six months of starting the SOLUTE-led planning process.
- Benchmarking the Process: The TFNF FUNCPLAN, which serves as the U.S. Navy’s off-the-shelf plan for providing disaster assistance to Navy Families, was adopted by the NORTHCOM Joint Emergency Family Assistance Center (JEFAC) for use across all services.
- Project Leadership: The SOLUTE-led Planning Cell provided in-depth planning guidance, training, and assistance to five other TFNF Supporting Commands while concurrently writing the CNIC Supporting Plan.
- Detailed Planning: The SOLUTE team also created the Evacuation Planning and Execution Appendix to the CNIC Emergency Management Program (EMP) Manual, which provides CNIC’s 98 Regional and Installation Commanding Officers with detailed procedures for evacuating, mustering, and providing safe haven entitlements to their assigned personnel.
: SOLUTE coordinated, wrote, and implemented the training and exercise plans to validate the TFNF FUNCPLAN and the Evacuation Planning and Execution Appendix.
By capturing enterprise knowledge, creating comprehensive strategic plans, and implementing a systematic training and exercise plan, SOLUTE ensured that the U.S. Navy will have a “model for family support in future crises,” which:
-
 Supports the planning and execution of Navy Family support following a future catastrophic event.
- Outlines the framework for activating TFNF following the event and the steps required for establishing the organization, systems, funding, and activities involved.
- Assigns responsibility and reviews the general policy for the employment of U.S. Navy resources as they apply to assistance to the Navy Family.
Experience "The Power of Solutions" with SOLUTE. We have solutions for the real world, TODAY.
|