Implemented innovative IT solutions to address several challenges at the Army Logistics Management College. An email solution was identified and deployed to facilitate communication with no available funding for upgrades. An easy to use expert system shell was developed and incorporated into the curriculum to analyze results from AI programs, reducing instruction time by 50%. A software project was updated to streamline the airborne deployment load planning process, reducing the time from six hours to six minutes. These solutions modernized systems at the college and improved productivity while supporting critical functions for deploying military units.

1. Leadership Case Study
Implemented Innovative IT Solutions
Situation:
The Army Logistics Management College (ALMC) needed an interim e-mail solution as it struggled to
transition to a modern, PC-based local area network (LAN). There was no funding to pursue upgrades, yet
the college needed to facilitate internal and external communication. Concurrently, the Intelligent
Technologies department’s main objective was to link artificial intelligence (AI) applications within the
core curriculum, operations research (OR). There was limited instruction time available and the existing
expert systems (ES) application used was difficult to learn and did not enable analysis. In addition, a
software project needed to be upgraded to reduce the workload of our Army’s rapid deployment forces.
With 18 hours given for movement of personnel and equipment on various U.S. Air Force cargo aircraft,
the process of coordinating load plans could take up to six hours.
Action Plan:
• Identified an e-mail application to test, configure, install, and receive college commandant
approval for use. Transitioned college toward a paperless environment.
• Developed block of instruction to train all college employees and write a self-paced tutorial for
those unable to attend training.
• Researched and developed a user-friendly ES shell. Incorporated into course curriculum and
enabled students to perform clear-cut analyses of results from neural network programs and
mathematical modeling tools.
• Made separate trips to meet with the 82nd
Airborne Division Infantry Brigade at Ft. Bragg, NC, and
the software developer in Alexandria, VA. Outlined procedures to identify the entire deployment
process.
• Updated all vehicle and equipment database information, modified software through multiple
iterations and provided user-friendly graphical interfaces.
Results:
Led the ALMC modernization effort by introducing a cost-free e-mail capability and teaching its use.
Daily communications increased exponentially and the college was on its way toward better productivity
within a paperless environment. Introduced an ES shell that reduced instruction time by 50 percent and
allowed students to generate quick, simple presentations linking complex modeling and neural network
(NN) applications. Received invitations to present and teach off-site. Software application became a
practical product for the soldiers at the 82nd
Airborne Division—the end result reduced the six-hour, manual,
stubby-pencil drill to six minutes, ensuring that deploying units could spend valuable preparation time
elsewhere.