Write some information about Kingfish ACE
URSUS
DIGITAL STOREFRONT FOR SUPPLY
SUMMARY:
Have you ever had to stand in line to receive your IPE for an exercise or deployment? Have you ever wondered why you can order clothes online but have to leave work or home for several hours to ensure you have the right equipment before hitting the road? URSUS is a Tesseract pathfinder designed to address this exact problem by delivering a modern, digital storefront for IPE issuing.
URSUS is a responsive web application designed to return time to Commanders and Airmen that is lost during the Deployment Process. This Airman-driven initiative utilizes agile software development to deliver a transformational solution for how we manage IPE. In an initial test of the URSUS MVP at Exercise Polar Force 21-5 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, URSUS showed that modern software capabilities that we’re all familiar with in our day-to-day lives have the potential to return thousands of hours to our Airmen before they depart for a deployment or exercise.
Over the past two years, Tesseract has partnered closely with Air Force Research Laboratories’ (AFRL) Information Directorate to develop and test this game changing tool and we are now working to scale and sustain these capabilities for all Airmen!
RESOURCES:
If you are interested in learning more about URSUS, please reach out via our help desk. In the interest of transparency, please note that this application is still in its testing phase and will not be scaled across the Air Force for at least another year. However, if your unit is interested in serving as a test location for this capability that can help influence the final product through end user feedback, please let our team know!
GET INVOLVED:
If you are an LNO, or are interested in becoming an LNO, that has a passion for software development or URSUS specifically, please reach out to the Tesseract team via our help desk or contact Maj Jamey Shuls directly. We are always seeking field-level experts who can put these software projects “through their paces” and provide feedback to the developers, as well as share the word about these solutions within your own network!
DOWNLOADS:
1.
URSUS FAQ
2.
URSUS One-Pager
INSPECTION DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK & KITTING
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULING & RESOURCING METHODOLOGY
SUMMARY:
Inspection Development Framework (IDF) and Kitting is one of Tesseract's chartered deliverables as it is a cornerstone concept of the Strategic Sustainment Framework (SSF). We work hand-in-hand with leading Industry and academic partners Delta Tech Ops & Georgia Tech Research Institute to adapt and apply the practice of breaking down and fully resourcing aircraft maintenance tasks to opportunistically inject health into weapon systems.
What are our results? At Dover and Travis AFB, the experiments on 10 C-5s showed that If we break up only the Home Station Check (HSC) on only the C-5 we have the potential to gain 29 additional sorties per base per year and the potential of 15 additional flying days per base, per year. When looking at the Readiness Driven Allocation Plan, we saw 34 occasions where Travis and Dover Missed Operational requirements and had aircraft in HSC. Potential there that IDF/Kitting could have benefited crew readiness and TACC’s ability to support combatant commander requirements.
Tesseract, along with academic and industry partners, have now scaled IDF/Kitting to the KC-46 to help define right-sized scheduled maintenance from a maintenance program onset. The KC-46 program was developed to be a wholly Air Force organically sustained platform. Additionally, knowing the KC-46 is a commercial variant deriving from the Boeing 767, the team is connecting Original Equipment Manufacturer Specifications and commercial partners.
RESOURCES:
Coming Soon
GET INVOLVED:
Coming Soon
DOWNLOADS:
Coming Soon
MICAP PRIME
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT EFFORT
SUMMARY:
What is MICAP Prime? MICAP Prime is the adaptation and application of Amazon best-in-industry order fulfillment practices and customer focus utilizing an expeditious pick, pack, ship method. It leverages process discipline, smart sourcing, and commercial carrier capability to deliver readiness faster than ever before. In its simplest form, if a part exists on an Air Force shelf, we can pick it immediately, pack it right away, and ship it the same day with next business day delivery.
Where did MICAP Prime start? Maj Arthur "Chip" Litchfield III asked a simple question – "If I can get a pair of flip-flops from Amazon in less than 2 days, why does it take 4 days to get a MICAP?" He began to look at the data and current processes to investigate. He pitched his idea to [then] Brig Gen Linda Hurry (HAF/A4L) and the newly forming Tesseract Logistics Office of Innovation, and was cleared to run a test. From his research, Maj Litchfield came up with these focusing questions:
In 2020, the Air Force conducted a Proof of Principle test at select locations in order to expedite the fulfillment of grounded aircraft in Mission Impaired Capability Awaiting Parts (MICAP) status. The PoP targeted F-16, KC-135, and C-5 weapons systems and showed an average 20% faster MICAP Response Time (MRT).
Tesseract is currently working with the Basing and Logistics Data Analytics Environment (BLADE) team to develop a first-of-a-kind dashboard to monitor the movement and fulfillment of MICAPs from the time the maintainer enters the demand in the maintenance information system, through the supply and transportation systems that source and deliver the part, and back to the maintainer who installs and "greens" up the aircraft.
This capability will enable near real-time supply chain performance and constraints analysis without the burden of manually pulling large amounts of data from different systems. BLADE's data lake is the enabling technology to pull these systems together, and we couldn't be more excited.
Can this work OCONUS? The cornerstone to OCONUS speed is found in Maj Vince McLean's graduate research project. In short, Maj McLean studied the movement of F-16 grounding MICAPs to Aviano AB, Spangdalhem AB, and Misawa AB. His research indicated that the single option for small parcel shipment, International Priority, resulted in some variation in delivery (from 2 days to 7 days). It also highlighted that as fast as 2-day shipping was achievable, leveraging the fastest commercial carrier capabilities. The conclusion was, combining an additional level of service with MICAP Prime expedited processes principles would result in significant readiness gains, as seen below.
RESOURCES:
Interested in setting up this notification system at your location? Check out the handy how-to created by SSgt Gabriel Fox and the capability delivery team at the ILS-S program office or check out the ILS-S Sharepoint. You can find this document below in the downloads section!
DOWNLOADS:
1.
ILS-S MICAP Alerts
RAWHIDE
Digitizing the cargo deployment
SUMMARY:
During your last base exercise, did you have the opportunity to support the cargo deployment function? As you looked around the deployment facility, did you notice how many disjointed, radio, or pen & paper processes exist? Have you ever wondered why we do not leverage industry standard technologies to support such a critical function? If these questions have ever crossed your mind, then RAWHIDE is the solution you’re seeking!
RAWHIDE is a $4M responsive web based software development effort focused on developing a comprehensive suite of integrated tools that modernize the cargo deployment function (CDF). The goal of the effort is to deliver an end-to-end collaborative workflow that addresses every step through the process and replaces manual/paper-based functions with digital capabilities. This revolutionary, open-architecture platform will be entirely government-owned (GOTS) and is being developed in partnership with an operationally diverse Integrated Product Team to ensure RAWHIDE aligns with all impacted functional domains. An initial MVP is planned for the Fall of 2022 timeframe with the MVCR deployed on Platform One planned for the end of 2023.
Tesseract has partnered closely with Air Force Research Laboratories’ (AFRL) Information Directorate and will serve alongside a team of committed innovators, change agents, and subject matter expertise to Accelerate Change and drive RAWHIDE forward!
GET INVOLVED:
If you are interested in learning more about RAWHIDE, please reach out via our
help desk. In the interest of transparency, please note that this application is still in its testing phase and will not be scaled across the Air Force for at least another year. However, if your unit is interested in serving as a test location for this capability that can help influence the final product through end user feedback, please let our team know!
RESOURCES:
If you are an LNO, or are interested in becoming an LNO, that has a passion for software development or RAWHIDE specifically, please reach out to the Tesseract team via our
help desk or contact Capt Matt “Carp” Carpenter directly. We are always seeking field-level experts who can put these software projects “through their paces” and provide feedback to the developers, as well as share the word about these solutions within your own network!
Check out our featured article on RAWHIDE
here
AETHER SPRINT
SUMMARY:
Aether Sprint is our annual opportunity for frontline Airmen to work directly with Tesseract and Air Force Logistics senior leaders to tackle some of the Logistics Enterprise’s toughest problems. Over the past four months, Tesseract collects and evaluates applications submitted by teams from across the A4 that propose solutions to problem statements focused on pain points in all parts of Maintenance and Logistics. The 2022 Aether Sprint Competition questioned were:
How might we transition from a pull to a push Logistics system?
How might we provide solutions and processes that can develop and enhance Multi-Capable Airmen?
How and where might we automate processes so that humans only do what a human must do?
After finalists share their efforts with the enterprise, Tesseract will continue to work with them to fine tune, scale, and sustain their efforts to directly influence Air Force Logistics strategy and business processes. We’ll be sure to keep you informed of project progress across our social media pages!
RESOURCES:
Aether Sprint is an annual event, usually starting in October. The Tesseract team will work with functional stakeholders and senior leaders on the Air Staff to generate problem statements based on our A4 strategic priorities, then partner with AFPC to share a MyPers message across Log Nation requesting teams apply to share their perspective on how we can tackle these problems.
Tesseract evaluates these applications and identifies semi-finalist teams, which are paired with a Tesseract coach to clearly define and develop their recommended solution over a period of 3-4 months. At the end of that “sprint”, the semi-finalist teams have the opportunity to brief a panel of HAF/A4L evaluators, including Career Field Managers and the Air Force Director of Logistics, to determine which finalists will have the opportunity to share their proposals on the LOA Main Stage!
Keep a look out for Aether Sprint 2023’s call to action later this year! We look forward to hearing the ideas Log Nation has to offer!
GET INVOLVED:
If you are an LNO who is interested in supporting Aether Sprint as a team member or as a coach for some fellow field-level innovators, please contact our team once this year’s call to action is published!
If you are working on an idea, project, or prototype and want to use us as a sounding board, feel free to request our idea coaching and design thinking services! *Available to DoD Members only
BUILD YOUR OWN ADVENTURE (BYOA)
The BYOA course focuses on fostering independence, skill development, and purpose-driven work. Each team takes charge of their projects, hone their skills, and delivered with a strong sense of purpose.
BYOA utilizes SCRUM as a solid base for problem solving and it will take you in a journey of problem solving.
Every project that emerged from the BYOA course opens up new avenues for tackling existing challenges. We shatter barriers, uncover fresh possibilities, and devise impactful solutions to revolutionize how we operate.
UPCOMING BYOA EVENT CALENDAR under construction.