ECSS change management.(Controlling Predictable Chaos)(Expeditionary Combat Support System )

How would you have done it? That really is the fundamental question that arises after years of high-level meetings, strategic studies, systems engineering analysis, and expenditure of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, the answer one often finds is that the business savings or improvements expected to be achieved with implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) product suite have partially or completely failed. More often than not, one also finds a string of very similar and very predictable patterns of chaos which could have been overcome through the use of end-user input and ideas, superior leadership, and the well-developed, structured approach clearly spelled out in an overarching organizational change management plan (OCMP).

By late calendar year 2013 (CY13), the Air Force will have successfully completed the implementation of the world's largest, single instance ERP. With over 250,000 primary, secondary, and casual users, the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) will have enabled transformation of every process, policy, system, and job skill within the end-to-end (E2E) supply chain (E2E supply chain refers to core traditional logistics functional area disciplines, as well as several enabling disciplines such as contracting and finance). ECSS will afford unprecedented opportunities to increase weapon system availability, decrease operations and support costs, and dramatically improve logistics readiness and maintenance support to the warfighter.

In order to accomplish this significant level of transformation, each member of the Air Force logistics enterprise (active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, civilian, and contractor) must answer for themselves, "How would you have done it?" and ensure that the answer that works for them as an …