Case Study - DCBMA IS Team

The British Army is planning to deploy all its current paper-based forms electronically using Toplevel OfficeForms software.

"Toplevel OfficeForms had been successfully delivering the ‘100 most used’ forms to around 50,000 workstations for around three years before the decision was taken to expand the number of forms and move to a server-based solution," stated Major Phil Cutforth, Applications Manager for the Directorate of Command and Battlespace Management (Army).

The current electronic forms use Toplevel's client FormFiller software deployed across 16 different Defence IT systems, principally in-barracks. The new extended service will cover over 500 forms, targeted at 180,000 workstations and laptops worldwide, giving soldiers access in operational theatres, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in-barracks.

A sizeable challenge

The expansion is part of the Army Reference Portal Project that will see e-forms deployed on both the defence Intranet and Internet (ArmyNET), and is being coordinated by the Application Services Group of the Directorate of Command and Battlespace Management (Army).

The rollout of large defence software projects, such as the Oracle-based Joint Personnel Administration (JPA), coupled with the fact that the Defence Storage & Distribution Centre at Llangennich is ceasing to maintain stocks of paper publications and forms, meant the Army electronic support services had to be reviewed, as they became the primary source and authority of official publications and forms.

The new service will be compatible with the £4 billion Defence Information Infrastructure project being delivered by ATLAS, and will be uniquely placed to take advantage of the new infrastructure.

Unique requisite

Major Cutforth said:

“In Autumn 2005, we undertook a technology evaluation across the marketplace and didn’t find anything that provided the rich functionality we needed other than the Toplevel products. That fact, coupled with Toplevel's flexible pricing structure meant we were sure of getting excellent value from their products over the lifetime of the service.”

The contract was awarded to Toplevel in January 2006 and the existing 100 forms were converted to web-page format, and implemented for sponsor evaluation and user testing during May and June. Army forms will continue to be added to the new Toplevel server during the summer and autumn of 2006’ and the new service will be fully operational by November 2006.

Benefits

The OfficeForms server solution allows the forms to be held and managed centrally, and published on an open server so users can access the forms with a standard web browser, either directly or via any of the Army, Land Forces, or other Services Intranet websites - whether they are in Whitehall, or in bases or battlefield environments anywhere in the world. Most importantly, the forms retain full compatibility with the client version of OfficeForms for use on laptops and other offline environments.

The new e-forms service covers the whole range of Army activities including Personnel, Security, Intelligence, Operations, Training, Logistics Support, Quartering, and Communication and Information Systems. Typical examples of the e-forms include personal administration not covered by JPA, casualty notifications, financial questionnaires, medical, transport and other logistics requisitions.

The new server solution will present the forms as a series of web screens with fields for completion by the user. At the end of the process, the completed form is presented on screen and the user has options to print, save, or email the form.

With the new system, staff will not have to maintain local stocks of paper forms and there will be no need to produce lower quality photocopies when stocks run out. Unlike paper forms, electronic forms are available to users on demand so no time is wasted sourcing or obtaining blank forms from central sources or admin offices.

Electronic forms also improve adherence to standards, as business logic can be enforced and on-screen prompts help users to complete them correctly. This, in turn, saves the time staff used to spend dealing with incomplete or incorrect forms. Unlike paper forms, completed electronic forms can not be so easily lost, as they can be saved on the computer and retrieved when needed. There are also considerable savings when a master form needs to be amended. Only the single server-based e-form needs to be changed, whereas, previously, stockpiles of outdated paper forms had to be thrown away.

Future Plans

In the future, Toplevel software could be used to analyse information entered on the forms and to measure usage, providing an analysis of which forms are accessed, how often, by whom and from where. In time, the system could also be extended to provide electronic workflow and process management capabilities. The new British Army online web e-forms service will be heavily promoted at roadshows, through newsletters, on websites, on the defence Intranet and ArmyNET Internet facilities, and magazine articles, such as 'The Soldier' magazine.

"Toplevel electronic forms have proved their value with the previous system used by the Army,"says Toplevel sales director, Jane Roberts.

"And we are very pleased with the decision to expand their use with this server-based solution, which I am certain will bring significant benefits."

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