New Project Management Office supports Families First program.

The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Defense Personal Property System (DPS) Project Management Office (PMO). The primary responsibilities of the DPS PMO are to provide an efficient oversight process for the development and delivery of DPS, ensure a timely rollout of a high-quality system and educate stakeholders about this new system.

DPS will be the one system, one standard, worldwide web-based solution that will support Families First, the future Department of Defense Personal Property Program. The development of a broad-based, enterprise-wide system such as DPS represents a magnitude of complexity that has never before been attempted by DoD in the personal property arena.

As part of the "strategic pause" announced in November 2005, SDDC held a Non-Advocate Review (NAR) to discuss ways to maximize the effectiveness of Families First and DPS development. SDDC is implementing recommendations of the NAR, such as establishing a clear management structure, (i.e. the new DPS PMO) implementing a structured review process, and performing iterative stress testing on development and production environments. Third party reviews including a source code review and an architectural design review have already taken place.

With the establishment of the DPS PMO, U.S. Transportation Command and SDDC Senior Leadership have renewed their commitment to keep stakeholders updated on the progress of DPS develop merit at all levels. In December, SDDC provided program status briefings to both the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee. The General Officer

Steering Committee receives updates at frequent meetings, most recently in January, with a follow-up tentatively planned for April. Maj. Gen. Charles W. Fletcher, Jr. will also provide regular updates directly to Services Headquarters. The DPS PMO provides monthly In-Progress Reviews to the Council of Colonels and Captains of the Military Services, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Transportation Service Providers Associations.

To further prepare stakeholders for the new system, USTRANSCOM is considering the release of selected DPS modules for use by stakeholders prior to rollout. These modules will be considered for release following Independent Verification and Validation testing and prior to Software Acceptance Testing. Stakeholders will have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with DPS functionality and provide feedback to DPS PMO. The feedback received from users will be evaluated and prioritized through the Configuration Control Board for possible future inclusion into DPS.

SDDC is taking steps to ensure the current program, Transportation Operational Personal Property Standard System (TOPS) and other component systems such as the Central Web Application (CWA) are adequately maintained and resourced during this delay. As phase I of Families First, CWA software enhancements and fixes will continue as well as online training. SDDC will continue to hold training sessions on CWA and provide the latest information on DPS and Families First at future conferences, symposiums and workshops.

By establishing a PMO dedicated to DPS, SDDC is demonstrating its continued commitment to the successful launch of DPS and Families First. The Defense Personal Property System, DPS, is the future of all personal property moves and provides one system, one standard, worldwide to benefit all stakeholders. To learn more about DPS and Families First, please visit the SDDC Families First website at: https://www.sddc.army.mil/public/Personal+Property/Families+First/