Combat Systems Light-off Assessment (CSLOA) Process Updates
My objective was to improve the efficiency of Afloat Training Group Mayport's shipboard material inspections. As the Mayport CSLOA Coordinator, I was accountable for the completion of all deliverables for each iteration of CSLOA.
During initiation, I identified key stakeholders and worked with a program manager and other project managers to develop a shared charter to synchronize concurrent efforts across different sites. My deliverable for the initiation phase comprised inputs into a project charter, which was signed by the project sponsor.
For the planning phase, I reviewed the 11 functional areas that CSLOA would assess, and I identified team leaders and coordinated resource assignments. Additionally, I communicated with stakeholders and established brainstorming sessions to identify risks and build mitigation plans. I also oversaw the creation of a presentation that captured metrics for grading functional areas and developed a schedule to streamline the execution phase. Deliverables from the planning phase included a stakeholder brief, project schedule, and team directory.
During the execution phase, I facilitated stakeholder briefs, supported functional managers by resolving conflicts, and tracked project deliverables. Outcomes from the execution phase comprised final reports built from key performance indicators and an assessment of the project’s success, including time saved and impacts on process outcomes.
To monitor and control the execution, I coordinated with stakeholders to review metrics measuring progress, quality, and assessment results. I also worked with functional managers to implement changes that further compressed event timelines through successive iterations.
After the most recent iteration, I closed the project by archiving artifacts and collaborating with my sponsor, program manager, and other project managers to synchronize lessons learned in support of future projects.
Readiness Evaluation of a US Navy ship
My objective was to execute a Readiness Evaluation (RE) on a Navy ship. I assessed equipment operability and measured key performance indicators (KPIs) to ascertain personnel proficiency and procedural compliance.
My role in this project was to serve as Senior Assessor. My responsibilities included ensuring each functional area was resourced with a team leader, validating team leader and stakeholder engagement, communicating with stakeholders and customers about requirements, connecting customers with subject matter experts based on needs, and identifying and mitigating risks while assessing multiple functional areas.
I also collaborated with functional managers to deconflict evolutions which could not be executed concurrently due to resource limitations. Additionally, I worked with our supply and procurements department and travel coordinators to fund and organize air travel for assessors from Florida to Virginia to execute this project while the ship transited from Virgina to Florida. Because this project was executed at sea, I performed additional coordination functions with functional managers and the ship to organize sleeping quarters for the project’s team members.
Deliverables for this project included pre-mission electronic communications with customers, reports capturing metrics built around KPIs, and end of mission reports provided to stakeholders and customers.
My objective was to prepare electronic systems for operation, maintain availability during deployment, and report results to external stakeholders. My role as Combat Systems Maintenance Manager meant managing the development and execution of maintenance plans, coordinating with functional managers, and tracking maintenance execution, and processing change requests in accordance with organization change management processes.
During initiation, I identified stakeholders and procured personnel comprising subject matter experts and team members to build a Ship’s Electronic Readiness Team (SERT).
For planning, I coordinated a review of maintenance requirements required by external regulations, and I reviewed external reporting requirements based on the various geographic locations in which the ship would operate. I also worked with my project team to define a plan that mitigated conflicts across functional areas and created a template for submitting change requests. Key deliverables from the planning phase included checklists, a maintenance plan accounting for conflicting functional requirements, and a change request form for stakeholders to request modifications to the plan.
During execution, I facilitated meetings as the SERT leader, reviewing maintenance action completions, resolving issues, and managing change requests.
Monitoring and controlling the project included analyzing deliverables, reviewing new iterations of the project plan based on approved change requests, validating reports of completed maintenance, tracking issue responses and risk mitigations, and verifying completed checklists. I collected work performance data built on key performance indicators, including total checks successfully completed, total hours worked, total hours of system availability, and feedback reports for various maintenance processes. I then worked with my team to develop work performance information and obtained approval from the project sponsor to forward work performance reports to external stakeholders for higher-level analysis. I closed this project by collecting lessons learned and oversaw the revision of templates for use during future projects and by archiving all project artifacts and delivering a final project report to the project sponsor.
Navy Ship Training Evolutions
My objective was to develop team proficiency in preparation for deployment. As the Combat Systems Training Team Coordinator, I managed team training and made reports to the project sponsor on team proficiencies across multiple functional areas.
To initiate this project, I coordinated with functional managers from the Combat Systems, Operations, and Weapons departments to identify functional team leaders and create a training team.
During the planning phase, I coordinated briefs for training teams in which I defined project objectives and assigned tasks including the development of technical drills for each functional area, creation of tactical scenarios designed to prepare the crew for deployment events, and the creation of stakeholder briefs. I also directed the creation of training folders that included key performance indicators (KPIs) used to assess project success and coordinated with supervisors to ensure maintenance requirements would not interfere with training events. I also directed stakeholder meetings and tracked progress across different functional areas.
During execution, I collected reports for safety walkthroughs, oversaw delivery of briefs where functional managers discussed the application of KPIs for the personnel they would train, and implemented multi-day training evolutions.
While monitoring and controlling, I measured KPIs while overseeing multiple iterations of training scenarios developed during the planning phase. I also directed briefs where functional managers discussed results and lessons learned.
To close this project, I delivered a final report to the project sponsor on the effectiveness of the training and the readiness of personnel, and I archived all project artifacts. The outcome of this project included a practiced training team ready to execute future projects, two teams of personnel ready to perform their duties across multiple functional areas, and brief templates to be used for future projects.
Maintenance Availability for US Navy Ship
This project was initiated by external stakeholders who planned, executed, and monitored & controlled external tasks and critical path work.
During the planning phase, my role as the Combat Systems Maintenance Manager included planning maintenance actions and a ship’s work list and coordinating with functional managers to allocate resources supporting both internal ship projects and external contractor projects. I also coordinated with the tag-out program owner to establish a temporary E-tag-out solution and collaborated with functional managers to plan continuity of operations (COOP) after the ship’s engineering plant was shut down due to contract work. Additionally, I created Gantt charts reflecting concurrent projects used to communicate scheduling requirements and the full ship’s work load for contractor and ship's force activities with executive leadership and external schedulers, coordinated with stakeholders to determine resource allocation for contractor work, and oversaw the provisioning of a cold site while planning for maintaining ship accountability over work sites turned over to contractors.
During the execution phase, I responded to emergent issues and adjusted resource allocations while monitoring for external scope creep. I also led weekly ship’s electronic readiness team (SERT) meetings preparing for combat systems support equipment (CSSE) and Aegis Light-off (ALO) events. My efforts, including identifying/mitigating issues and coordinating 712 start-up checks across multiple functional areas, resulted in the achievement of an on-time CSSE and ALO and ensured our ship completed its 8-month maintenance availability on-time.
While monitoring and controlling the project, I coordinated with functional managers to measure key performance indicators to verify success.
I closed this project by coordinating the COOP relocation back to the ship and archiving relevant artifacts and deliverables. Deliverables for the various phases of this project included project schedule documentation, checklists for lay-up/start-up maintenance, space walkthrough reports, and successful system operation and verification tests (SOVTs). The final deliverable for this project, as well as the concurrent external contractor-owned project, was a mission-ready warship.