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Strategic Planning USACE 2012 Banner

Background Information on USACE 2012

    2012 Collaboration site for information updates

  1. What is USACE 2012?
    USACE 2012 is the way the Corps will be organized in the years to come. This will move us to operate in cross-functional teams and allow us to capitalize on the expertise that is available across the organization. USACE 2012 uses the Regional Business Center as the main operating unit to support the delivery of our services and products through the districts. Implementing the concept will also include enablers coming on line: our new enterprise data base P2, the knowledge portal that will allow us to capture and transmit lessons learned, and the Regional CEFMS data base to enable the Regional Business Center.

  2. Why are we doing this?
    When we started on this journey, we were looking for a way to reduce our management costs at the headquarters and division levels. When we talked to our many partners, customers, stakeholders and those in the Administration and Congress, they said two things: first, we love working with your people, but second, you need to streamline your processes. We've been studying the tenets of the Project Management Business Process over the past few years in order to operate in a more business like manner. We have been moving our divisions and districts toward operating like a Regional Business Center. We discovered we had a great opportunity to make changes that would affect more than just the bottom line management costs at the headquarters and division levels. We could organize into teams so that we could provide more collaborative solutions to the complex problems we have to solve and we would also reduce process time within the organization. The Corps has been criticized from many fronts over the past years that our processes were cumbersome and very time consuming, and we agreed. We think we need to change as well.

  3. What's in it for me?
    Many of our employees are already working in a similar manner so they already know the benefits. For others, we see this as an opportunity to learn more from their colleagues as they work with a broader array of technical experts than before. The Communities of Practice will focus on keeping technical skills sharp and identifying the experts in particular areas. We believe they will have more challenging work and will avoid having "stovepipe" data calls. Working in the team environment will mean everyone will have a vital role. Non-performers will not be tolerated.

    For our customers and partners, the entry into the Corps will remain the same. The new concepts will take a short amount of time to implement, and will allow the Corps to be more responsive.

    For the Administration and Congress, the new organization will mean greater efficiency and more effective solutions for the American people and the Armed Services.

  4. What are the benefits of doing this? What are the costs? Can we quantify in dollars and cents? To the nation? Corps? Field?
    Many of the benefits are intangible at this point because the concepts have not been implemented. We have done a number of simulation drills getting products through the new process and it shows that it saves time.

    Monetary costs will be identified as we go forward to get approval at higher headquarters. We believe the intangible and tangible costs of moving people around within their geographic location and working virtually to develop teams and begin operating in a new way will be outweighed by the eventual efficiency and effectiveness of the new organization. Certainly the reduction in the number of data calls that currently come down stovepipes to the field will provide additional time for our employees to work with their colleagues, partners and customers rather than answering calls for information from higher headquarters.

  5. How are customers & partners impacted?
    The partner or customer will still have the same entry point into the Corps as always. We believe that is where the similarities stop. The new organization will provide a customer or partner greater access to the expertise across the Corps because it will be more visible through the Communities of Practice. It will provide them better solutions to their problems because of the team environment and the cross-fertilization and capturing lessons learned of the learning organization. It will provide a dedicated means of expediting their issues at the Washington level.

  6. What is the concrete change in the way I do my job? How will it help me?
    We cannot be experts in everything, and USACE 2012 recognizes this. You'll do your job more in a collaborative environment than ever before. We will become more dependent on each other than ever and we will have to learn to trust each other. For many this isn't a change, but for others, it will be significant. The new way of operating will mean that everyone is a vital player.

  7. What are the "added value" reasons to implement?
    • More disciplines on the team will provide more robust and comprehensive solutions that do not have unintended consequences.
    • Vertical team involvement will resolve issues early on rather than during a review process at the end.
    • Communities of Practice will make visible and available the best experts across the Corps (and the world) to provide solutions to complex problems.
    • Capturing lessons learned will mean less time and money expended on repeat mistakes

  8. What will we sacrifice in order to benefit from doing this?
    For some period, there will be a transition to the new way of business. There will be angst and uncertainty about implementation. Until the concepts are understood, some will want to go back to their old way of doing business. Forming new teams always takes time.

  9. Do we have to wait till 2012?
    The original team used the phrase "USACE 2012" as they looked out to the future to see what would be the expectations of the nation at that point. USACE 2012 is used now to identify the new organization that will be agile, flexible and aligned for the challenges that exist today and in the future.

  10. How soon will we accomplish the transition?
    Many Corps employees are already operating under some of these concepts. They sit with multi-disciplined teams including partners, customers and other federal agencies. They share work under the Regional Business Center. But for others, the transition will begin immediately. The Chief of Engineers has given the leadership 30 days in which to develop implementation plans. Over the next months we will use the shaping tools we have available to get to the best organization possible. For example, we might offer Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) for those disciplines where we have more employees than places in the new organization. The Chief of Engineers supports the concept that everyone who wants a job will have a job. Human Resources tools allow us to work toward that goal. At the Washington headquarters, the Chief would like to see the physical changes made-people sitting in new teams-by the beginning of 2004.

  11. What will be different in our day-to-day operations when we do this?
    More:
    • Working within teams
    • Robust solutions
    • Products that represent both the federal government interest and the needs of the partner or customer Challenging work
    • Information from across the organization through our new data systems Access to Lessons Learned and Experts

    Less:

    • Stovepipe data calls
    • Waiting for higher authority to make a decision or respond
    • Solutions that only reflect a limited range of understanding of the problem

  12. What will be different at headquarters?
    All offices and directorates will change in headquarters to some degree and it is best to study the report, especially Appendix A, to understand the full scope. Some of the more important changes are these:

    Civil Works and Military Programs Directorate will change significantly. Employees in functional organizations will either focus on providing strategic plans and oversight for a program, supporting the field through serving on Regional Integration Teams (RIT's) or assisting the Community of Practice efforts. Each directorate will also have a component focusing on program integration and policy. RIT's in Washington include people from across Headquarters and are led by a Senior Executive Service member. Each team focuses on clearing the way for regional business success, and will be their region's voice in Washington. They are empowered to work with any level of the USACE organization, the administration, Congress, and with external stakeholders to build relationships and resolve regional issues in an expeditious manner.

    Civil Works will have the Regional Integration Teams for the Regional Business Centers of Great Lakes and Ohio River Division; South Atlantic Division, Northwestern Division and Mississippi Valley. The Office of Water Policy Review will be included in the policy division and will be responsible for performing policy reviews and managing independent reviews. The Homeland Security Office will be responsible for USACE homeland security support to Department of Defense and other federal agencies and for USACE-wide security and law enforcement.

    Military Programs will have the Regional Integration Teams for North Atlantic Division, Southwestern Division, South Pacific Division and Pacific Ocean Division. There will also be a DOD Integration Team. The Real Estate Function will be aligned with the Military Programs Directorate. The two USACE centers, Transatlantic and Huntsville, will be aligned with Military Programs. The Director of Military Programs will become dual hatted as the G3 (Operations) and will have a Combined Special Missions Office, Intelligence and DCSOPS (Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations) Division.

    A Director of Corporate Integration will oversee the fusion of plans and strategies across the entire organization and provide oversight and management of corporate initiatives.

    The support offices will adopt either a national or regional support model for organization.

    Many leaders of the various Communities of Practice will be at headquarters. Members of the Communities of Practice will be throughout the entire organization.

    The Washington Headquarters will focus on the strategic needs of the organization - strategic plans, national relationships, and policy development.

  13. What will be different at the divisions?
    The Divisions are being reorganized to better support the Regional Business Center. The two existing directorates are being realigned in two new directorates: Regional Business and Programs. The Directorate of Regional Business will be responsible for driving and leading the Regional Business Center planning and operations. The Directorate of Programs will be responsible for leading regional program and project execution. Members of the Community of Practice are throughout the entire organization.

    Divisions will focus on building and supporting the Regional Business Center.

  14. What are Communities of Practice?
    Communities of Practice (CoP) are made up of people who practice and share an interest in a major function or business line. The members come from the Corps, academia, private practice, or other agencies.

    CoP develop and maintain policy and doctrine, and facilitate the transfer of lessons learned. They ensure that we continue to retain and grow our valuable technical expertise. These offices are relatively small, but when they need to develop new policy or work on a special initiative, they can form a team from the best expertise available.

    Each organizational level relies on all others for support, and all actions require partnering with other organizations.

    Resources and organizational energy are refocused to support the RBCs. Members of CoP are resident throughout the organization, and will be used at the right time and place to accomplish the USACE missions.

  15. What are Regional Business Centers?
    Regional Business Centers allow the divisions and districts to act together as a business entity, with the districts performing work assigned by the RBC.

    RBC's provide full integration of capabilities - sharing of resources and technical expertise, and enhancing the quality and range of services within a region.

    RBC's allow the Corps to provide better products for our customers at considerable savings. By concentrating an expertise in one district, rather than having limited expertise in all districts across the region, we will become more adept, more tuned into lessons learned from similar projects, and more integrated into the outside technical expertise on these issues.

  16. What will be different at the districts?
    As USACE changes from a functionally-focused, hierarchical organization to integrated regional and national cross-functional teams, the people of the districts will see changes in many areas. As the centerpiece of USACE 2012, the Regional Business Centers have great impact on the work done in the districts.

    Through the actualization of the RBC, districts focus more directly on actual mission execution without the burden of managing support activities.

    Greater interdependence between districts, through the RBC, leads to reduced project delivery costs, and improved customer satisfaction.

    RITs, located in the Washington Headquarters but serving their individual regions, provide a more synchronized approach to resolve district issues.

    Increased regional use of district technical expertise allows people to further hone their technical skills and knowledge.

    Regional Business Technical Divisions at the division and Communities of Practice preserve and enhance technical capability. Regional Technical Specialists are established to serve the region and to provide expanded technical capability.

    Districts have increased delegated authority for project execution. Districts benefit from common regional business practices and uniform regional overhead through the development of the Regional Corps of Engineers Financial Management System (CEFMS) Data Base, as CEFMS transitions from a district-centered database to one serving the whole region.

  17. What will be different at the labs?
    The laboratories have already achieved many of the "regionalization" goals of USACE 2012 with the creation of the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). With the implementation of USACE 2012, ERDC's integration with the Civil Works and Military Programs mission of the Corps becomes even more evident.

    Laboratories see more integration with Civil Works and Military Programs through senior leader representation in the Program Integration Divisions of both directorates at the Washington Headquarters.

    Integration with the RBC will be enhanced through "virtual" team membership on each RIT within the Civil Works and the Military Programs directorates, and through SES leader and technical director representatives to each RBC.

    Through a modified Civil Works research and development (R&D) process, labs see more involvement of the RBC SES leaders in needs identification, prioritization, and transfer of technology.

    Program development and operational functions are transferred from Corps of Engineers R&D to at the Washington Headquarters to ERDC. This allows a more streamlined program development and management process.

    Members of Communities of Practice are available to assist on cross-functional teams in mission accomplishment.

  18. What will be different at the "centers?"
    As USACE changes from a functionally-focused, hierarchical organization to integrated regional and national cross-functional teams, the people of the centers will see changes in many areas.

    As the centerpiece of USACE 2012, the RBC will have great impact on the work done in the centers.

    While the centers already have achieved many of the teaming and other goals of USACE 2012, their integration with the Civil Works and Military Programs mission of the Corps will be even more evident.

    Centers will see more integration with Military Programs through representation in the Program Integration Division of the Directorate of Military Programs at the Washington Headquarters.

    Integration with the RBC will be enhanced through "virtual" team membership on each Regional Integration Team in the Civil Works and the Military Programs Directorates, and through center representation to each Regional Business Center.

    The integration of the centers at the Washington Headquarters level and the regional level will increase awareness and knowledge of the unique capabilities available in the centers. This will allow USACE to better leverage these unique capabilities to meet national needs.

  19. How many people will we have in our new organization once we transition to the organization suggested by 2012?
    At the Headquarters and Division levels, we are currently not staffed to our full authorized FTE allocation. We anticipate that the new organization will result in the reduction of only a limited number of spaces from those authorized-probably in the range of 10 to 15% reduction. We currently have about 2,100 civilians at these levels and anticipate that we may have approximately 1,970 civilians in these organizations at the end of our reorganization.

  20. How will USACE 2012 and competitive sourcing work together? What are the differences?
    USACE 2012 will focus on reorganizing the Corps into teams to better support the execution of the mission through the regional business centers at the district level. The implementation of the changes needed for this new organization will begin in relatively short order. Regarding competitive sourcing, the time line is much more protracted. The competitive sourcing effort will use procedures found in the A-76 document and will focus on whether federal jobs determined to be competed can be done most economically in-house or by a contractor. In conducting competitive sourcing studies, we will use the principles of the USACE 2012 such as the Regional Business Center concept. We will insure that the two initiatives are mutually supportive.

  21. Is district support being reduced while regional control of resources is bolstered?
    One of the underlying concepts for USACE 2012 is that of interdependence and making expertise available across the organization. If the concepts work they way they are intended, districts will have more support, because they will be able to tap into the regional assets that are available.

  22. Why did the two provisions on funding for Corps civil works studies drop out of the final report?
    We felt that the provisions were more appropriately dealt with by the Administration and Congress.

    Adapted from USACE 2012 Communications Plan and Engineer Update articles

    Add LTG Flowers 2012 brief from MVD SLC here as an overview.

 
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