Posted by Implementing a Data Collection Tool to Estimate and Analyze Spending
Methods and Models I Track
M1-11_Presentation_ImplementingADataCollectionToolToEstimateAndAnalyzeSpending_Brooks
Abstract:
As budgets and resources shrink, the effort to better understand spending has become a priority to many decision makers within the Marine Corps. Since Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) began in 2003, military organizations have been able to request and receive immediate Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding without following traditional procurement processes. This readily available funding has led to the emphasis of developing and maintaining operational capability in lieu of program estimates and resource management. The lack of quality budget estimates and use of financial tracking mechanisms has made it difficult for Marines to strategically allocate budget cuts based on efficiencies or priorities; more often than not, budget reductions are distributed uniformly across the organization. In the past couple of years, some leaders within the Marine Corps have looked ahead to a limited resource future, and have tried to prepare for the increasing budget cuts. The leaders at the Training and Education Command (TECOM) identified the need for a strategy to direct priorities against resources. The solution was the development and implementation of a campaign plan that organized and prioritized requirements and their associated resources. Part of that effort was identifying and analyzing “current” resources and aligning those resources to strategic initiatives. To facilitate the analysis and evaluation of TECOM’s resources, an Excel-based resource management tool was developed and implemented across TECOM that enabled Marines to ensure that resources were strategically aligned to USMC priorities.
This presentation will explain the development and implementation of the Excel-based resource management tool for TECOM. The benefits, challenges, and future applications of the tool will also be addressed. The tool was transplanted to Camp Lejeune and is currently being customized to facilitate the cost analysis being performed for the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Comptroller.
Author(s):
Thomas Brooks
Booz Allen Hamilton
Thomas Brooks graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Economics in 2010. He is employed by Booz Allen Hamilton as a Senior Consultant and is a member of the Central Virginia ICEAA chapter. Mr. Brooks has performed cost and risk analyses for several commands within the Marine Corps including Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Training and Education Command (TECOM), and II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). Over a period of two years at MCSC, Mr. Brooks developed a plethora of Life Cycle Cost Estimates (LCCEs), Logistics Requirements Funding Summaries (LRFSs), Cost Analysis Requirements Descriptions (CARDs), and Business Case Analyses (BCAs). During that time, Mr. Brooks also trained several junior analysts on cost estimating techniques and the software program, Automated Cost Estimating Integrated Tools (ACEIT). In 2012, Mr. Brooks received an award from the Commanding General (CG) of TECOM and multiple Booz Allen Team and Performance Awards for his work in developing and implementing a command wide data collection tool to collect, analyze and link resources and requirements. The TECOM CG changed commands to II MEF and decided to bring the capability developed at TECOM with him to II MEF. Mr. Brooks is currently working with a small team at II MEF to estimate the resources required to run the MEF and provide a link between resources and mission requirements.
Daniel R. Mask (presenter)
Booz Allen Hamilton
Daniel R. Mask CCE/A graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2004 concentrating in Digital Systems and from the College of William and Mary with an MBA in Finance in 2007. He is employed by Booz Allen Hamilton as a Lead Associate, and he lives and works in the Stafford, VA area. He is the Past President and Vice President for the Hampton Roads ICEAA chapter, and he is the Membership Chair for the newly formed Central Virginia ICEAA chapter. Mr. Mask performs cost, risk, decision, and budget analyses on several programs within the United States Marine Corps and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Prior to joining Booz Allen, Mr. Mask was an Power Engineer with Northrop Grumman and performed electrical load analyses, managed 15kV power component design and testing, and helped construct a prototype design laboratory for new carrier technologies (CVN21).