Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System

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The Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System is an enterprise program of the Business Transformation Agency's Defense Business Systems Acquistion Executive, within the United States Department of Defense. As the largest enterprise resource planning program ever implemented for human resources, DIMHRS (pronounced dime-ers) will subsume or replace over 90 legacy systems that can no longer meet the needs of the modern US military. The first phase of DIMHRS is expected to roll out first to the US Army in March of 2009 and will bring all payroll and personnel functions for the Army into one integrated web-based system. The US Air Force, Navy and Marines will roll out in that respective order after the US Army.

1 Background
2 What Service Members Can Expect from DIMHRS
3 Some Key Features of DIMHRS
4 Current Development of DIMHRS
5 References
6 Links

[edit] Background

In late 1995, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the USD Comptroller, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence asked the USD for Acquisition and Technology to convene a Defense Science Board Task Force on Military Personnel Information Management to advise the Secretary of Defense on the best strategy for supporting military personnel and pay functions. In a report published in August 1996, the Task Force concluded that the Department of Defense’s (DoD) multiple Service-unique military personnel and pay systems caused significant functional shortcomings (particularly in the joint arena) and excessive development and maintenance costs. Their central recommendation was that, “…the DoD should move to a single all-Service and all-component, fully integrated personnel and pay system, with common core software….”^[1].

Development and Integration efforts began in September 2003 when DoD awarded Northrop Grumman a $281 million contract. In September 2005, An Office of the Secretary of Defense review of the program found the validated the objectives of the program and found the DIMHRS system to be a viable solution to meet these objectives with additional development and supported by a restructuring of the program acquisition. In October of 2005, the DoD’s newly formed Business Transformation Agency acquired responsibility for DIMHRS as well as 17 other DoD business system programs.^[2].

[edit] What Service Members Can Expect from DIMHRS

DIMHRS will provide more accurate and timely pay. In DIMHRS, personnel changes will automatically update pay information in a single integrated system. Rather than separate systems performing two functions (as is currently the case), a personnel change will trigger a series of automatic payroll changes based on the rules of each Service. DIMHRS will also provide more self-service features to monitor and take control of the Service member’s own human resource information. Service members will be able to update information, record direct deposit choices and request other personnel and pay actions directly online via the Internet rather than having to go stand in line at the personnel office on their local base.^[3].

[edit] Some Key Features of DIMHRS

There are four key features that DIMHRS will bring to military human resource management:

One Record of Service: Once fully developed, each Service member in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps will have one record in DIMHRS that will follow them should they change services or components of Service throughout their career. This feature will not only make it easier to move from one Service to another, it will make for a seamless transition for Reserve personnel and National Guard members to move to active duty.

Integrated System: Once a Service member is moved to active duty, the personnel data and payroll data are integrated, so with a simple status change, the Service member is given the benefits and pay that they have earned.

Self-Service: The self-service functionality within DIMHRS will enable a Service member to view and update his/her record of service. Each member will be able to view and update their designated personal information without assistance from a personnel/pay specialist. Self-service items that will be available through DIMHRS will be categorized as being either personnel or pay related.

Joint System Helps Joint Commands: Leadership will have real-time information to track troops regardless of location or Service branch. A joint system will give the DoD more ability to deploy resources where they are most needed because they will be working with real-time information.^[4].

[edit] Current Development of DIMHRS

Using the best of business practices from the commercial sector, DIMHRS is being developed through the use of a commercial-off-the-shelf (or COTS) based enterprise system. The DoD procured PeopleSoft as the COTS solution to provide the basic database software for DIMHRS. The DIMHRS Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) under the oversight and direction of the Business Transformation Agency (BTA) will oversee the developer implementor, Northrop Grumman, through the key phases of the DIMHRS lifecycle, to include: design and build, system development and demonstration, developmental test and evaluation, operational test and evaluation, fielding decision, deployment and training. EPMO will work closely with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Services, Defense Manpower and Data Center (DMDC) and Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) representatives regarding data and deployment information, as well as coordinate program operations, cost, business, integrated logistics support, system engineering, testing and training. The deployment schedule will be solidified once Northrop Grumman provides the program’s implementation plan. Under the current roll out strategy, the Army is the first to implement DIMHRS, followed by the Air Force, Navy and Marines.^[5]. Once fully implemented, DIMHRS will provide a comprehensive, integrated military personnel and pay system to all Services and their Components within DoD. DoD is incorporating some of the best business practices in existence to revolutionize the way its personnel perform human resource related tasks.^[6].