New software creates more time for training
Story by Spc. Megan Burnham and Sgt. Gretel Sharpee - Posted Apr. 08
CAMP MURRAY, Wash.- A new software for tracking Soldier training, developed by the Washington National Guard, will enable units to spend more time on the over 100 tasks Soldiers are responsible for and less time on paperwork.
Due to increased training tempo and deployments of National Guard Soldiers, units need to verify training in a quick and readily available way. Previous documentation was done on multiple systems, and the Soldiers here came up with the idea to make a new program to fit all of their needs.
“The concept is to bring all the data together in one area so that training is documented and more time can be spent on training,” said 1st. Lt. Kurt Strauss, special projects officer for the Washington National Guard and one of the lead developers of the new software program.
Once a Soldier or unit has completed a specific task, the software enables unit training assistors to upload the status anywhere there is a web access. This allows commanders and the Premobilization Training Assistance Team (PTAT) to be current on the latest training information.
“One of our initial requirements for the software was the importance of a system being mobile, exportable and self-sufficient,” said Strauss.
The software program is the only one of its kind, said Strauss, and it has the capability to work with other Army personnel systems. Also, since the program was developed by locally by Washington National Guard members, it can be maintained and adjusted to fit the changing needs of the Army.
Unit training assistors will be able to upload the tasks units need to complete and then verify each Soldier by name as they complete the tasks. PTAT then has the ability to sort through the data by unit, task, rank, etc., to verify that both the trainees and the trainers are completing the tasks assigned to them.
“Really what is most important is the training being conducted for that weekend and planning for training so that we can be ready to mobilize,” said Capt. David Libby, unit training assistor for the Washington National Guard.
The software is already being tested during weekend training and the official test run is scheduled for this summer during annual training (AT).
“The software is about 92-95% complete,” Strauss said, and when asked if he thought the program would be ready for AT, he replied, “Oh absolutely.”
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