“Right now, the way we, as an Army, present information to soldiers is based on 1950s technology. That, in and of itself, is somewhat challenging.”
A familiar obstacle for anyone who’s ever worked for government. This was the challenge presented to Ki Knowlin, Product Support Manager and Director of Logistics for the
Project Manager Force Projection, when he was tapped to update the technical manuals (TMs) for one the U.S. Army’s most valuable assets: the
Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS) program.
“We’ve got to change the way we’re approaching this,” Knowlin said in an episode of the DAU Podcast, referring to the government’s staggered efforts in staying current with the world’s ever-evolving technology.
The MTRS is a great example of the technological advancements the Department of Defense uses every day. Resembling a battle-ready cousin of Johnny 5, it is a remotely operated, medium-sized robotic system capable of detecting and disposing of hazards. Unfortunately, learning how to use this advanced tech proved to be an endeavor far beyond the limitations of basic, paper-bound training manuals.
“Today’s soldiers—they don’t learn the way we [previous generations] learned,” Knowlin said.
Knowlin noticed that the internet has a great deal of content on YouTube and Robot Garage that focuses on the development of modern robotics and considered them as resources he could use to supplement training. However, because these outside resources didn’t align with the Army’s overall vision, he decided he would have to create his own.
“We’ve taken this opportunity with the robotic portfolio to help pull the Army forward into what’s available for current technology and how we approach repairing systems,” Knowlin said. “Multimedia allows us to shorten the acquisition cycle and it also allows us to get a better product at a cheaper price. Multimedia allows us to put something in the hands of a soldier that looks more intuitive to what they would see if they were to go online themselves and figure out how to fix something.”
By converting the MTRS technical manuals into a multimedia format, Soldiers received a modern, innovative product that completely changes the way they interact with their equipment. Now, rather than having to rely on a paper manual that does not account for real-time changes or situations, Soldiers are essentially learning everything they need to know about the equipment from an app, which offers videos, 3D images, line art and animations that are regularly updated to suit their requirements -- all in a shorter amount of time and at a lower cost.
“The way you’re training is the way you’re going to operate when you get to the platform,” Knowlin explained.
Knowlin’s innovative solution saved the MTRS program a staggering $600,000. As an added bonus, Knowlin found multimedia exponentially easier to produce, with not nearly as many rules and regulations to weigh down the acquisition process.
Knowlin said that, in order to implement a change of this magnitude, it was critical that he understand change management and stakeholder requirements.
“Have someone to help you think through your challenges,” he said. “There is a safety in the multitude of counsel.”
Knowlin’s executive coach was an invaluable resource to this epiphany.
“Out of necessity, I leveraged my process in the executive coaching program to figure out how do we get the systems in hands of the soldiers faster that were supportable,” Knowlin said.
Through
DAU’s LOG 465 course, product support managers like Knowlin receive executive coaching and share best practices that can help them in their roles. In this course, students are able to pick key areas they would like to improve upon for their portfolio. For Knowlin, one of those key areas happened to be technical manual development, a big win both for his portfolio and for the Army.
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RELATED CONTENT: Audio interview with the MTRS program team]
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For more information about this story, or to submit your own Powerful Example, send an email to the DAU Powerful Examples Team at
insight@dau.mil.
Key Words: MTRS, Training, Lessons Learned, Best Practices, Sustainment