Y2K
The NBC Y2K Project was a huge success. In fact, the much planned and anticipated New Year rolled in and acted like a “ship passing in the night.” Culminating literally years of preparation, an NBC Command Center was activated at 4:00 p.m., Friday, December 31, 1999. Its purpose was to monitor the conditions and status of Denver’s mission-essential facility along with its mission-critical and mission-essential systems. After midnight, and already assured that system backup capabilities executed properly, functional groups used quality assurance checklists to verify correct operation of the mainframe, other mid-range systems, systems software, communications network, LAN/PC systems, and the facilities. The Year 2000 rollover ended up being a non-event. Very few nuances were encountered and these were quickly rectified. All along, the goal was to resume normal operations on Monday morning, January 3. That was easily accomplished with the added exclamation: “We had no surprises!”

Federal Personnel Payroll System (FPPS)

• FPPS DataMart Implemented
  The first component of the FPPS DataMart was successfully implemented in production. Software licenses for the query tools Brio Insight and Brio Quick View were acquired for most clients. Reception of the DataMart and query tools was extremely good. Feedback from users was very positive toward the ease of performing queries and the quality of the output.
• Web FPPS
  The Web-enabled Federal Personnel/Payroll System (Web FPPS) is a Web-based version of the FPPS and offers a point-and-click capability for FPPS users. The proof-of-concept project was completed and put two deliverables into the hands of a test group: A Web version of the FPPS Time and Attendance System (Web T&A;), and a Web version of the EHVW (View Employee History) command.
• New Clients
  NBC welcomed two new FPPS and Payroll Operations clients: The Library of Congress Inspector General’s Office and the Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General’s Office. Both of these organizations are in the Washington D.C. area.
• FPPS Online Help System
  The Personnel Payroll Systems Division (formerly the FPPS Program Management Division) deployed an Internet-based help system with current information as of the last FPPS system release. The new help system provides general information about all FPPS processes, as well as step-by-step directions on how to use each system command. Since this Web-based system is easily updated, system information is always current with each release of the FPPS software. There is no need to copy and distribute all of those hard-copy documents. With the Table of Contents, Index, and Search features, there are extensive links to all the subject matter in the system.

• Relocation of EFF Payroll
  The Emergency Firefighter (EFF) project relocated the EFF payroll system (EFF-PAY) from the BLM Alaska Fire Service (AFS) to the NBC. This project brought the mission-critical casual hires under the configuration management of the NBC and incorporated the program into the DOI’s total financial management system. Emergency firefighters are deployed to participate in incidents such as forest fires, floods, or other emergency situations. Each firefighter must be certified in their specialized area and take physical stress tests in order to be qualified to perform duties at an incident. Due to the uncertain and arduous working conditions, it is becoming more difficult to recruit emergency firefighters, and it is imperative the emergency firefighter program provide quick response to their needs. The emergency firefighters are paid “on the spot.” This means when a fire or incident is complete, or when a fire crew is demobilized, the payments are usually processed within a few hours by payment teams from various agencies who handle firefighters.

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Travel Documents
  The BFD’s (formerly the Financial Systems Division) Accounting Operations Division began processing the BIA travel documents. The addition of BIA to the branch significantly increased the amount of payments processed. The staff did an excellent job absorbing the additional workload. From February 14 through April 21, 2000, they processed 6,348 BIA travel documents. The staff processed an additional 14,198 travel documents for other clients, as listed: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - 13,466; Federal Trade Commission - 455; Federal Labor Relations Authority - 277.
• FCC Data Warehouse
  The BFD designed a data warehouse for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The data warehouse was developed with an efficient design that meets the FCC’s specific analytical and reporting requirements. The FCC is no longer strictly dependent on month-end reports to obtain important financial and budgetary information. As more individuals use the data warehouse, additional datamarts are being identified and developed to provide the FCC with a comprehensive solution.

• Executive Forums
  The first Executive Forums were held with six renowned authors addressing DOI executives in the morning and all employees in the afternoon. This provided a forum for new ideas to be applied to DOI issues.
• Marketing Tools
  DOIU designed and developed marketing tools that explain and promote DOIU capabilities and that can be used for field office use.

• NBC Takes Charge of Recreation.gov
  The NBC was designated as the new system administrator for the Recreation.gov web site. This Recreation.gov web site was established by federal land management agencies to provide visitors with information about recreational opportunities on federal lands. The Recreation.gov hosts information concerning more than 1,900 federal recreation areas nationwide. The site allows visitors to search for recreation areas by state, recreational activity, agency, or by map. The Recreation.gov web site had been maintained by the National Park Service since its creation. As the Recreation.gov project matured, the interagency Recreation.gov workgroup decided the site needed a permanent structure and, consequently, reached a consensus that NBC would be the best alternative to administer the web site. The workgroup agreed upon the fact that NBC has an excellent web team. In addition, NBC successfully began providing Web design and administration services for DOI and other governmental agencies.

• Establishment of an NBC Personnel Office
  In its first year of existence, the NBC received personnel services from three different organizations. The NBC Human Resources Office (HRO) was established to provide the full-range of HR programs and services to all NBC organizations. The HRO ensures NBC employees receive the highest level of human resources support, whether it is for staffing, classification, employee relations, or for advice on compensation, retirement, Thrift Savings Plan, and health benefits. The HRO now also provides personnel cross-servicing to external client organizations.
• Customer Service Training Program
  NBC developed an employee-training program to improve customer services. All NBC employees attended training sessions created to help NBC improve its customer services. Guiding principles, customer service standards, core values, and bold steps were elements of the customer service training sessions. A major goal of this training program was to involve employees in the decision-making process.