New civilian Automated Time and Attendance System coming to Hill AFB

  • Published
  • Hill AFB Finance Office
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  In mid-2012, Air Force leadership committed to the implementation of the Automated Time, Attendance and Production System (ATAAPS) to support standardized automation of the civilian time and attendance processes. Through FY13, the roll-out to the Air Force has progressed steadily, and at many sites is ahead of schedule. For civilians at AFMC bases, the time has come to jump on this fast yet efficient moving train.

Why is ATAAPS important to you?

It serves primarily as a time and attendance data entry system which feeds payroll data to the DoD payroll system, the Defense Civilian Payroll System (DCPS). ATAAPS is a step forward to eliminate the antiquated, manual time and attendance process. According to Doug Bennett, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Operations, "It allows folks to focus on the mission, and allows the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force to make informed decisions about where we need to spend our money." Also, the implementation of ATAAPS provides an automated solution to meet a FY14 Statement of Budgetary Resources (SBR) requirement mandated by the Secretary of Defense.

As the Air Force transitions to ATAAPS, it will improve the ability to standardize current processes which are critical to addressing civilian pay financial reporting risks as identified by the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) team.

Fifty-two Air Force bases went live in implementation waves I through V. Major commands (MAJCOMs) who have successfully implemented ATAAPS include Air Force Global Strike Command, Pacific Air Forces, United States Air Forces Europe, Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Education and Training Command. The bases from these MAJCOMs, along with associated Air National Guard units, have provided great feedback about their experiences with the system.

The implementation team has captured feedback and lessons learned throughout the process and key aspects have been fed back into future roll-out plans. The goal is to have 100 percent of paper-based and electronic Management Tracking System (eMTS) employees on ATAAPS by the end of FY2013. The team is currently working on the transition schedule for eMTS users and will advise impacted bases in the coming weeks. Overwhelming feedback echoes that ATAAPS is intuitive and user-friendly and offers great time savings to employees and supervisors.

Currently, the Air Force is in the midst of implementing waves VI thru VIII. During these three waves, bases in Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Reserve Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Space Command, Air Force Academy, the Air Force District of Washington, and associated ANG units will go live.

As a reminder, in preparation for the ATAAPS implementation, base customer service representatives (CSRs) are encouraged to contact their MAJCOM representatives to see when ATAAPS implementation is scheduled at their bases. The MAJCOM will provide additional information regarding the implementation of ATAAPS for the Hill AFB installation, as well as the required preparations and actions that are necessary prior to Hill's "go live" date.

You may be asking, "What about training?"

Our ATAAPS partners, Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), along with support from Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), provided several training sessions during wave implementation.

This training begins with a "Super User" course provided at the beginning of wave roll-out that focuses on building the base database and accounts using the master employee rosters; the target audience for this session is the base CSRs. The second training session, following the organizational structure development, is a "Train-the-Trainer" session primarily focused on the responsibilities of timekeepers. Finally, the CSRs and timekeepers will train individual employees on ATAAPS.

E. Lee Franklin, director, Air Force Financial Services, emphasized that "ATAAPS is a new system for the Air Force and will take a concerted effort from all levels to fulfill our training mandate to assure a smooth transition to this automated system." The success of ATAAPS depends on you.

For additional information or questions please e-mail Mark May at mark.may@hill.af.mil.