Keesler-developed program AIMS at increased efficiency

by Senior Airman Heather Heiney
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

1/29/2013 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A new military training leader workflow program developed at Keesler begins Air Education and Training Command-wide implementation Feb. 1.

The Airman Interactive Management System was inspired by and developed for MTLs as a multi-faceted tool to track every aspect of an Airman's time in technical training.

Main components of the Tech Training Management System-integrated program include processing, student data, dormitories, reports and management.

Tech. Sgt. Shaun Wilke, 81st Training Group MTL, has been involved with the development of AIMS since the first meeting in 2010 in which MTLs from various bases and developers gathered to discuss ideas and goals for the project. He said before AIMS was developed, each base with technical training students had to develop its own databases to fulfill their student management needs.

For example, a need unique to Keesler is hurricane season accountability. Although this function isn't needed at all bases, it is included in the system. This way, all MTLs only have to learn one system, no matter where they are stationed.

Before Airmen even leave basic military training, they are processed into the system.

Wilke said that most administrative tasks, such as assigning Airmen dorm rooms and MTLs, are done automatically. Those that aren't are essentially completed with the push of a button.

"It's going to impact training in a great way," he said. "It'll get MTLs away from their computers and in front of Airmen."

Michael Esposito, TTMS integration sustainment team, said that the development of AIMS took three full-time developers and one person to write the "help" system. Three people were also assigned to the quality assurance of the contract, one full-time and two part-time.

Esposito said it's a complex system that includes aspects similar to hotel management and personal training. He also said that one goal of the system is to process Airmen into the system once and have their information follows them throughout the lifecycle of their training.

"We've been trying to do something for MTLs for a long time," Esposito said. "They have a hard job and there are a lot of things to keep track of."