COMPASS -A digital platform to help maintain and sustain force readiness

The COMPASS solution was designed to enable the CSM (Common Support Model), a programme which has re-defined the way the Royal Navy supports its Warship Fleet. COMPASS supports this programme by providing a digitised, connected and accessible platform for the process, procedures, and instructions required to maintain and sustain force readiness.

The COMPASS solution has enabled the CSM programme to deliver efficiencies and synergies across the Royal Navy, DE&S and industry within the Surface Support Ship Alliance.

“The introduction of the COMPASS tool has significantly improved the way that all staff can access the essential information used in the support of Complex Warships. For the first time COMPASS gives us a single interactive repository for all Common Support Model related artefacts and it supports professionals across MOD, RN and Industry in a user-friendly manner, providing business benefits to all.”

-        Neal Lawson – Director Ships Support, DE&S

COMPASS is an example of best in breed in Information Knowledge Management and has been recognised at the Defence Information 18 Excellence Awards claiming second place.

The Issue

The past 10 years have seen exponential development in technology within the Navy. Inevitably, chasing this new technology has resulted in a fleet that is more complicated than ever, this when compounded with a support model that was specific to each vessel and crew, meant the Royal Navy was experiencing an unsustainable process that is costly, disconnected and time-consuming.

To tackle these issues, they made the decision to embark on the Common Support Model. This new arrangement has brought together separate support for individual ship types under an infinitely more efficient and manageable model. This new model has been valued at £1 billion and is set to improve the performance of the service providers by having them adopt a common approach across all classes of complex warships.

COMPASS is a key component in the wider delivery of CSM and is the technology being used to overcome the most challenging part of the transformation – cultural resistance to change. It provides digitised, accessible insights into the CSM for all those who need to use it.

The implementation of this solution has and will continue to drive quicker adoption of the new model, enabling increased performance and speed across support, no matter what the ship – as well as enabling savings in support costs with the model, providing a one-stop-shop for services required.

“Common Support Model is a step change in the way we do business. It is underpinned by COMPASS which provides a knowledge environment which is interactive across Front Line Command, DE&S and Industry. It provides a common taxonomy, processes and clear roles & responsibilities, it will enhance the way in which we do business and improve the safe operation of the fleet.”

-        Paul Reason – MSDA Team Leader, DE&S

The Solution

The COMPASS solution is an extremely effective knowledge management application. It is the master source for all business process, procedures, books of references, work breakdown structures and supporting information. It also acts as a reference provider giving links out to other systems where information is held.

“What took me five minutes with the old system now takes me one” this is an 80% increase in efficiency.

-        David Young (on behalf of Warship Support Team), DE&S

The platform connects all documents through a carefully constructed architecture, allowing the user to intuitively navigate and understand their responsibilities within the business they are engaging in. By making the workflows interactive the user can more intuitively interrogate the information contained within them.

COMPASS provides maintainers, engineers and defence suppliers a clear, defied and digitised understanding of process, responsibilities and ownership for each process step. This information, for the first time, is all in one place and is accessible to everyone encouraging shared knowledge, reduced onboarding and minimising complexity. This simplicity, combined with high user value accelerates transformation.

“The original vision behind COMPASS was simple – to provide support professionals across the complex Warship support enterprise, from equipment teams at Abbey Wood to Royal Navy engineers on board ship on deployed operations across the globe, with access to a ‘one stop shop’ for all Common Support Model documentation with a single log on. This vision has been quickly turned into reality and has surpassed my expectations in delivering a powerful tool that enables users to find the exact information they need quickly and simply.”

 Matt Harrison – Director Naval Support, Navy Command

“Compass has proved to be an invaluable resource as we have progressed through the implementation of the Common Support Model (CSM) into our business. For the first time, all the necessary documentation, guidelines and procedures can be easily accessed with just a couple of clicks from wherever we are operating. This represents a significant step forward in our Information Knowledge Management capability and we will be working to develop and embed its use further into our organisation.”

-        Babcock International Group

The Approach

The COMPASS application reflected a multi-disciplinary collaborative approach. From the outset, the project team defined an inclusive ethos and worked to a rapid, agile delivery methodology.

The simple nature of the collaboration brought together experts in their fields from across the Warship Support Environment with a goal to create a single digital platform through which the work of the Common Support Model programme could be articulated, accessed, leveraged and applied.

The project, which adopted a rapid application development approach was comprised of regular governance meetings. There was a real commitment to success from everyone involved, both at MooD and within the Defence organisation where representatives from across Industry, DE&S and the Royal Navy were fully involved. Ideas from everyone involved were actively encouraged. Rapid prototyping and working side by side through development ensured that all ideas were assessed and where applicable incorporated into the platform.

A continual feedback programme meant that through its development the solution remained committed to satisfying the needs of the end user. An early release enabled an extended community of users to rigorously test and give feedback on the platform through both a feedback capability which was built into the solution and a feedback blog, designed to further promote collaborative working.

The COMPASS team created three working environments, development, beta and live. The development team delivered against a sprint cycle which had a clear set of objectives and deliverables. Through the beta working environment early design, functionality and interfaces were made available to the collaborative community of users. Here, through active feedback and collaborative working, rapid change and adaption were delivered ensuring the project delivered the required value.

This inclusive methodology has seen resistance to change minimised and high rates of adoption were achieved by putting the needs of the end user at the heart of everything that was done.

“COMPASS has been developed to ensure relevant Common Support Model information is easily accessible to all users across multiple organisations and multiple locations, ensuring that a single point of reference is used for the relevant artefacts across the Surface Support Ship Alliance. COMPASS brings these Common Support Model artefacts into the 21st century in a digital format with an intuitive interface. It is exciting to see this solution being applied and implemented through COMPASS, and to see the realisation of real benefits to the organisation that the Common Support Model was set out to achieve.”

-        Roger Bartlett - BMT

The Outcomes

The pre-COMPASS environment saw all artefacts from WBS, operating framework, business process to desk instructions being held in disparate locations across many platforms which were not available to everyone. COMPASS has provided a single portal across the entire ecosystem, providing all employees in MOD or Industry a clear, defined and digitised understanding of the process, responsibilities and ownership across the CSM. This work has driven the following benefits:

1.      Significant reductions in the time taken to access the right information at the right time. This allows more efficient and effective use of manpower, resources and time across Industry, DE&S and Navy teams.

2.      Ensures all parties are utilising and working with the latest information, to deliver improved safety and maintenance planning.

3.      Improved communication, planning and cross organisational working allows for a single version of the truth across the entire Warship Support ecosystem, accessible to all, ensuring all are working to common, current and cohesive instructions.

4.      Confidence across MOD and Industry that all updates to the CSM can be rolled out to all stakeholder in one coherent manner. Change once, influence many, save time money and lives.