Command Sergeant Major / Sergeant Major,
I want to thank you for continuing to encourage your Soldiers to learn the system. IPPS-A is not only the Army’s system of record for military human resources and applicable military pay actions, but also a weapon system. Like every weapon system in the Army, IPPS-A is only as effective as the Soldier using it. We need leaders like you to make sure
every Soldier is trained on how to use it, and
every HR Pro fully understands the system. Encouraging your NCOs to become proficient in IPPS-A Self-Service will help them empower their Soldiers.
Not only has your guidance been monumental to this effort, but the feedback from your Soldiers has made the system better. Your hard work and dedication to your Soldiers and this system is greatly appreciated.
I urge you to work towards establishing working groups at your units to develop IPPS-A-related products that may be helpful to U.S. Army administration and finance specialists in training.
I want to provide you with some updates, guidance, and resources to share with your units as they continue to navigate IPPS-A:
Account for the Army
Please ensure your units prioritize the ongoing Personnel Asset Inventory (PAI) that started this month to improve the accuracy of accountability and slotting data in IPPS-A and enhance projected strength reporting within IPPS-A and the Defense Readiness Reporting System – Army (DRRS-A).
Help your NCOs understand that this effort is critical to Soldier promotions, professional mobility, and aligning
them with the right mission.
Please have your members use our resources and job aids to assist with reaching 100% accountability and to leverage IPPS-A’s Service for Analytics and Business Intelligence Reports (SABIR) capabilities to forecast mission requirements.
The following job aids can help you with the PAI:
- Account for the Army Checklist
- Pay-Absences-Incent-Ded (PAID) and InTransit Grid (ITG) User Guide
- Personnel Accountability & Strength Reporting (PASR)
- Retirement and Separation Personnel Action Request (PAR)
You may find all job aids here:
Resources,
S1Net, and the
Training Aids.
For more information, please refer to the “HQDA EXORD 024-24 Army-Wide Personnel Asset Inventory (PAI) (Final)” on
S1Net and
G1-S1 TouchPoint Army Wide PAI.
We need everyone’s help to make this a success.
IPPS-A Mobile App Updates
A lot of your NCOs use the IPPS-A mobile app — it is a great tool to give them access and situational awareness of personnel transactions right at their fingertips. Please relay to them that we have used their feedback to make the app even better.
With a complete rebuild and redesign, IPPS-A’s Mobile App 2.0 features a lot of great updates, including a new look and feel to the Log In, Side Menu, and Support tabs.
Please pass along that this new version launched 1 February 2024, and offers Soldiers a more intuitive, user-friendly experience. To learn more, visit
http://ipps-a.army.mil/About/Mobile/.
PCS Absence Requirements
Since December’s migration to the new PAID page, we have noted system errors associated with Soldiers arriving at units.
The Permanent Change of Station (PCS) absence now requires the assignment ID linked to it.
If your HR Pros get an error when arriving a Soldier, please have your S-1/G-1 NCOIC refer them to the instructions found on the S1Net at:
https://www.milsuite.mil/book/message/1048655. They should also refer to the PAID and ITG User Guide available here:
https://ipps-a.army.mil/Training/Training-Aids/.
If they still experience issues, please have them submit a CRM case and our team will be happy to assist.
Latest IPPS-A User Manual
The team released Version 9.1 of the IPPS-A User Manual on Tuesday, 2 January 2024. It provides step-by-step guidance on how to complete actions in the system and incorporates a variety of contributions from the field.
Among other items, this latest version accounts for the new Pay, Absence, Incentive Pay, and Deduction (PAID) page and the overall changes due to the PeopleSoft Update Manager (PUM) upgrade.
Please make sure your NCOs know that the manual is regularly updated, and they should ensure they are working from the latest version by accessing it at
R3 IPPS-A Resources.
Latest AOS Playbook
The Army Organization Server (AOS) Playbook Version 1.4 was released in January. This guide provides users with an introductory overview of the AOS system along with the knowledge required to view, edit, and validate organization structure data. It offers a consolidated source of AOS roles and responsibilities and step-by-step instructions to use common AOS tools and capabilities.
The updates to this version add support for AOS Data Quality Reports, specify the user of detail templets, and place the burden of responsibility for data quality on the local AOS managers, Force Managers (FMs), and unit S1s/G1s. This is very significant as we push to improve a rapidly growing number of data inaccuracies across the force.
Please make sure your NCOs know they can find the playbook in the
AOS Data Quality teams channel (under the training and collaboration tab > files > AOS Playbook > v1.4 pdf file). I have also attached it to this email.
DD93 Non-Mandatory Fields
We have conducted a review of the DD Form 93 (Record of Emergency Data) with policy holders.
While not all fields of this form are mandatory, your Soldiers should be aware of what completing
only mandatory fields really means and understand the potential consequences with regard to disposition.
I urge you to work towards educating your NCOs on filling out these forms and helping them understand how disposition works based on what fields they do and do not fill out on the form.
Virtual OTSS
The IPPS-A Team is conducting virtual Over the Shoulder Support (OTSS) every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 0900–1100 EST, and Wednesday 1800–2000 EST at the
IPPS-A Go Live Op Center Cutover Support channel (Teams Channel 1).
Upcoming topics and dates:
- 14 February 2024: How to Update Assignment History
- 21 February 2024: Readiness Roster and Strength Analytics Queries (Bi-Analytics)
- 28 February 2024: Retirements/Separations
This is a great way for your NCOs to receive hands-on, real-time training and brush up on their IPPS-A skills. The feedback in these sessions has been critical to the program, and we encourage all to participate.
Resources
Please continue to ensure your NCOs have the information and materials they need to succeed and support their Soldiers.
- Self-Service User Guide: This will familiarize your Soldiers with Self-Service Roles and Responsibilities, and commonly performed self-service functions within IPPS-A. It shows every member how to request, cancel, view, and update absences, and is something that every NCO must know to support their Soldiers. This guide can be found at the IPPS-A S1Net page and the IPPS-A website.
- Videos/Podcasts: Encourage your units to use our video demo series, IPPS-A Replays. Each episode is a short overview on how to perform specific functions within IPPS-A. Our IPPS-A Coffee Tawk series is where IPPS-A subject matter experts respond to commonly asked questions and comments from the field. The IPPS-A Podcast also gives updates on what is going on with the program. These are posted to our website, YouTube, and social media pages (not to mention the fact that the next podcast is an all-NCO discussion!).
- Social Media: Additionally, your Soldiers should join our IPPS-A group on Facebook. It is a great place for them to connect with peers and access real-time updates, dialogue, and answers to their questions. They may join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/875398305999928.
- S1Net: We have a lot of great IPPS-A products created by units located on S1Net. On the left-hand side of the IPPS-A landing page, find the SUB-TOPICS column, and click “IPPS-A SOPs/Tools” underneath that. Soldiers may “donate” any IPPS-A SOPs and products that have worked for your team. S1Net is where you may find our webinars. These instructional sessions cover a variety of IPPS-A topics and can be viewed anytime on the Training & Webinars page.
Thank you for your continued support and for encouraging your Soldiers. Please let us know if you have any questions or need help — we are here for you!
V/r,
SGM Paul J. Smith
Senior Enlisted Advisor
DCS - G1, IPPS-A FMD
Learn more about IPPS-A