CW4 Darren Minnemann IN-ARNG: IPPS-A Best of the Best

Integrated Personnel and Pay System - Army
Story by Justin Creech

Date: 02.13.2020
Posted: 02.13.2020 16:35
News ID: 363050

Indianapolis, Indiana - Meet Chief Warrant Officer 4 Darren Minnemann, Indiana Army National Guard J1-Personnel Services Branch-Systems Chief. CW4 Minnemann is being recognized as an Integrated Personnel and Pay System - Army (IPPS-A) Best of the Best Soldier for leading the Indiana team through the conversion from the Standard Installation and Division Personnel Reporting System (SIDPERS) to IPPS-A.

Minnemann’s team took an aggressive approach to the migration, attending as many training events as possible to gain the best understanding of IPPS-A and implement the most best practices — ensuring a smooth transition from SIDPERS.

“We sent teams to milestone events like the D-270 training, the Multi-Systems Transformation Action Group event, and the D-120 shadowing,” said Minnemann. “Listening to other states as they shared valuable lessons learned, and key products such as the IPPS-A Survival Guide, was very helpful.”

Indiana faced many challenges during the migration, according to Minnemann, such as the Response Sequence Code (RSC) reduction. RSCs are eight-digit codes that align the Army force structure in data systems. Divisions have a specific RSC as do brigades and battalions, all the way down to detachments.

The reduction of RSC codes is necessary due to the reorganization of Unit Identification Codes (UIC). The reduction of RSC codes helps ensure information flows properly between the Army Organizational Server (AOS), IPPS-A, and the Reserve Component Automation Systems (RCAS).

“When these codes are input correctly, it flows to the other systems, and that’s how the system tells a lower unit where they fall,” said Minnemann. “If the codes aren’t input properly, you’ll have a situation where a company is listed under the wrong battalion.”

Minnemann added that the overhaul of the UIC codes, combined with the RSC reduction, is a good example of the teamwork shown during the migration process.

“We did a complete overhaul of all 200+ UIC sequence codes in order to have them properly aligned to ensure smooth information flow between systems,” Minnemann said. “The overhaul gave us a perfect opportunity to make changes to some of our RSC codes which allowed us to get rid of extra RSCs we no longer need.”

Maj. Joshua Keller, Indiana National Guard J1 Chief, Personnel Services Branch, acknowledged the UIC overhaul and RSC reduction were the most challenging part of the migration for Indiana.

“We essentially flipped our branch (50+ personnel) upside down to maximize IPPS-A capabilities and get us, organizationally, out of the ‘this is the way it's always been done’ mindset,” said Keller. “Finalizing this restructure was a priority and largest undertaking.”