Customers

Swedish Defense

Swedish Defense"A modern IT-support for financial and operational follow-up, helps the Swedish Armed Force to manage and use its resources in best possible way."

Carl Franke
responsible for the administration of TELLUS within the Swedish Armed Forces

Challenge

Over the years, the Swedish Armed Forces have developed from being strictly an invasion force to a modern rapid-defense force. Today, the Armed Forces are creating mission-oriented units to bring peace to conflict areas around the world.

For optimum effectiveness, the Armed Forces have to be flexible. Constant changes combined with a limited defense budget require financial precision and effective resource use.

The Armed Forces missions are defined by precise requirements for goals and results. Missions are thereafter averaged out annually among military units, schools and centers. Each unit is responsible for utilizing resources to achieve set goals.

In the 1990s, the Armed Forces realized the need for better follow-up for their missions. The result was TELLUS, a combination of applications for the input of forecasts and reports. Business Objects products were implemented for analysis and reporting. TELLUS is today a user-friendly, web-based decision support system designed to handle budget, reporting and control. TELLUS is used at base-line level by unit commanders, but also at overall group level.

To enable the Armed Forces to improve its work in managing resources, operational evaluation, analyses, and reporting, we needed a common tool for gathering and handling information. We wanted a decision support system that could gather result reports and forecasts for all units. One requirement was that everyone should have the same data for decision-making to evaluate in their analyses, says Carl Franke, the man responsible for the administration of TELLUS within the Swedish Armed Forces.

Approach

TELLUS is based on several self-developed applications for result reporting and forecasting combined with the query-and-analyses tool Web Intelligence and Performance management XI R2 from Business Objects.

Initially, the Armed Forces developed a joint data bank for information from existing systems within the conscription service, finance, budget, and personnel systems. One application was developed for units, as well as one for group level. This enabled forecasts and result/outcome observations at all levels. The data bank was finally connected to Business Objects which works as a reporting and analysis tool.

Results

The decision support system makes it easier for us to work with goal- and performance management at all levels. It is easier to produce and deliver both financial prognoses and result/outcome reports. This gives us data with superior quality as a starting point in our management. It is easier for those in managerial positions at all levels to control and evaluate their finances and operations, comments Carl Franke.

The decision support system improves the prerequisites for the Armed Forces to reallocate resources more effectively among the different levels. Mission feedback to ground level is also greatly improved. Business Objects makes it possible for everyone in managerial positions to perform complex analyses of their operations and finances.

Since the Business Objects decision support system has worked well, the Armed Forces have decided to migrate to Business Objects XI R2. This implementation process started during the fourth quarter 2006. The result of implementation is further improvements in system functionality and simplified production, which in turn increases the system’s life cycle. Furthermore, it increases the possibilities to provide the whole organization with an even more effective decision support system.

Smaller textLarger textPrint this page, properly formatted for paper

Quick Facts