Adventurous ASSU
FLTLT Vaughan Jones
A mixed group of uniformed and civilian personnel from the Air SAP Support Unit (ASSU) headed off to the Base Welfare Units at Ngunguru for a week of Adventure Training in the Whangarei area last month.
Air SAP (Financial Software System) Support Unit (ASSU) head for the hills. (WN-08-0037-75).
After a busy Monday morning loading vehicles with all the necessities for the week, we hit the road, with only a small diversion back to pick up the bagged lunches - it always pays to check these things!
With a busy programme for the week, that afternoon had us out mountain biking through the Glenbervie Forest. With the rain starting to come in, a few hours was spent following roads and tracks that didn’t seem to feature on any of the maps, but at the end everyone seemed to have a smile on their face, which was a good start to the week.
Day two had us setting off for a day caving in the Waipu area, led by a civilian caving company. With the rain having set in, concerns were increasing on how high the water levels in the caves would be. As it turned out, that should’ve been the last thing on our minds, as the caving guides had heard we were on Adventure Training and decided that they would take us through a more challenging cave system, rather than the more placid one they normally use! After an hour or so of abseil and cave familiarisation and training, we set off for the main event. Right from the entrance, the way through was small and the squeezes were tight. It was interesting to see the rock formations, and having a 22 metre repel into a big cavern in pitch black also had everyone grinning. The guides warned that the last squeeze was going to be the tightest, and they were right. We finally saw daylight as we wedged, and contorted our bodies through the final hole. If you couldn’t fit, then the only other way out was back the way you came – not an appealing thought! There were some tense moments for one person, but after stripping off his overalls and wetsuit, he managed to get through. After nearly five hours negotiating our way around underground, we exited the caves only 400 metres downhill from where we started.
Abseiling at the Whangarei Falls. (WN-08-0037-74).
Day three saw the team abseiling off the Whangarei Falls lead by RNZAF PTIs. After all the rain the region had received over the past few days the falls were in flood, so that made for a pretty exciting abseil down with the water flowing beside us. A pause half way down meant you had a great view of the waterfall and of the valley below. After the abseiling, the afternoon was our first opportunity to get out onto the water and put all the talk of fishing into action, with some good success.
Day four was a walk up to the top of Mount Manaia situated at the northern entrance of the Whangarei Heads. The weather relented and the day was clear and still allowing for 360 degree views of the Whangarei region. More waterborne activities allowed everyone to enjoy the spectacular and abundant marine life that Northland is famous for.
After the week pushing boundaries and extending comfort zones, it was back to work at ASSU. By way of an update or reminder of what we do, it has been over a year since the ‘go-live’ of Project JEMS and as the RNZAF gets used to using SAP day to day, ASSU has also developed into a centre of knowledge for developing new processes to make everyone’s job easier.
Squeezing through the caves at Waipu. (WN-08-0037-77).
The four sections - Business Development, Master Data and Help Desk, Business Warehouse and SAP Training - are all keeping very busy.
The Business Development team of four Business Analysts and a Manager have the following roles:
- In conjunction with command initiatives, identify where business improvements can be made,
- quantify the benefit of change proposals,
- assist with developing new processes/ practices,
- develop user requirements, specifications and work with SSG to effect SAP changes,
- assist in the implementation of new process/ practice, e.g. develop SOPs, manning changes, policy changes etc.
The unit applies a Risk Analysis System (RMS) to assist in prioritising tasks as they arise. This system recognises Airworthiness issues as the highest priority and then considers the Return on Investment (Cost/ Benefit analysis) for any business improvements.
The ASSU Master Data Team is made up of four Techs and two Suppliers to provide a 24/7 Help service for RNZAF SAP Plant Maintenance users. SAP Help is only an email away where you can get your questions answered. Whether it be as simple as a new password or the changing of component details, the ASSU Help Desk will assist with Technical and Supply Plant Maintenance problems. You should see us about on the Bases as well and if you have a question or problem, please remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question, so don’t be afraid to ask. Also with SRM being a SAP interface, assistance can also be provided to help you right up to pushing the order button! This section is currently collating all Financial delegation documents into a Web Site so we may contact you for a copy of yours soon!
View of Marsden Point from Mt Manaia. (WN-08-0037-76).
Business Intelligence (BI) is a tool for data warehousing and analysis. BI, like SAP is an NZDF wide application and is administered at the NZDF level by SAP Support Group (SSG) in Wellington. The ASSU Business Intelligence Development team of a Manager/Report Developer and a Report Writer are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of data and provision of required logistics reporting for the RNZAF. At present the team is testing a new data model and auditing the data for accuracy and completeness prior to releasing an updated suite of Plant Maintenance reports. The new data model is required to ensure that BI can meet current and future RNZAF reporting needs in an efficient manner. In addition to standard reports the team will in the future be able to provide ad-hoc reporting for the RNZAF.
The current RNZAF policy is that to gain access into SAP, you must have completed a formal training course designed for the area you will be working in; this is where the Training Team will get involved. The ASSU Training team consists of the SAP Training Manager and four dedicated SAP Instructors; two Supply, and two Tech and has two permanent classrooms that can accommodate twelve students each. We are constantly refining the existing courses and developing new ones as training requirements are identified.