RAF JPA Rollout
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Swindonshire, UK
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Not sure about units going back to the "old system". SAMA was switched off and can't be switched back on again because the contract for it expired recently hence the great rush to force JPA into action.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Cosford
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LITS was a load of crap, lean is a load of crap, JPA is a load of crap.......anyone else see a pattern emerging here. If the RAF was a commercial company the CEO would have been hung up by his nuts. Will anyone at the top be brought to book over this fiasco? Somehow I doubt it.
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Wiltshire
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Since JPA I've had 3 nights away in different hotels, 3 nights away in Messes, 2 lots of leave overfa couple of days and the Easter break with a working public holiday - still waiting for JPA password! At least I've been able to put all expenses on a company credit card and just keep a record of things so I'm not out of pocket yet.
Does anyone know if the rumour is true that several units have pulled out of trying to get JPA going and are back on the old system.
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Oxford
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JPA
I hereby announce my withdrawal from JPA with immediate effect. Henceforth all my expenditure will be conducted with with my corporate credit card and I no longer acknowledge the requirement to account for leave. I shall take leave as I see fit.
For "empowerment of the individual" read "abdication of responsibility" by the hierarchy
Be Pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Flag flies over JPA God Save the Queen
For "empowerment of the individual" read "abdication of responsibility" by the hierarchy
Be Pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Flag flies over JPA God Save the Queen
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Awaiting Redundancies
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Going on det shortly ... Does anyone know if JPA has been installed on computers across the world at the various locations of the RAF's many detachments?
Or shall I telephone my boss from overseas to get him to input my backlog of claims.
He can wipe my a*se for a change!
Or shall I telephone my boss from overseas to get him to input my backlog of claims.
He can wipe my a*se for a change!
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Far from the madding crowd
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Gate Zero
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: UK
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Originally Posted by SirPercyWare-Armitag
I hereby announce my withdrawal from JPA with immediate effect. Henceforth all my expenditure will be conducted with with my corporate credit card and I no longer acknowledge the requirement to account for leave. I shall take leave as I see fit.
For "empowerment of the individual" read "abdication of responsibility" by the hierarchy
Be Pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Flag flies over JPA God Save the Queen
For "empowerment of the individual" read "abdication of responsibility" by the hierarchy
Be Pleased to inform Her Majesty that the White Flag flies over JPA God Save the Queen
Correctamundo! One of the co-pilots on the VC10K force in its early days received a snottygram from Amex saying something of that order. I advised him to insist that OC Accounts sort it out with Amex -and that they must send him a letter confirming that he was absolved from any personal blame, the matter was entirly between his employer (RAF) and Amex. He eventually received such a letter.
RAF bill settling is notoriously slow and has led to all sorts of down-route problems in the past - such as catering companies refusing to supply the RAF due to previous instances of late payment.
RAF bill settling is notoriously slow and has led to all sorts of down-route problems in the past - such as catering companies refusing to supply the RAF due to previous instances of late payment.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: 250 ft agl
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JPA
Phoned JPA on Friday as it was not working to enquire what was going on. I was told that, with a new server they are using, if more than 80 people log on at once then it crashes. I said that there would not be 80 people on the base using it on a Friday afternoon. Her reply was "80 people, country wide"!!!!! Maybe we should get tickets like at the Deli in M&S????
What I want to know is when the decision makers are going to realise that the system is unworkable?
Personally, I think the JPA idea is good, but the system had been rushed in, in the full knowledge that it does not work. It was supposed to have been altered to work for the military but it is not even close. As a manager I have almost lost control of my personnel's leave (there is a pile of 100's of leave passes in the office that cannot be processed) and from a personal point of view I am owed loads of money that I can't claim back.
How long are we going to put up with this? I am told the current ability to access the system will last months. I dread to think what state we will be in should that be true. My patience is starting to wear thin now and I am seriously thinking of not spending ANY more of my own money that would normally result in a claim being submitted.
Personally, I think the JPA idea is good, but the system had been rushed in, in the full knowledge that it does not work. It was supposed to have been altered to work for the military but it is not even close. As a manager I have almost lost control of my personnel's leave (there is a pile of 100's of leave passes in the office that cannot be processed) and from a personal point of view I am owed loads of money that I can't claim back.
How long are we going to put up with this? I am told the current ability to access the system will last months. I dread to think what state we will be in should that be true. My patience is starting to wear thin now and I am seriously thinking of not spending ANY more of my own money that would normally result in a claim being submitted.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
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Notwithstanding the technical difficulties that have occured introducing such a large project requiring everyone to have access, the lack of apparent thought about how we will use the system - or at best lack of dissemination of this info - is amateurish and very embarrassing.
But you can't blame technology or consultants for people not having passwords nearly a month from switchover. There are less than 50,000 of us and the admin people know where we all are (or did!). The simple password issue is a far better indicator of the level of negligence we're dealing with.
The best thing to come from this would be a major investigation into both our procurement and contracts policies as well as totally reviewing how our 2-year-in-post staff manage projects. Could this abortion prompt us to reconsider labelling dissenters as constructive critics, versus promoting poodles who are afraid to grasp the occasional nettle and say it can't yet be done?
Adding to my trademarked 'Change Fatigue (tm)' I'm going to add 'Poodle Culture' to my personal dictionary of RAF related idioms.
But you can't blame technology or consultants for people not having passwords nearly a month from switchover. There are less than 50,000 of us and the admin people know where we all are (or did!). The simple password issue is a far better indicator of the level of negligence we're dealing with.
The best thing to come from this would be a major investigation into both our procurement and contracts policies as well as totally reviewing how our 2-year-in-post staff manage projects. Could this abortion prompt us to reconsider labelling dissenters as constructive critics, versus promoting poodles who are afraid to grasp the occasional nettle and say it can't yet be done?
Adding to my trademarked 'Change Fatigue (tm)' I'm going to add 'Poodle Culture' to my personal dictionary of RAF related idioms.
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Waiting for JPA to log on!
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So. does anyone know if we will actually get paid for April?
Im sure my bank manager will understand if can't pay my mortgage.
It took me 30mins today to get past the login screen.
God knows how many countless leave passes I have waiting for me. (saying that they wont be able to get on either!)
Well done MOD, you sure know how to look after your Armed Forces.
cnuts.
Im sure my bank manager will understand if can't pay my mortgage.
It took me 30mins today to get past the login screen.
God knows how many countless leave passes I have waiting for me. (saying that they wont be able to get on either!)
Well done MOD, you sure know how to look after your Armed Forces.
cnuts.
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
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Bugger. Thought I'd be clever and nip into work on a Sunday afternoon to try and put my claims from an overseas trip on JPA (before credit card bill comes in), only to find out that they've barred Self-Service Users access from 0700-1900 all weekend.
Can't log on during the week because the system is overloaded. Can't log on at the weekend. Great.
Can't log on during the week because the system is overloaded. Can't log on at the weekend. Great.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Behind the wire.
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Free Holidays!!
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to the number of people technically AWOL as of this moment in time.
I'm guessing > 500
Great time to be a holding ... You could totally disappear!
PS. Overtorque - Seeing as the RAF couldn't tell if you were in work Monday-Friday at the moment. Why the hell are you in on a Sunday?!?
I'm guessing > 500
Great time to be a holding ... You could totally disappear!
PS. Overtorque - Seeing as the RAF couldn't tell if you were in work Monday-Friday at the moment. Why the hell are you in on a Sunday?!?
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: London
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I knew someone was going to call me sad!
My excuse is - live on the patch, and wanted my MONEY paid back! Already out of pocket because I appear to want to eat/drink more than $52 a day; and would have got thrown out of restaurants in the States for only tipping 10%.
Still, I guess now is the time to take lots of leave, seeing as I can't access JPA, and aren't allowed to submit leave retrospectively!
My excuse is - live on the patch, and wanted my MONEY paid back! Already out of pocket because I appear to want to eat/drink more than $52 a day; and would have got thrown out of restaurants in the States for only tipping 10%.
Still, I guess now is the time to take lots of leave, seeing as I can't access JPA, and aren't allowed to submit leave retrospectively!
The system is a tested 'off the shelf' system with minor modifications. That is why we no longer have leave, posting or PVR (they are now absence, assignment and termination).
That is one of the problems, it needs MAJOR modifications to fit in with the previous way of doing things. I guess this would not be a major problem in itself, we are all used to change and I'm sure we'd get used to it. The trouble is, we can't get used to it because the infrastructure appears to be controlled by a ZX81 server and nobody can use it (at least my ZX81 could run 'chucky egg' - I'd like to see the JPA server try that).
That is one of the problems, it needs MAJOR modifications to fit in with the previous way of doing things. I guess this would not be a major problem in itself, we are all used to change and I'm sure we'd get used to it. The trouble is, we can't get used to it because the infrastructure appears to be controlled by a ZX81 server and nobody can use it (at least my ZX81 could run 'chucky egg' - I'd like to see the JPA server try that).
I can't wait for the next round of AOC and PMA visits to units - Its going to be a scream..........
I have a sneaky suspicion though that they will refuse to answer any questions on JPA because:
a - the server is down
b - Its outside your designated user hours
c - They've been told nothing is wrong with JPA, the problem lies with the person trying to use it.
Strange that nothing has appeared in the press yet, I'm sure the Current Bun would have a field day with this one......only a matter of time though I suspect.
I have a sneaky suspicion though that they will refuse to answer any questions on JPA because:
a - the server is down
b - Its outside your designated user hours
c - They've been told nothing is wrong with JPA, the problem lies with the person trying to use it.
Strange that nothing has appeared in the press yet, I'm sure the Current Bun would have a field day with this one......only a matter of time though I suspect.