Researching military software - what do you use?

SFC Jeff L. — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 11:42:58 -0500

I am doing some research for my company, so that I can broaden the variety of military job fields I can present as producing viable candidates. One of the obstacles I've seen to military --> civilian transition is the lack of experience with certain software programs. The private sector uses a variety of programs like SAP, Primavera 6, PeopleSoft and others for functions like Warehouse Management, Accounting, HR, Recruiting, etc. The military almost exclusively uses proprietary software developed specifically for that branch, and which is not compatible with civilian brands. Many hiring managers, including ours, want someone who is "plug-and-play," meaning zero lost time for training on our software. That puts our veterans at a disadvantage.

My objective right now is to get some feedback specifically on Accounting software. Depending on the level of participation I'll come back for logistics. Please reply with the name and acronym of the software you used while in the military, how recently you used it, what it does, and what its civilian counterpart might be if you happen to know that.

I will use this information to present our VP of Accounting with a reason why familiarization with our software is training worth investing in when it comes to veterans.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 7 at 2016 12:24 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 12:24:19 -0500

I noticed that some software developers for the don't know the business rules of the network, hence, they are doomed to fail.

Response by Cpl Tim Linville made Jan 7 at 2016 4:40 PM

Cpl Tim Linville — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 16:40:38 -0500

They didn't have computers when I was in.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 8 at 2016 10:28 AM

SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 10:28:04 -0500

All the different sections - finance, personnel, legal, maint., supply, etc. all use specific non public software. Most of this for the AF is going to a webbase system. The thing that I think you should focus on is what the software that we use in the military is related to what the public sector is using - in the legal field in the Air Force - we have webbased software to track military justice matters, admin discharges, and a public software DLWills that allows the JAG office personnel to draft legal documents - wills, medical directives, powers of attorney for members from any state in the country. It is how well the use of these programs will be in learning your software - is it a general searching program, database that will need data entry and then be able to search the data, database in which documents - paper and electronic files are loaded and then searching and using this for a production of documents, etc. Now I agree that network/system software and certifications are another thing - that is something that the military does do the same.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 12 at 2016 10:05 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 10:05:25 -0500

GCSS comes to mind, since they are trying to encompass a few fields into it - supply, MIMMS/MMO, maintenance (all), and logistics/embarkation for starters, replacing a few outdated systems. Not sure how I can help or contribute more directly, as you mentioned, we have proprietary software that we use, but I think that some of the stuff can be figured out, although I'm not sure if that's an acceptable variable for you.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Oct 19 at 2022 3:11 PM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 15:11:26 -0400

Some companies have ERP systems!