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By J. Adrian Stanley
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2002 DAILY CAMERA
Warrior Solutions Inc., an independent Boulder business,
recently created a new e-book it hopes will help organize
America's Army leaders.
Oke
Johnson, vice president of operations for the company and
a retired Marine, says leaders have
to keep detailed information on everyone under their charge
— on everything from their spouses' names to what weapons
they are trained to use.
The
new Army Leader's e-book will simplify the process of collecting,
organizing and transferring this data, Johnson said: "Instead
of having a 3- to 5-pound notebook, a leader can carry around
a 5-ounce digital notebook."
In
addition to the advantage of a smaller package, Johnson
said using Warrior Systems' software allows leaders to easily
transfer information. In the past, a new
leader would often have to independently gather information
on a soldier. Now, the soldier's past leader can simply
transfer the information to the new leader. The e-book even
allows leaders to add a picture of each soldier to his or
her file for easy identification.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of the e-book is the ease
of accessing information. Instead of looking through a stack
of paper, leaders use a computer or handheld device to access
information. Once the leader enters an individual or platoon,
they pick the category they need information on, such as
awards, and the information shows up on their screen. It
is just as easy to edit information when it changes.
"It
conveniently organizes a lot of data from other sources,"
said Command Sgt. Maj. Franko Antolovich of the 404th Civil
Affairs Battalion in Fo rt Dix, N.J.
The
software also includes a Combat Leaders Guide, which gives
rules and instructions for combat and a risk management
function that helps leaders assess the danger of a situation.
The
Army Leaders e-book is an upgrade from 2001's Platoon Warrior.
The e-book has new categories added on in response to customer
demand.
"The
really great thing about our customers is that they're very
enthusiastic about helping us create a program that really
fits their needs," said Catherine Lawrence, president
and CEO of Warrior Solutions.
Staff
Sgt. Pete Fornek of the Illinois Air Natio nal Guard, who
uses the e-book, was among those who offered some tips.
"When
I was deployed I was able to send them a lot of
suggestions and comments; a lot of those suggestions went
into the software," he said.
Currently,
the e-book is being sold through Warrior Solutions' Web
site, military conferences and the General Services Administration.
There is also a 30-day trial version of the software being
packaged with some Palm devices or sold individually through
Franklin Covey.
"It
makes us just a little bit different than the normal Palm
on the street. ... It's been a great partnership,"
said Pete Tosi, managing director for the government products
group at Franklin Covey.
Johnson
said the e-book has been selling well since its
introduction in September. "Right now it's the individual
small unit leaders that are buying it," he said.
Eventually,
Lawrence and Johnson said they would like to see the entire
U.S. Army use their program. They also plan to make specialized
programs for each branch of the military.
"It
would be very interesting if the Army would actually convert
over to this," Fornek said. "It's one piece of
software that's tied a lot of information together."
Warrior
Solutions has eight primary stockholders, six of whom are
actively involved in the company. The company employs 17
people. Lawrence said a mix of expertise in business, military,
engineering and marketing has helped to make the company
successful since opening in 1999.
The company's sales have increased 63 percent since June.
Lawrence
said she thinks that persistently upgrading the product
will keep Warrior Solutions on the right track.
"Continuous
improvement is what any good software company does,"
she said.
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