PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
Four individuals in the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) Comptroller Department collaborated to develop the first Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Robot (BOT) for the Civilian Payroll Missing Time & Attendance and Unapproved Time Report process.
Cory Bruckschen, Tristan Dickinson, Jenica Lolley, and Rachel Thompson combined their software development and payroll reports processing expertise to develop and implement the RPA BOT at NSWC PCD.
The BOT identifies issues related to missing time, excessive regular hours, and unapproved time, promptly notifying all relevant parties. This development aims to enhance report accuracy, strengthens internal controls, minimizes the risk of payroll errors, and ensures timely compensation for employees. It was developed to improve comptroller employees’ productivity, streamlining the process and allowing personnel to focus on other tasks and providing new avenues for career development.
“It has been a game-changer,” said Jenica Lolley. “[The] RPA BOT will streamline repetitive and time-consuming task in our roles as financial labor analysts, freeing up valuable time for us to focus on more strategic and analytical work. It’s made our job more efficient and enjoyable.”
The innovation has made quantifiable impact. The overall processing time for reports has decreased by 90%, improving the ability for NSWC PCD civilian payroll personnel to verify corrections and resolve issues swiftly. It not only benefits the workforce but also helps the BOT’s maintainers to further expand their proficiency.
“The implementation of RPA has significantly transformed my job responsibilities,” said Dickinson. “As a developer, it has added the responsibility of identifying process opportunities, honing technical skills, and collaborating more effectively with others across the command.”
The team showcased this technology at the Department of Navy Financial Management and Comptrollers Spring 2024 Summit where it was highly favored and optimistically encouraged to be implemented at other Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Centers.
Bruckschen, Dickinson, Lolley, and Thompson were each awarded a Navy Civilian Service Commendation Medal for their direct, unique contributions from concept design to implementation locally and potentially across the enterprise.
“We are deeply honored to be recognized by the [NSWC PCD] Comptroller leadership team alongside our colleagues, Cory and Tristan,” said Thompson. “It was a total shock! We were not expecting it at all!”
Yet, their dedication to build on NAVSEA’s digital engineering capability to serve the force behind the fleet should come as no surprise.
“The award itself is just a symbol, but what truly matters is the acknowledgement that our work is making an impact and helping others,” said Bruckschen. “This recognition confirms that our efforts are meaningful and purposeful, bringing a greater sense of fulfillment to our jobs as we serve the warfighter.”