  Issue 1.6
The Transition Team would like to hear about successes with IFMS. Please send comments to the Transition Manager.
Take a look at some of the feedback recently received from ITOs:
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Pueblo of Acoma was part of the first group of ITOs that transitioned to IFMS back in October 2020. The Transition Team spoke with Director Connie Martinez about her impression of IFMS six months later. She said that they have been enjoying the system and that “IFMS is a lot easier [than AIS].”
The Transition Manager and Trainer recently hosted an open learning session where ITOs identified topics of interest and asked questions about how to modify and generate reports tailored to their daily operations. Her team participated, and Connie expressed her appreciation for the session, which made “reporting more simplified” and helped her understand how to use reports to obtain the information her ITO wants to see.
Connie says she is grateful for the support she has received during the transition process. She noted that the Transition Team has been particularly good at getting back with her whenever she has questions and resolving issues.
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma transitioned just last month. Director Jerry Tonubbee said he wanted to be the first or among the first to convert to IFMS, because AIS is just old and too hard to work in. He feels that IFMS is a big improvement over AIS. For example, he is now able to generate data he needs on his own whereas in AIS, he had to go to five locations to find what he needed.
He and his staff are very happy with IFMS, and things are going great! Jerry also reflected on the “outstanding” support he and his team have received from the Transition Team, noting that there has never been any hesitation to walk him through a process or provide information.
He encourages ITOs who are on the fence about transitioning to overcome their hesitation.
The Transition Team congratulates the sixth group of Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), who are now using Integrated Food Management System (IFMS). As of April 2021, there are now 45 ITOs using IFMS to conduct food distribution transactions for their customers.
The IFMS Transition Team is actively recruiting ITOs for upcoming launches. Contact the Transition Manager to discuss options.
Why transition? IFMS is the future of food distribution. It is a modern, innovative, and flexible system. The Transition Team supports ITOs from initial planning through the Go Live event at a pace that minimizes disruption to daily operations.
IFMS provides:
- Enhanced household and member search capabilities
- Role-based user access
- Simultaneous login for multiple users
- Different functionality for Store and Manual (Pick and Pack) operations to streamline issuance processes
The transition program includes:
- Support Specialists assigned to each ITO for the duration of the transition process
- Self-paced e-learning introductory course
- Flexible virtual training sessions
- Access to the IFMS training environment to reinforce and build upon training sessions
- Post-transition support with timely response to questions or issues
IFMS Activity At-a-Glance
IFMS activity since it launched on October 1, 2020:
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45 ITOs using IFMS with 208 active users
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15,378 individuals have received food distributions through IFMS
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1,781,629 items issued to 8,351 households through 22,097 order transactions
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2,388,315 items updated through 6,941 inventory transactions
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4,029 household certifications updated
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381 new households created
Most Issued Materials for March 2021
 Fig 1: Chart showing materials issued in March 2021, including four most common materials and all others combined as "Other"
Since going live in October 2020, more than 1.7 million food items have been issued through IFMS. The food items issued most often in March 2021 were 1% milk (7,827 units), orange juice (6,011 units), ground beef (4,349 units), and canned green beans (3,063 units).
Requesting New or Updated User Access
When there are staffing changes requiring changes to IFMS user access, ITOs need to submit a request to the Service Desk. These changes include creating a new user profile, updating permissions for an existing user, or deactivating a user’s account. Requests should include a copy of the applicable Account Update Forms. To locate these documents in IFMS, open the Files app. Then, click on Libraries and open IFMS Resources (login required).
 Fig 2: User Forms in IFMS Resource Library
Chatter
Chatter is an information sharing collaboration space within IFMS that allows users to post content, upload files, create polls, and ask questions. This fast and secure tool helps IFMS users (from the same ITO or across different ITOs) connect with each other online instead of sending emails or making phone calls.
Chatter is located on the Dashboard within IFMS. It can also be accessed through the App Launcher.
For more information on Chatter refer to Section 9.6 in the Basic User Navigation User Manual, available in the Learning Academy (login required).
 Fig 3: IFMS Chatter Screen
IFMS continues to evolve based on user feedback. The development cycle is designed to produce a thoroughly tested and defect-free solution. In IFMS, releases to provide fixes and enhancements are scheduled every six to eight weeks compared to every 12 weeks with AIS.
The most recent release 1.3.2 was deployed on April 27, 2021. Additional information about these updates can be found in the published Release Notes in the IFMS Learning Academy (login required).
Training Schedule Update
In response to ITO feedback, the Transition Team has adjusted the training schedule to now provide two sessions daily for the same training topic. This promotes flexibility for transitioning ITOs to choose the time(s) that best suits their needs, accommodating ITO operating schedules and giving additional staffers the opportunity to participate in the training.
All transitioning ITOs also have access to the training environment, where they can get hands-on practice and become familiar with IFMS before Go Live. After each training session, participating ITOs receive self-paced exercises for use in the IFMS training environment. The goal of these exercises is to provide real-world scenarios to reinforce the training that was conducted that day.
The Learning Academy (login required) contains many training resources and reference materials to support ITOs as they transition to IFMS, such as manuals, quick reference guides, and exercises.
There are also recorded demos and instructional videos for Household Certification, Issuance, Inventory, and other activities in IFMS . These provide a view into the system for those considering transitioning and may also be helpful tutorials for recently transitioned ITOs.
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