  Issue 2.5, July 2022
To ensure that the Integrated Food Management System (IFMS) meets the needs of Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) in supporting operations for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), the IFMS User Group was formed in early 2022.
Over the past five months, the IFMS User Group had the opportunity to provide feedback on the functionality and system features, and planning and development are underway for next set of enhancements. As of June 3, 2022, the User Group has addressed and closed 12 of the original 32 CRs!
The following Change Requests (CRs) have recently been completed and/or are in progress:
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Shopping list (now available as of Release 1.10)
- IFMS will generate a shopping list based on inventory available at the time that the list was generated.
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Certification Module (planned for later in calendar year 2022)
- A certification module, designed to determine FDPIR participant eligibility, is currently being developed. FNS Regional Office Food Distribution staff have also been identified to provide support, as needed.
This IFMS User Group typically meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 1:00pm to 2:30pm ET to discuss proposed solutions related to CRs and provide feedback on how these changes will be implemented. IFMS User Group members also have the opportunity to share new issues and requests for the group to discuss.
To participate as a member of the IFMS User Group, please send an email to Katie Clifford at katie.clifford@usda.gov.
Release 1.10.0 went live on June 24, 2022. The following enhancements were included:
Inventory Management
- The ITO Inventory Management Specialist can see more lines on the material selection of an Inventory Transaction because the header has been condensed.
- The ITO Inventory Management Specialist will no longer see items in-transit with zero quantity on the Warehouse Inventory-By-Location list view.
Issuance Management
- The ITO Food Issuance Specialist can see more lines on the material selection screen of the Issuance transaction because the data entry bar has been removed and the header has been condensed.
- IFMS users will no longer see the signature line on a page with no headers or footers.
- IFMS users can generate a monthly shopping list for a specific household size.
- The ITO Food Issuance Specialist can now view a more prominent issuance processing message to avoid beginning a new issuance until after the previous issuance has finished processing.
- IFMS users will be able to access a new custom tab on the Household and Issuance apps that will allow them to generate a monthly shopping list.
- The ITO Food Issuance Specialist can toggle between Store and Manual Issuance modes within the same Issuance transaction.
- ITO users will be able to add custom comments that will appear on the monthly shopping list with standard comments.
Reporting
- IFMS users will no longer see the Claims Price Total on the Claims Determination Report and the Total, Total Claims Price column has been renamed Claims Price.
Release Notes can be found in the IFMS Learning Academy (login required).
Print Food Package Selections
The Food Package Selections displays a list of materials for each category, sub-category, quantity issued, and the quantity remaining to be issued for a household.
Click the Print Food Package Selections on the household overview screen to generate the food list for the household
Detailed information can be found in the FDPIR Issuance Training Materials in the IFMS Learning Academy (login required).
 Fig 1 - Screenshot of option to Print Food Package Selections in IFMS
Print Monthly Shopping List
There are two options to print the shopping list: from the household overview screen and from the shopping list tab.
Option 1: Click Print Monthly Shopping List on the Household Overview screen. The list will automatically populate based on the household size from the selected account, which cannot be edited. Users must select an ITO site.
 Fig 2 - Screenshot of printing shopping list from Household account
Option 2: Print the shopping list from the Shopping List tab. Users must select both a household size and an ITO site.
 Fig 3 - Screenshot of printing shopping list from Shopping List tab
Detailed information can be found in the FDPIR Issuance Training Materials in the IFMS Learning Academy (login required).
IFMS Activity At-a-Glance
As of July 2022, there are 77 ITOs using IFMS to conduct food distribution issuance for their communities and manage inventory and household records for FDPIR. To date, over 15 million food items have been issued to over 25 thousand households through IFMS.
 Fig 1 - As of July 2022, IFMS was being used by 77 ITOs at 102 sites.
As of July 14, 2022, IFMS activity since launch included:
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77 ITOs deployed IFMS with 358 active users
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48,843 individuals in 25,071 households received food
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15,709,802 items issued through 203,266 order transactions
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27,080,486 items updated through 81,533 inventory transactions
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35,710 household certifications updated
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6,361 new households created
Two new ITOs have launched! The Transition Team congratulates the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Kiowa Tribe on their successful onboarding to IFMS.
Update to Internet Speed Requirements
Required internet speeds for IFMS have been reduced from 10 mb/s to 0.5 mb/s. For reference, a YouTube video plays at a speed of about 4 mb/s.
ITOs who currently use the tailgate feature in the Automated Inventory System (AIS) may be able to transition IFMS when they are ready to do so. In some areas, ITOs may be able to operate IFMS at a tailgate site if internet and/or cellphone reception is available. The purchase of a hot spot and/or cellular plan would be an allowable use of FDPIR administrative funds. Please reach out to the FNS Regional Office to discuss internet or cellphone data plan options.
Transition Support
The IFMS Transition Team is available to provide assistance to ITOs who are preparing for IFMS and to answer questions about the transition process. Contact the Transition Manager to learn more. The transition program is designed to support ITOs, considering their unique needs, from initial planning through the Go Live event at a pace that minimizes disruption to daily operations.
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
- Manuals, quick reference guides, and exercises for each functional area
- Access to the IFMS training environment to reinforce and build upon training sessions
- Discussion of ITO data needs and guidance on using IFMS reporting tools
- Post-transition support with timely response to questions or issues
- Feedback sessions for continuous improvement of transition program and system features
Additional Training Opportunities
The Post-launch Support Program offers training opportunities for the IFMS user community in the form of refreshers, updates, and advanced topics. These sessions are intended to build user skills and help improve efficiency with IFMS. Upcoming events will be announced.
Interested in other training opportunities for new and existing users? The IFMS Training Request Form, located in the IFMS Learning Academy. Upon receipt, the IFMS Training Manager will follow up to discuss scheduling and tailoring the session(s) topics to the needs of the ITO.
IFMS Public Webpage
The IFMS webpage provides announcements, general information about IFMS, and a variety of other resources for the user community and other interested parties. These include:
IFMS Learning Academy
The IFMS Learning Academy (login required) contains a variety of self-service resources for IFMS. User manuals and quick reference guides (QRGs) provide helpful instructions for a variety of common business tasks and functions as well as tips for using additional system features when needed. Other resources include release notes and guide rate information.
After selecting a topic, refer to the Details tab for a description of available materials and links to external resources, as applicable. The Related tab provides all files available to view or download.
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