JPA up and running

[mightyhunter]

To answer your question, it was pretty bad. However, the thing about SAMA was that it was built (albeit, thought about in the 70s, using 60s technology and delivered in the 80s) to compliment the processes that were already in place. JPA is completely new and has been bought off the commercial shelf. SAMA, however, is not the problem. I believe that the real issue is with the Main Frame computer at AFPAA Innsworth. It is really past it's sell by date, the company that makes the valves has gone out of business, the boffins with the technical expertise have now retired for a second time and the thing is about to fall over and die.

thanks for that. btw, welcome to the Goat

 

[and_another_thing]

ALL Leave is cancelled

ALL Leave is cancelled

I told all my guys that because JPA was C^&P and I still did not have access to the line manager screen - I could not authorise their leave, SHQ was closed for Easter and as there is no staff any more - I would just have to cancel their leave.
For some unknow reason they did not seem to like the idea
I haven't told them that the first practice pay run of JPA only actually paid 25% of the RAF.DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[ForgottenName]

thanks for that. btw, welcome to the Goat

Thanks for that. I don't think we should diss JPA until we get, what I've heard the geeks call "steady state". I know that there are a large number of clks inputting a great deal of data on to the system - I've heard that a number of them from all over the place have been sent down to somewhere near Portsmouth to undertake that task. That, I believe, will take a great deal of computer memory space. This usage will I understand will decrease when the data is migrated and the system gets to its normal operating speed. I know that when I ask my laptop to do too much, it goes slow, I suppose JPA is exactly the same.

SAMA did not have the same difficulty as I believed it stored data on the server at the station until it was transmitted in the quiet hours. I believe that some one then had to physically transfer the data by taking a disc from one system and placing it on to another. I remember Benny Hill doing something similar in the original Italian Job film and I remember what happened to the traffic lights.

I believe with JPA that you are talking direct to the one and only database and that the flash to bang time is a lot shorter.

 

[ForgottenName]

I told all my guys that because JPA was C^&P and I still did not have access to the line manager screen - I could not authorise their leave, SHQ was closed for Easter and as there is no staff any more - I would just have to cancel their leave.
For some unknow reason they did not seem to like the idea
I haven't told them that the first practice pay run of JPA only actually paid 25% of the RAF.DT_Xtremez_30:

So I take it that you are all working Easter because JPA says that you have to. Or have you applied to common sense. About the pay, where did you get your information from? I'd heard that all the guys concerned had worked long and hard to ensure that April's pay was effected.

 

[Death_banana]

Lost count of the amount of time's i tried to log onto jpa today , managed to get in once , change a couple of personal details then feck all after that , just many screens giving time out error's DT_Xtremez_09: , so i cant check my bank detail's , put in a travel claim i've ben waiting 3 weeks to do ( not that i'm too sure what to do there ), sort out my leave before i head down south for 4 months (short notice dwr , cheers pma u bankers) aswell as a load of other things.

A fe people that did manage to log in for more that 10 mins also mentioned how screwed up the days away were , my flight sgt has lost about 500 days !!!!

 

[The origional Pob]

"I know that when I ask my laptop to do too much, it goes slow, I suppose JPA is exactly the same."

Does this mean that when my boss piles loads and loads of work onto me I can slow down legitamately?.....may have to give that a shot!.

We still haven't been able to do anything with JPA except get the connectivity working for it!. Oh well. I know that it will have teething problems, just like everyother thing in the world!. It is just rather frustrating when You have a three ringer blatently lie to your face!....who can you trust these days!. LOL

 

[ForgottenName]

Does this mean that when my boss piles loads and loads of work onto me I can slow down legitamately?.....may have to give that a shot!.

I take it that you have a Boss that suffers from Unrealistic Management Complex. Attacks regularly occur at around 4 'o' clock Mon - Thurs, Friday afternoons and just before public holidays!

 

[Bluntend]

If you think JPA is slow now, imagine what it'll be like when the 30,000 RN and 100,000 Army personnel try and log on...

DT_Xtremez_34:

 

[fat lazy techie]

Are the army getting special keyboards?DT_Xtremez_15:

As for the JPAC call centre, don't even go there. Tried to speak to them and was fobbed of with "Go and speak to your PSF". First attempted call I was on hold for about 15-20 mins. When I spoke to the girl at the other end I was told "Can't do anything as I can't seem to log on at the moment either".

Hunter
I take it you managed to put your easter leave in. It would be a real shame if you didn't, and can't put it in retrospectively. How many days to try and carry over next year?DT_Xtremez_30:

 

[ForgottenName]

Lost count of the amount of time's i tried to log onto jpa today , managed to get in once , change a couple of personal details then feck all after that , just many screens giving time out error's DT_Xtremez_09: , so i cant check my bank detail's , put in a travel claim i've ben waiting 3 weeks to do ( not that i'm too sure what to do there ), sort out my leave before i head down south for 4 months (short notice dwr , cheers pma u bankers) aswell as a load of other things.

I note that you direct your vitriole at PMA in respect of your short notice DWR. Or was it the person before you who has gone sick, or the management who decided that they need an extra bod, so upped the establishment. The guy at PMA was only filling a hole made by somebody else's action/inaction.

 

[Mighty_Wokka]

If you think JPA is slow now, imagine what it'll be like when the 30,000 RN and 100,000 Army personnel try and log on...

DT_Xtremez_34:

Oh I would love to be there when say the Paras get a go....
...F**king thing wont work....smash....pc out of the window....
.....DT_Xtremez_31:

 

[The origional Pob]

You know my boss then???....He also has a strange speach impediment or is it just he keeps saying YES to evryone who is a higher rank!.

 

[ForgottenName]

You know my boss then???....He also has a strange speach impediment or is it just he keeps saying YES to evryone who is a higher rank!.

I bet he says yes because he does not have sufficient knowledge and experience to know the reason why he should say no.

 

[Death_banana]

.

I note that you direct your vitriole at PMA in respect of your short notice DWR. Or was it the person before you who has gone sick, or the management who decided that they need an extra bod, so upped the establishment. The guy at PMA was only filling a hole made by somebody else's action/inaction.[/QUOTE]

Your damn right i'm venting off at pma after the load of bollocks they told me DT_Xtremez_32: .

Were do i start, yes the bloke i'm now doing the tour for did drop out, but how about i wasnt even on the list to head down south !!! (newly promoted), the 2 people that are ment to be going cant yet as they dont have the right tick in the boxes ????, yet they have ben given almost 12 months notice wereas i got 8 weeks notice, my tmt cancelled and i now miss my first wedding anniversary !!!.

so to be told i am the best candidate out of the camp is horse**** , lost count of the amount of op's i was doing as a jt, but the best bit was when they said new cpls etc etc they like to give 12 months in post before a dwr , err hello i may not have moved camps but i did move post so dont i deserve the 12 months period of grace especially considering i now wont be substansive whilst i'm down south and the sqn now lose me for a year due to other courses i'm already on.



YEP PMA YOU ARE ****ERS THAT HAVE NO IDEA !!!!!!!!

 

[The origional Pob]

Forgotten Name...You hit the nail on the head there!. He is a good bloke, but he is like to please the higheracy. I think the lack of experience boils bown to the 18 month posts they do....they may scratch the surface of each job, but very few actually really understand it no matter how much they try.

 

[ForgottenName]

.

I note that you direct your vitriole at PMA in respect of your short notice DWR. Or was it the person before you who has gone sick, or the management who decided that they need an extra bod, so upped the establishment. The guy at PMA was only filling a hole made by somebody else's action/inaction.

Your damn right i'm venting off at pma after the load of bollocks they told me DT_Xtremez_32: .

Were do i start, yes the bloke i'm now doing the tour for did drop out, but how about i wasnt even on the list to head down south !!! (newly promoted), the 2 people that are ment to be going cant yet as they dont have the right tick in the boxes ????, yet they have ben given almost 12 months notice wereas i got 8 weeks notice, my tmt cancelled and i now miss my first wedding anniversary !!!.

so to be told i am the best candidate out of the camp is horse**** , lost count of the amount of op's i was doing as a jt, but the best bit was when they said new cpls etc etc they like to give 12 months in post before a dwr , err hello i may not have moved camps but i did move post so dont i deserve the 12 months period of grace especially considering i now wont be substansive whilst i'm down south and the sqn now lose me for a year due to other courses i'm already on.



YEP PMA YOU ARE ****ERS THAT HAVE NO IDEA !!!!!!!![/QUOTE]​

I understand your feelings. however, I still feel that are conveniently venting your spleen at a corporate body which is an easy target. In fact, you are probably aiming at an individual who is trying to do his or her best in difficult circumstances.

I note that you acknowledge that someone dropped out; why was that. Was it because they went sick (MOs are very quick to downgrade someone these days because, of what I believe to be a fear of being taken to task) or was it because his or her management put up a case for their OOA tour to be deferred I have heard that the department at High Wycombe that deals with deferrals requests has to consider a high number of such requests, many of which are total howlers. As for ticks in boxes. Also, it would not be the first time that a management team in an OOA location have had a reorganisation with their establishment (I remember when I was OOA [to probably the place where you are going] a sqn WO submitted a complete reorganisational change as his departing present, only for his replacement to change it all back again). However, the consequence of that action is that all the nominated replacements do not have the right ticks in the box - and the drafter really gets it in the neck if people arrive OOA not having the right ticks in the box.

As for not being on the list, I believe you have been mislead. Without wishing to sound patronizing, you are in the RAF therefore you are "on the list". People are drafted OOA in turn (from the date of enlistment or last OOA tour) with their contemporaries. You may find that the turn around time of cpls in your trade is shorter than jnr techs!

I do appreciate your concern about having your TMT deferred as I believe that completion of those courses such be a higher priority that they sometimes do.

If your sqn has a real problem with you being away for such a long time, they should put up a case to the relevant authority - but as I said before, it will have to be a very strong case to be approved at the higher level.

As for missing your wedding anniversary, I can only empathise. I have missed my silver wedding anniversary and many other things during my Service. But then again, that is the life I chose.

 

[TDJ]

Okay - heard this snippet from our JPA god at Innsworth (yes I do work in PMA) - one of the main reasons the system is so slow is that when you call the now combined/centralised JPAC(EC) and IT help desk facility there input actually slows the JPA system down as they are all connected onto one server.

So every call you make to the JPAC or the centralised IT help desk further slows your self service on JPA - how is that for bizarre but apparently quite correct!!!!!!!!

 

[Bluntend]

It would appear our Army colleagues are getting the jitters about JPA also:

http://www.arrse.net/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/t=35037/postdays=0/postorder=asc/start=0.html

DT_Xtremez_08:

 

[Death_banana]

And proabaly with good reason the army should be woried, almost a week into jpa and it's still as slow/ just not working as ever , I did actually get it to work last thursday at about 4/5pm and i must say it did run smoothly but they may have been because 3/4 of the raf had buggered off early for the bank holiday.

Whilst i was on it i was dismayed to see that my total of nearly 330 days away had dropped down to 118 (most of thoose days away had been built up on ooa ops!!) but i cant actually see what dets/ops i have been credited with and my sqn hr dept cant help as they cant see anyones details on the system yet !!!DT_Xtremez_42:

On another jpa related matter has anyone figured out how to submit a 1771 on jpa yet ???

 

[MyShineyAr$e]

On another jpa related matter has anyone figured out how to submit a 1771 on jpa yet ???

Of course I'm sure that you've completed your JPA training and/or read the online help that is provided. http://www.ipublish.dii.r.mil.uk/nlapps/data/docattachments/self_service/about1.htm This guide is written in a non-technical manner using as little computer speak as possible.

I've been reading the posts on this and other threads since JPA went live and whilst I am as frustrated as everyone about it's current failings, some problems aren't really problems they're just down to people not bothering with the training or too people being lazy to read the online help.