Unless they revamped ISDBIS, the Postal Inspection Service would be slapped with exorbitant charges, plus several million dollars extra in license fees for mainframe computer software—not to mention a host of workload dilemmas. One Module at a Time It was time for a brand new system, a system with increased functionality. A system that required users to input data only once, and in the easiest way possible. A system that could max out data integrity by building in “business rules.” A system that shared data seamlessly between applications, permitted wide access to data, ensured painless data retrieval, and accommodated ever-changing priorities. ITD managers formed a team to focus on a new version of ISDBIS. The result was The ISIIS Development Team. ISIIS: Inspection Service Integrated Information System. The ISIIS Development Team included about 30 Postal Inspection Service employees and contractors and comprised Postal Inspectors, subject-matter experts (SMEs) in case management, ISDBIS mavens, programmers, technical writers, and quality assurance testers. The team’s first task was to document every program and every screen display in ISDBIS and, along the way, define business rules. New database design and coding requirements were also integral to the mission. The Financial Crimes Database (FCD) was deployed in September 2003. The Workhours Module debuted in early November and, on March 1, 2004, a major platform of ISIIS went live: the Resource Management System (RMS). The deployments were part of the solution, but also became part of ITD’s problem.












