MTAC Workgroup #122

Intelligent Mail Implementation

Meeting Minutes

MTAC User Group #122

September 11, 2008

2:00pm – 4:00pm EST

•Agenda……………………………………………………………...Phil T

• Objectives for this meeting

  • Establish change control process for eDoc guide
  • Identify items to track on Full Service schedule
  • Decide on highest priority Issues to start working

•New Business..……..…………………………………....………………Steve K

•Guide to Intelligent Mail Letters and Flats (eDoc Guide)

  • Change control process

Ok’d fact that there needs to be change control for the Guide to Intelligent Mail Letters and Flats. Version 3 of the guide is the baseline. A change control form will be used to receive change requests. A Change Control Board will review and decide at the leadership groups on Mondays and report back at the next scheduled workgroup meetings. The Change Control log and approved changes will be posted on the MITS web site. The Guide document will be updated as necessary to incorporate improved changes.

  • Issues for 9/12 Grp 117 telecon

Issues presented during this segment will be validated against the current MATC 122 issue list to ensure captured. Issues presented:

- Containerization workgroup issues sent over last week in a new MTAC 117 resolution statement (Sharon Harrison)

- Service Type Codes for Non-Auto with Confirm. Using 700 and 300 requires endorsements. There are concerns regarding the why and how you would do this using these codes. (Laine R) Laine and Jim Wilson (USPS) were going to take off-line to discuss options. (Also see Brody about changes to the resolution statement – have these been incorporated in the version 3 of the Guide???)

- Priority Drop Ship; the FS rules calls for FAST appointments (used for start-the-clock purposes). Priority Drop Shipments Open and Distribute do not require FAST appointments --- Will they be required for FS for this product line? --- IF not then how will start-the-clock be handled for the FS mailings using the product? (Dennis Kaylor)

- Non Profit Authorization Numbers, They mail for multiple clients under one postage permit, however each client has their own non-profit authorization number. How do you report this to the USPS? I would think you would want this hooked into a by-for(Dennis Kaylor)???

- Something about an Origin start the clock bullet ???

•Schedule

  • Review tasks identified

The schedule presented is inadequate. The group needs a project schedule (and while it is understood that all dates are not nailed down yet) it should at least have a detailed identification of the tasks to be performed and the dependencies between them. The industry needs to know what is going to be ready and when so that it can also coordinate their IT activities. Also a STRONG recommendation is made that the USPS utilize IT trained (in Program Management and having experience in managing very large scale IT projects) resources to manage the schedule and program to ensure both USPS and Industry remain on track.

  • Determine additions necessary track

Items missing from this initial presentation:

  1. Details as to what is being worked on
  2. What versions of the Mail.Dat and Mail XML specs will be ready when. Need to know what specific messages will be supported when.
  3. Need a section that deals specifically with and provides the details on the CSAs. Need CSA information at the container level so the SW vendors can develop
  4. Need section covering the Periodicals development – Limited Circulation, CPP
  5. Would like to see elements of the USPS system architecture
  6. Need to see dependencies
  7. Need to know what testing (development, CAT, Pilot, and Production) environments will be ready when. Can not have our IT teams waiting on testing environments.

•Issues List

  • Identify top 5

The top issues (NOT in a priority order) discussed were:

  1. Range Record (Phil T) – These are needed for those not wanting to use PDRs need to understand what the USPS policy is and reasoning for not allowing?
  2. Service Type Codes (2 issues) – Conflicts with STC for nonauto mail. (Laine) Also how are we going to decide who determines what to use and when we need to have agreements with the SW vendors (Rich Bobbic)
  3. Mailing customers that have never had contact with the USPS only use vendors/service providers and will now be getting more contact from the USPS is changing the relationship between these vendors/service providers and their clients. (Arnie C)
  4. CSAs requirements and integration with the USPS TMS system. This integration has never been done and will have a huge impact on the SW vendors. (Murray S)
  5. Priority Drop Ship Open and Distribute (Dennis Kaylor)
  6. How the Intelligent Mail Container placards will get attached to the outside of the stretch-wrap? Impact to automated processes and conversion time and costs. What happens if logistics firms add wrap?(Kirt Ruppel)
  7. The proposed schedule is incomplete and once everything is finally mapped out many will be left with know time to get ready (Sharon)
  8. Are there unknowns we want to measure up to what we know? (Unk vendor)
  9. Will IBM certification be a part of PAVE? (Mary Ann Bennet). Jan Kemme (USPS) responded that they will have something in place by May 2009.
  10. Full Service qualification and re-qualification if you fall out of qualification. (Angelo A)
  11. Would like to implement the Problems and Consequences document started in MTAC 117 (Jody)

•Old Business

No Old Business

•Report outs

•Agenda Item Name

•Review Actions for Next Meeting………………………….……………..Bob G

•End meeting

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MTAC 122 agenda doc110/3/2018