The "Challenge" Also known as Century Date Change, the Year 2000 (Y2K) has recently gained enormous attention in the Information Systems (IS) world. Unfortunately, there are far more questions than answers at this point, leaving many IS professionals feeling uneasy about what "doomsayers" proclaim as a potentially career threatening situation with seemingly endless liability issues yet to be considered. Depending on who one listens to, Y2K is either a crisis waiting to happen, an overblown situation with easy fixes, or somewhere in between. While most people who recognize the Y2K conundrum agree that resolution efforts begin with a thorough assessment of existing systems designed to identify affected system components, the next step tends to be a hotly debated issue in which several options are available. Managing the Year 2000 effort will take a cooperative effort in which professionals at every level will need to be actively involved. System owners, users, designers, programmers, and maintainers will all need to understand each others’ roles. The reason for such a "team" effort is straightforward: Y2K’s uniqueness. This "challenge" is different from most other efforts in at least two ways. First, Y2K can potentially affect every system in operation today. This includes weapons systems and other embedded systems along with management information systems. The other unique aspect of Y2K has to do with its deadline. It can’t be slipped. As a result, senior managers face the unenviable challenge of identifying the affects of Y2K within their organization and developing sound, economical strategies to resolve the problem prior to the turn of the century.

The "Opportunity" While Y2K is most often viewed as time consuming, mission threatening expense offering no added functionality, the benefits of the Y2K resolution efforts are often overlooked. There are several opportunities that can be taken advantage and should be stressed whenever possible. First, it gives users and maintainers a chance to closely look at their systems and identify those that should be retired, replaced, or redeveloped. It simply doesn’t make sense to expend resources on systems that should have been decommissioned long ago. Y2K also forces the issue of standardization, especially for data elements. What better time to start using what was mandated long ago? Y2K resolution also calls for updated, accurate, and reliable inventories, documentation, and repositories. Unfortunately these have often been overlooked and must therefore be addressed. Finally, many of the tools and sevices offered by vendors with Y2K solutions can be used well beyond the Year 2000. These are just a few of the opportunities presented by Y2K.

The Air Force Corporate Approach The Air Force Corporate Approach to the Y2K problem is a centralized management focus with decentralized execution. This approach follows the guidelines established by OASD/C3I for a decentralized approach, while reducing duplication of effort and consolidating AF resources, increasing information sharing, and ensuring a corporate strategy that will lead the AF to the Y2K goal, "To provide an Air Force wide coordinated effort that ensures no mission critical system is adversely affected by the TRANSCENTURY CHANGE."

Just getting started in the Y2K business, or need a refresher as to why we're going through all this? Read this article. It brings it all back.