The objective of the Supply Support Integrated Process Team (SSIPT) initiative was to join simulation modeling and data warehousing in building a Supply Support Data Warehouse to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Reengineered Supply Support Process (RSSP). The RSSP is designed to be a seamless spares process that implements Integrated Weapon Systems Management (IWSM) concepts in spares management and integrates the disconnected spares processes that existed prior to reengineering.

The use of simulation with data warehousing is a new and innovative concept and is dependent on the existence of a single supply support data warehouse. The data warehouse approach to providing a single "virtual" database is innovative in that it will not affect existing systems in the way that other single, logical database approaches will. The single database allows visibility of data and inventory throughout the life of the weapon system. The simulation model—based on IDEF models of the RSSP—facilitates the rapid testing of the RSSP against a wide variety of scenarios, and facilitaties the performance of "What If" scenarios in the operational system.

KBSI's approach used a "Create Once, Use Many Times" philosophy: the developed IDEF models will directly drive aspects of the implementation. For example, the simulation models and user interface workflows are generated from the IDEF3 process models, the database schema is generated from the IDEF1X data models, and the client user interface is derived from the IDEF0 function models. This is significant in that, for example, a change in a process model can be directly and quickly reflected in the simulation application.

The developed IDEF models were used by client applications of the RSSP. These applications were developed in the NAVSEA Logistics Information Delivery System (LIDS) SBIR initiative. The SSIPT initiative also leveraged work done in the Contract Out Reverse Engineering Advisory System (COREAS) and Navy LIDS databases.