Case Study
Building VOLTRON
Turning a manual process into a high-velocity OPP delivery system. End-to-end workflow modernization for the U.S. Space Force’s TacSRT cell—from discovery to production deployment in under one year.
Challenge
Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TacSRT) is a high-tempo operations cell responsible for managing the end-to-end Operational Planning Products (OPP) pipeline: intake and clarification, vendor tasking and coordination, quality control and synthesis, and final delivery of commercial satellite imagery-based analytical products to Combatant Commands across the globe.
The agency had tried a document chatbot pilot, but it could only search uploaded PDFs. Staff quickly abandoned it because most of their questions required live data from operational systems that the chatbot couldn’t see. Leadership needed a solution that connected to real systems, maintained security controls, and could demonstrate measurable improvement before committing to a larger program.
The operational team was managing five separate systems to complete a single workflow: a case management database, a scheduling tool, a document repository, a communications log, and a reporting dashboard. Each system had its own login, its own data format, and no integration with the others.
Limited visibility & metrics
No real-time tracking or centralized management — operators couldn’t see where requests stood, creating overhead and risking delays in delivering OPPs to Combatant Commands.
Fragmented toolset
Disconnected tools caused bottlenecks, poor handoffs between stakeholders, and slowed execution across the multi-party workflow.
Manual, time-intensive workflows
Every step — from requirements creation to vendor evaluation to OPP assembly — was manual, reducing speed and consistency and limiting mission-critical information flow.
Solution
From query to close-out, giving every stakeholder a guided, auditable path through the TacSRT process
We designed and built VOLTRON — a full-stack, role-based workflow application that digitizes the entire TacSRT process from query intake through OPP delivery and close-out.
The platform consolidates operators, requesters, and commercial satellite vendors into a single, secure environment with guided workflows, integrated QC tooling, and automated notifications.
Role-based workflow engine
User-specific pages and dashboards for Operators, Requesters (Component Commands), and Vendors to track all queries, events, reports, and OPPs.
An Event Flow mirrors each TacSRT step — research, procurement, QC, and delivery — with integrated approvals and a full audit trail.Integrated QC & collaboration
Built-in document viewer with annotation, markup, and threaded comments for reviewing vendor reports directly in VOLTRON.
In-app communication, Component Command (COCOM) feedback capture, and automated notifications for assignments, revisions, approvals, and published OPPs via email and Mattermost.
Secure & scalable
IL2 + ATO-certified, mobile-enabled capability with role-based access controls, complete audit logging, and compliance-ready architecture. Integrations with Mattermost and MapTiler APIs, with a foundation built for additional API connections.
Metrics & reporting
OPP and event archive with centralized status tracking, integrated program and performance metrics, and exportable reporting — replacing the manual Excel logging that was prone to error and impossible to scale.
Inside the platform
Key screens from the production VOLTRON application
QC Tool / Document Viewer
Review, annotate, and iterate — all in one place
Operators open vendor-submitted PDFs directly inside VOLTRON. Markup tools let them add highlights, arrows, and callout boxes tied to threaded comment topics. Vendors see annotations, make revisions, and resubmit — with full version control across every iteration.
Query Intake & Geospatial View
From request to approval in clicks, not days
Component Commands submit structured query forms with Areas of Interest displayed on an integrated map. Operators review details, request clarification, and approve or reject — all within a single interface that replaces the old PDF-over-chat workflow.
OPP Tracking & Feedback
Cradle-to-grave visibility across
every product
Track every OPP from planning through publication with realtime status indicators, delivery dates, and integrated COCOM feedback.
COCOMs leave thumbs-up/down ratings with optional comments — giving operators immediate insight into product quality.
After Action Reports & Close-out
Structured vendor close-out,
built in
Vendors complete After Action Reports directly in VOLTRON with timeline reconstruction, analytics capture, and recommendations. Operators track submission status, review AARs, and archive events — eliminating the old PowerPoint and email-based close-out process.
Client perspective
Had I gone back in time to tell myself that one day TacSRT will have an automated capability to deliver products to our customers in under 24 hours, I would probably laugh at myself thinking that it’s impossible. But here…
Major, Space Systems Command, USSF
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