Case Study
Building VOLTRON
End-to-end workflow modernization for the U.S. Space Force— from discovery to production deployment in under one year.
Challenge
Disconnected tools and manual workflows hitting operational ceiling
The U.S. Space Force’s Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance & Tracking cell (TacSRT), is a high-tempo operations cell responsible for managing the end-to-end pipeline of Operational Planning Products (OPPs): 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 existing process was entirely manual and fragmented across disconnected tools — UDL Chat for communication, PDFs for request forms, Excel for metrics logging, Dropbox for file transfers, and PowerPoint for final product assembly.
There was no centralized mission management, no automated notifications, and no visibility into where any given request stood in the pipeline. As demand grew, the team hit a ceiling: the manual process couldn’t scale without scaling the number of people.
-
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 hand-offs 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
A full-stack, role-based workflow application
Strategi 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, 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
Have a similar challenge?
We can scope a pilot with measurable outcomes and a clear path to production.