AIM Getting Started — Part 3: Project Pulse, Sustainment & Mission Control

[00:00] Part 3: After the decision
Part three continues after the decision. Parts one and two built a defensible assessment, architecture, and cost record. Now AIM stays with the organization after award — through delivery with Project Pulse, as-built change control in Pulse Sustainment, and read-only observation in Mission Control.

[00:10] Record the vendor award
When a vendor is selected and the engagement is approved, record the award. Capture the prime contractor, award date, contract value, and period of performance. That award record is what unlocks Project Pulse — AIM’s delivery workspace derived from this assessment’s recommendations, not a generic project template.

[00:32] Open Project Pulse
Open Project Pulse. AIM generates epics, phases, and recommended team roles from the same recommendation set you already reviewed — so delivery tracking stays attached to the decision record.

[00:46] Delivery command surface
The Pulse overview is the delivery command surface. Health Score is computed from check-ins, epic progress, and blockers. Timeline, risks, and what needs attention stay in one governed place — so executives and delivery leads share the same picture.

[01:02] Epics and attestation
Epics break the modernization path into attest-able milestones. When a milestone is met, authorized leads attest completion. AIM records whether delivery was on time and whether blockers occurred — building outcome ground truth for this organization over time.

[01:21] Check-ins and team
Check-ins keep the health score current — from the dashboard or by reply to AIM’s scheduled check-in email. Team roles show who owns delivery capacity. This replaces the ad-hoc status spreadsheet that usually drifts from the real plan.

[01:35] The AIM Project Pulse pill
Look for the AIM Project Pulse pill — the glowing EKG heartbeat badge at the top of the delivery page. Click it. That opens the Public Pulse Dashboard, where you publish a snapshot and get an embed leaders can watch without logging into AIM.

[01:50] Publish the EKG snapshot
Turn on public access, then publish a snapshot. AIM freezes a point-in-time view of delivery progress — not a live editable workspace. The preview shows the EKG-style timeline: completed milestones glow cyan, work in progress shows amber, and pending stages stay flat until the heartbeat moves forward.

[02:11] Copy the snapshot URL for your website
Copy the embed code — that is your snapshot URL packaged for the web. Add your organization’s domain to the allowlist so only approved sites can frame it — for example a county portal, Board page, or CIO dashboard. Paste the embed onto your own business website so leaders see modernization progress as an EKG heartbeat without needing AIM accounts. When status changes, publish a new snapshot to refresh what the public page shows.

[02:36] Graduate into Pulse Sustainment
When implementation is complete, an Owner or Admin graduates Project Pulse into Pulse Sustainment Mode. The Pulse becomes the immutable as-built baseline. Graduation is one-way — you cannot unwind it — because the operational record must stay attached to the original decision.

[02:56] As-built sustainment record
Pulse Sustainment is the post-implementation governance layer. Assign a Designated Lead and Backup Lead — Owner, Admin, or Engineer only. Configuration changes, procurement actions, compliance events, and the audit log stay bound to this baseline for the life of the system.

[03:13] Change requests and CCB
Change requests are how the living system evolves under control. Open File a Change Request and walk the full form — not just a title. Start with Basics: title, description, and business justification for why the change must happen. Name the affected systems. Capture risk assessment and a rollback plan. Set planned start, completion, attestation, and effective dates. Propose a category — Significant, Standard, or Routine — then submit. A Reviewer or Admin confirms the category before voting opens. Quorum and a written vote comment are required on purpose — they are the operational audit trail, not bureaucracy for its own sake.

[03:55] Or adopt a running system
If a system already runs and never had a Project Pulse, Owners and Admins can Adopt Existing System. The seven-step wizard captures stack, vendors, compliance scope, and a signed attestation — then freezes that as the as-built baseline the same way.

[04:09] Scout is observation, not change
Scout compares live environment evidence from a customer-hosted gateway with the systems documented in AIM. A Lead can promote a finding into a change request — that is still a human decision. Scout cannot patch, install, or deploy. Provider credentials are not stored in AIM.

[04:26] Mission Control
Mission Control is the observation and human-review workspace. Overview shows mission posture. Observe connects customer-hosted gateways. Reconcile compares hashed evidence with documented systems. Propose and Rehearse package work for authority — without giving AIM production change rights. Dispatch and provider mutation stay closed.

[04:47] One continuous decision trail — Part 4 next
That is the AIM arc you just watched for a county modernization. Assessment and decision outputs. Award and delivery governance. As-built sustainment. Read-only observation. One continuous trail a CIO, Board, or auditor can defend. Part four stays with AIM — and opens doors we have not walked yet: how teams collaborate inside the platform, how every scored recommendation stays cryptographically auditable, and how lifecycle affordability is defended before capital is committed. Stay tuned for Part four.

End of Part 3.