Air Force wins Department of Defense-wide challenge using Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century

  • Published
  • By Maj. Jennifer S. Spires
  • Air Force Office of Business Transformation
ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  In a move that validated the effectiveness of the Air Force tool used for continuous process improvement, two Airmen won a Department of Defense-wide process excellence skills challenge that took place at the DOD Performance Symposium in Lansdowne, Va., June 8 through 10.

Capt. Ronnie J. Synakowski, a computer engineer from the Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla., and Pamela L. Wright, the chief of plans and programs for the 498th Nuclear Systems Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., beat out six three-person teams from across the DOD. They did so by applying techniques taught in Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century in a simulated battle to solve a complex business problem.

The two Airmen, both AFSO21 office chiefs at their respective wings, made up the only two-person team and the only Air Force team that registered for the "DOD Performance Bowl". Four Army teams, one team from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and one Defense Finance and Accounting Service team made up the six other competitors, said Heather K. Tollefson, the iSixSigma director of events.

Spearheaded by iSixSigma, the event simulated "low customer satisfaction" and "declining sales" for a fictitious company. Armed with little more information than that and a laptop-loaded program, the seven teams went to work trying for the highest "return on investment," Captain Synakowski said.

After completing the simulation, the teams had to present their solutions to the judges for final scoring.

Four judges graded the teams on the amount of money they spent, the amount of time spent in each phase of the problem-solving process, and the improvement level to which the team brought the company. Those numbers, computed on a scoreboard, gave participants a "return on investment" percentage or score, Captain Synakowski said.

In addition to being down one teammate, the two Airmen, unlike most of the others who formed their teams before arriving at the symposium, had never met or worked together.

"The captain and I literally met that morning," Ms. Wright said.

"Instead of jumping in without a life preserver, I decided we needed a game plan and we should use the eight-step process," she said.

"Starting with 'validating a problem' ... we collected data and made wise decisions. We actually finished before everyone and were able to create a really great briefing," Ms. Wright said.

The eight-step problem-solving process is an AFSO21 tool with a scientific approach that guides problem solvers through measured, specific steps. It uses many Lean and Six Sigma practices as well. The eight-steps include:
- Clarifying and validating the problem,
- Breaking it down and identifying performance gaps,
- Setting improvement targets,
- Determining root causes,
- Developing countermeasures,
- Seeing countermeasures through,
- Confirming results and processing, and
- Standardizing successful processes.

"As a military member or part of the Department of Defense, one doesn't always consider the cost of a survey or the personnel time invested in each tool used," Captain Synakowski said. "That's a good thing that came out of this, as we move forward. It's something the whole department needs to focus on, ... using tools smartly to improve the bottom line," he said.

The director of the Air Force Office of Business Transformation and deputy chief management officer emphasized the importance of AFSO21.

"Mission effectiveness through business efficiency is key in focusing the Air Force on the customer's perspective and the bottom line," said David Tillotson III. "Our Airmen, using continuous process improvement tools like those found in AFSO21, are how we get there," he said.

Ms. Wright, in charge of facilitating improvement projects through AFSO21 practices at her wing for almost a year, said she is slowly seeing a culture shift.

"I've seen Airmen come in with an attitude of, 'Oh, this is boring, I don't want to do this stuff.' But by the time we get through the process, not only are they excited about the results, they are coming up with their own ideas and ways to apply AFSO21 improvement tools," Ms. Wright said.

"Now, people come to me and say, 'I may need to set up an AFSO21 event, but it may be too small for that,' and I say, 'nothing is too small ... and it works,'" she said.