AFSO 21 senior leader course aims to improve future processes

  • Published
  • By Josh Aycock
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) --  An Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century senior leader course took place here Aug. 3 and 4 to help leaders from across Wright-Patterson Air Force Base continue improving processes in the future.

The two-day course aimed at colonels, GS-15s and chief master sergeants was kicked off by Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Owen, the Air Force Materiel Command director of logistics and sustainment. 

General Owen provided the participants with personal experiences on improving Air Force processes throughout his 30-year career.

"We have always been about process improvement and innovation," the general told the base leaders. "AFSO 21 is taking the best of all the different tools and theories and applying those to help us."

The interactive course used the participant's wide range of knowledge and skill sets by not only providing the principles of AFSO 21, but also challenges and exercises to put those principles to work.

"Part of the need is to believe, thus the sharing of experiences among the participants demonstrates that the concepts are already being implemented and can and do work," said Allen Pannell, the course leader from the University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education.

Throughout the course, the leaders learned new ways of improving Air Force processes using a number of sources including LEAN, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, Root Cause Analysis and Business process reengineering all aimed at reaching the AFSO 21 five desired effects.

The class is one of approximately 50 held yearly throughout the Air Force to reach AFSO 21's goal of making every Airman aware of how to improve mission performance.