Air Force leaders discuss AFSO 21's future

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The Air Force's senior leaders met Aug. 26 to discuss the future role of Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century during a quarterly AFSO 21 Process Council meeting on Bolling Air Force Base.

Brig. Gen. John Posner, AFSO 21 director, presented to the council a draft proposal to formally establish AFSO 21 at the wing and group levels.

The process council reviews how to apply AFSO 21 tools to the Air Force's pressing issues, according to Lt. Col. Brou Gautier, the AFSO 21 communications chief.

"The objective is actual tangible gains in efficiency through process, not risk-taking cuts," said Dr. Richard C. "Ron" Ritter, the AFSO 21 deputy director. AFSO 21 is about making the Air Force operate better through examining how it does business, he added.

This was the first process council meeting for Acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley and Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff, since assuming their duties. Both stated their support for AFSO 21, which began in 2006.

"I do see value in this process," Secretary Donley said. AFSO 21 is definitely worth the Air Force's time, he added.

The secretary wants to "open the door to innovation" to every junior person in the service, he said. The focus should be on how Airmen do what they do and do it effectively.

"The Air Force has a great reputation for pushing operational effectiveness," Secretary Donley told the more than 50 senior leaders attending the meeting at the Bolling AFB Club.

The secretary said he has worked in the past to improve business operations in the Department of Defense and would have created a program similar to AFSO 21 if one hadn't already existed.

Guest speakers at the process council were retired Gen. Gregory S. Martin, the former Air Force Materiel Command commander, and retired Gen. William T. Hobbins, the former U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander. They provided an external assessment of the positive impact AFSO 21 principles are having.

Implementing industry work standards within a government agency is nothing new, said General Posner and Dr. Ritter. In 1943, the War Manpower Commission's Bureau of Training did just that with a publication titled "Job Methods: A Training within Industry Program." The publication's cover stated, "A plan to help the supervisor produce greater quantities of quality products in less time by making the best use of the manpower, machines, and materials that are now available."

Dr. Ritter said Airmen can use Smart Operations principles and problem-solving methods to improve the efficiency of their work centers through eight steps:

-- Clarify and validate the problem;
-- Break down the problem and identify performance gaps;
-- Set improvement targets;
-- Determine root causes;
-- Develop countermeasures;
-- See countermeasures through;
-- Confirm results and process; and
-- Standardize successful processes.

To illustrate the success and benefits of using AFSO tools in accomplishing the Air Force mission, General Posner played a video detailing how Airmen from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., used it to improve work processes in their wheel and tire shop.

An AFSO 21 official said this is not a jobs-cutting program.

"We're saving hours and the amount of time people are working," said Capt. Shannon Stoneking, from AFSO 21 strategic communications. It's about finding smarter and faster ways of doing tasks, she said. 

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