AFMC introduces 'Community of Practice' Web site Published June 19, 2006 By Ron Scharven Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- The Air Force Materiel Command Inspector General is making business easier with a new Community of Practice, or CoP, Web site. The CoP allows IG team members to collaborate with each other at the home station and on the road, said Col. Henry Andrews Jr., inspector general.“It’s a better way to (provide) policy to the field and to allow us to share information, to coordinate new instructions (and) to keep everybody better informed about the state of the command,” Colonel Andrews said. “There were many different Web sites with different information, and since we didn’t own them, it was very cumbersome to update the pages,” said Maj. Bill Bower, command communication information inspector. “There was a template available to use and we knew what the vision was, but we had to figure out a way to embody that in the CoP so we would get the information out to the field.”Colonel Andrews wanted to make it easier to do business with the IG. He wanted to provide a single face for all customers throughout the command and ease access to information, and process links and create a work environment the IG owned and managed that could be adjusted as necessary -- one-stop shopping for IG information. Major Bower said that it took a couple of months to create the CoP.“Then we spent time educating people in the office on what the CoP was,” the major said. “The hardest part was not creating the work space but getting people in the field and in the IG office to use it properly. You have to start with the people here first.” The CoP has a wide variety of information.“We put everything you need to get ready for an inspection,” said Master Sgt. Greg Scott, manager, information management. “Among the documents on the CoP are current checklists, findings, IG reports and the inspection schedule. There is also an IG message board and key AFMC/IG links. “Anyone can see the IG public page and can request permission to delve into other areas if needed. We do restrict some information to IG members only. Our CoP is also evolving to be our central planning tool for the IG team to prepare for an inspection,” Sergeant Scott said.