AFSO21 hits home

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jamie Zimmerman
  • 319th Mission Support Squadron
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century is catching fire and spreading through the wing.

AFSO21 is a management concept with numerous tools, such as value stream mapping and Rapid Improvement Events. Those tools can be very helpful, but the way the concept really works is through management engaged in the process.

Management makes decisions on key principles for a long-term vision, which is imperative to ensure an entire organization knows where it is headed. With this cascading effect of information, every Airman knows how to improve and what to do each day to make themselves, and the wing, more efficient.

The organization's journey to reach that vision is equally important. Management has taken a look at their existing processes around the wing and found opportunities to just do it and implement a change resulting in a rapid improvement.

The 319th Maintenance Group is leading the charge by improving on four of their processes. One big success has been the 319 MXG training scheduling process. The RIE team leader, Capt. James Wall, headed the follow-up meeting and, in attendance, was the group's superintendent, Chief Master Sgt. LaMarr Conley, who took full responsibility for several of the action items to remove road blocks for the RIE team.

The 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron's debrief process completed 6S (sort, straighten, scrub, standardize, sustain and safety) within their area and have tested the completed RIE developed standardized work. The results were a success. The 319th Maintenance Operations Squadron scheduling of current state process has been mapped out and the 319 AMXS technical order updating process is also being regrouped and re-energized.

The 319th Medical Group initiated an event to address their 4T (Airmen waivered as non-deployable) profiling process. They also went above and beyond by implementing a Just Do Its/Smart Ops initiative on their in-processing.

The 319th Operations Group used an AFSO21 approach to address the operations support, training and mission certification training processes. The team completed 6S on their shared-drive and eliminated the single point of failure by completing RIE developed, standardized work for both their continuity binder and training assessment pilot record requirements. They also trained the instructor pilots on the Training Activity Program Report requirement standard so they can track and report on those not meeting the training standard. These requirement standards have brought stability to their process.

The 319th Mission Support Group has performed an enterprise level RIE on its mobility process. There has been baseline data for the current state, collected during exercises and the team is gearing up for future improvement events.

To learn more about AFSO21, call the 319th Air Refueling Wing AFSO21 office at 747-4931, 6093, 5190 or visit the GFAFB AFSO21 Community of Practice page at https://afkm.wpafb.af.mil/ASPs/CoP.