347th RQG, 23 MXG look to improve processes with AFSO21 event

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Eric Schloeffel
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  As the Air Force presses its recapitalization plans building a leaner service, Moody Airmen continue to challenge the way they do business through Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. 

One recent AFSO21 example occurred when 12 Airmen from the 347th Rescue Group and 23rd Maintenance Group convened for two days to discuss measures designed to enhance the handling of aircraft scheduling disruptions. This meeting, considered a Rapid Improvement Event, entailed observing and improving the scheduling process by weeding out unnecessary steps. 

"There was no standardization amongst the squadrons; they were all doing the same process a different way," said Master Sgt. Ray Gallegos, 347th RQG tactics loadmaster. "So we decided the process could be leaned to make it less time consuming." 

The current aircraft scheduling process requires coordination from several different Moody agencies, said Sergeant Gallegos. After a weekly schedule is finalized, a squadron that cancels a sortie due must provide justification by filling out an Air Force Form 2407 for approval by a group commander. 

At first glance, this process might seem straight forward, but the form must first be approved or at least seen by several people at a variety of agencies before it reaches the group commander, said Sergeant Gallegos. And since the form is written on a single piece of paper, it can take more than five hours to reach its final destination. On average, six forms are filled out each week - which often creates headaches for those involved with this process. 

"During the RIE, we broke down the process and found we had 43 steps from when the paperwork started to the commander's approval," said Sergeant Gallegos. 

To cut steps, the group thought of creating an e-mail distribution list that would reach all the required recipients in seconds rather than hours. Instead of sitting on a commander's desk waiting for approval, the form can now be sent to an e-mail inbox or personal digital assistant if the commander is on the road. 

In addition to this change, usage of the Patriot Excalibur computer program was suggested. This program will automatically create the Air Force Form 2407 and send it to an e-mail distribution list if a scheduling problem is identified. This leaves only a minimal amount of manual effort for those involved in the scheduling process, said Sergeant Gallegos. 

The last suggested change was an adjustment to the regulation which mandates scheduling changes must be approved by group commanders before becoming official.
While these ideas are still in the proposal stage, Sergeant Gallegos said he has no doubt the RIE will result in process improvement in the near future. 

"Once we get approval from group leadership, we will forge ahead and start the implementation process immediately," he said. "Depending on how fast we can implement the Patriot Excalibur system, we should probably be up and running with these changes in three to four months. Even if we don't get the regulation changed, which can be a lengthy process anyway, we will still be light-years ahead of where we are now. 

"If everything goes as planned, we will be able to cut this process from five to only 2.5 hours without the regulation change," he added. "We've received a lot of great feedback from leadership that the results of the RIE could save us a lot of time." 

These AFSO21-related events are extremely important as the changing Air Force needs Airmen to think of ways to improve everyday processes, said Col. Kenneth Todorov, 23rd Wing commander. 

"AFSO21 is a concept I feel is vital to accomplishing the 23rd Wing mission as the Air Force continues to transition into a leaner force," said Colonel Todorov. "I believe so strongly in the program that I've included it on the Airman's card I have every Airman carry. Each one of us should be constantly thinking of how processes can be improved to make everything we do more efficient and effective."