Recent AFSO21 initiatives translate into real results at ESC

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. C. Michaela Walrond
  • 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HANSCOM AFB, Mass. --   Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century and Continuous Process Improvement are terms that have become commonplace for Electronic Systems Center personnel, not only because of the importance of these initiatives, but also because of the strides the center has made by using them.

The idea of properly focusing limited resources and improving efficiency of operations has been around for many years, said Mike Gotschall, Electronic Systems Center Transformation division chief. However, it wasn't until November 2006, when ESC was able to train the first 13 Lean Six Sigma Greenbelts, that the center was able to begin a major push towards significant process improvement.

Since then, ESC has trained an additional 57 lean experts and has utilized them to help cut costs and make processes more efficient and effective.

"From a training perspective we are moving forward strongly," Mr. Gotschall said. "We currently have trained 60 Lean Six-Sigma Green Belts and Level 1 candidates. We also just finished training 10 Lean Six-Sigma Black Belts through the American Society for Quality Trained Instructors. We have set a foundation for [AFSO21] with the best resources that are available."

Lean Six-Sigma is an AFSO21-related program that is designed to provide participants with process improvement training to execute AFSO21 initiatives without overtaxing center resources.

"Trained individuals can then bring the skills learned through the Lean Six- Sigma program and apply them to projects in their own offices, where they've identified a need or area that needs to be streamlined or improved," Mr. Gotschall said.

With several senior leaders now trained, Mr. Gotschall said that Six-Sigma Principles are being filtered down throughout organizations across the center, resulting in several process improvements.

Some of the successes of AFSO21 at ESC include the 754th Electronic Systems Group at Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex streamlining the Quarterly Enterprise Buy process, resulting in annual savings over $700,000. The team's AFSO21 work also made the process far more customer-friendly and efficient, facts that recent customer reviews have consistently validated.

In addition, the 66th Air Base Wing Communication and Information Division improved Telephone Line Control, primarily by terminating a high number of unused phone lines, resulting in $300,000 in savings, and approximately $1.5 million savings in the next five years.

However, Mr. Gotschall said that measuring the success of AFSO21 goes beyond just cost savings; it's ultimately about the people. "Leaning processes is about providing more value to the customer, by taking a process work load and finding solutions to save time, and remove waste. When people see these successes, they buy into the process and really believe in it."

Mr. Gotschall said that picking the right people for the right project, so that efforts translate into real results, is just one of several lessons learned along the way. "The program loses credibility if the focus is solely on outcome. We are getting better all the time at what we do, and are constantly looking at ways to improve."

Thanks to the support of former Electronic Systems Center Commander retired Lt. Gen. Chuck Johnson and Retired Maj. Gen. Art Rooney, former ESC vice commander, and numerous other senior leaders who have been champions of AFSO21 and CPI, Mr. Gotschall said that Hanscom is much farther along than expected, compared to other bases in Air Force Materiel Command.

For more information or help with transformation and streamlining efforts within an organization, contact the Transformation Division at (781) 377-0738/0222/6721.