Air Base Group working to improve self-assessment program

  • Published
  • By Patricia Sabine and Patty Welsh
  • 66th Air Base Group Inspector General Office
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  As the Air Force cultivates enhanced mission readiness through its new inspection system, the 66th Air Base Group commander here is looking to improve his unit's self-assessment program, or USAP, to ensure compliance and to serve as a potential model for other organizations.

"We need to make sure there is a culture of compliance to accurately self-identify observations and report issues to the command chain," said Col. Lester A. Weilacher, 66th Air Base Group commander. "All Airmen will play a key role in successful USAP implementation as every Airman is a sensor."

According to Hanscom's Inspector General Office, self-assessments provide unit leaders with a means for internally assessing program management and compliance with higher headquarter directives.

Weilacher said that the USAP process is one way to improve effectiveness by focusing on mission-readiness versus inspection-readiness and that commanders are responsible for ensuring compliance within their units.

"There are only three options when dealing with directives: the unit can comply; request a waiver which can be created against an observation while performing a self-assessment; or request a change to the referenced directive," he said.

Prior to beginning the 66 ABG's 2014 USAP cycle, Hanscom officials held a rapid improvement event to improve the process by identifying previous problems and implementing appropriate solutions.

Some of the areas identified for improvement included leadership engagement, point of execution and management processes and training. Point of execution refers to the fact that, due to competing priorities at all levels, operational priorities take precedence over inspection priorities.

"By putting an increased focus and emphasis on the inspection process through our self-assessment process, we support this Air Force priority," said Lt. Col. James Lee, 66th Air Base Group inspector general.

Some of the improvements being implemented include: the development of USAP monitor training, checklist point of execution guides and templates; having the Wing Inspection Team, or WIT, perform "trust but verify" cross-functional inspections on unit self-assessments; identifying and training USAP monitors; and developing a feedback process to notify higher headquarters of checklist instability and to request changes to non-value-added items.

The self-assessment program uses the Management Internal Control Toolset, or MICT, as the primary tool to report compliance with requirements listed in self-assessment checklists, or SACs, provided by Headquarters Air Force and Air Force Materiel Command supplemental checklists.

MICT allows supervisors and the chain of command visibility to monitor unit performance virtually and is where Airmen can self-identify observations.

"Self-identifying observations is one of the most crucial steps in this process," said Lee. "It allows our units to identify problems and put the necessary steps in place to correct and prevent them from happening again."

More information about the USAP process can be found on Hanscom's CCIP/USAP Sharepoint site at https://org.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/66ABW/CCIP/ComplianceUSAP/Forms/AllItems.aspx. Anyone with additional questions or concerns regarding the process can email them to Patricia Sabine at patricia.sabine@us.af.mil or the Hanscom Inspector General at 66.ABG.IG.personnel.list@us.af.mil.