HomeNewsArticle Display

Process improvement training pays off for Team Tinker members

  • Published
  • By Joe Carignan
  • Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Commander's Action Group
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  For four members of Team Tinker, hard work in process improvement training has paid off with certification as Green Belt Facilitators in Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century. The members now certified by the Air Force are: Cathy Clark-Fleck, 72nd Force Support Squadron; Glenn Gardner, 72nd FSS; Krista Coons, 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group, and Capt. Monique Graham, 72nd FSS.

To obtain their Green Belt certification, facilitators must complete a five-day class, observe a Rapid Improvement Event, co-facilitate a real-world RIE, and then facilitate their own RIE under the mentorship of an Air Force Lean 6-Sigma Black Belt.

"Facilitators are key for process improvement because they bring Lean tools to the effort," said Brian Defonteny, a Lean 6-Sigma Black Belt at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center's Transformation Office. "Facilitators can help find the root cause of a problem and identify places where waste exists in a process. When you combine a facilitator with the subject matter experts who have detailed knowledge of a particular business process, the results can be fantastic."

"I'm extremely pleased to see 72nd Air Base Wing Wildcatters embracing and leading process improvement," said Col. Steven Bleymaier, 72nd ABW commander. "Speed and quality, or the ability to be a faster, more responsive organization is even more critical in today's budget-constrained environment. We have to work smarter and more efficiently if we are going to successfully accomplish our mission and provide world class service to Team Tinker's organizations and all military, civilian, contractor and retired personnel."

Mr. Gardner said he sought the certification to increase his awareness of the waste that occurs in the processes. "I've always tried to improve our processes, but the Green Belt training has helped me focus on waste processes," said Mr. Gardner, a member of the Military Training Office for 11 years. "The certification has greatly improved my ability to reduce waste. I've also worked with several other offices as a result of improvement events I've facilitated to help reduce their waste."

As the first officer in the 72nd Air Base Wing to receive Green Belt certification, Captain Graham was able to facilitate process improvements in an important area: notifying Tinker personnel when they receive orders to transfer to a new assignment. Thanks to a recent RIE, advance notification of an assignment has increased from an average of 45 days to an average of 68 days -- a significant increase, moving Tinker above the Air Force's 60-day goal. "Providing an Airman an extra three weeks to sell a house, terminate a lease, or get personal affairs in order is a tremendous benefit and lets us take care of our people even better," said Captain Graham.

AFSO21 projects big and small are making a tremendous difference at Tinker. One recent process improvement involved testing and validating that used fan blades are safe in F108 jet engines; before the project, brand new fan blades were always installed in the engines. This single improvement alone has already saved $36 million, with total projected cost avoidance of up to $70 million over the next three years of work on the F108.

"The fan blade project is a perfect example of what I call 'the art of the possible,'" said Maj. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, OC-ALC commander. "Thinking carefully about process improvements yields projects like this, creating real savings that are critical for the success of Tinker and our Air Force."

"With Lean, 6-Sigma, and AFSO21 tools used regularly for dramatic process improvements, the Transformation Office is focused on mentoring and coaching Green Belts to become more proficient in order for them to guide teams toward strategic goal achievement," said Laura Culberson, who recently retired as OC-ALC chief of staff. "Continuous Process Improvement, properly aligned to Center goals and objectives, is critical; we need a cadre of professional facilitators to help us reach those goals."

With major reorganization under way at the air logistics center, the need for leaders at all levels to develop better processes is more critical than ever.

"I'm proud of our people, and earning these Green Belt certifications is a great reminder of what a dedicated, committed workforce we have," said Kelley Butler, OC-ALC chief of staff. "It's amazing what our team can accomplish when we turn them loose to improve our center."