Bomber repairs on target: Quicker decision-making on parts improves B-52 PDM line Published May 26, 2011 By Marti D. Ribeiro 76th Maintenance Wing Transformation TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Continuous process improvement is alive and well, especially in the B-52 periodic depot maintenance line. Recently, a team of B-52 employees and continuous process improvement experts identified the need to develop a better way to make decisions for backordered parts. "Our problem was that decisions on the backorder list weren't being made in a timely manner," said Bryan Clark, B-52 Scheduling Supervisor and team lead. "We needed to find a way to expedite the process." When parts were ordered and identified as being on the backorder list, decisions weren't being made on how to handle the part. When it's placed on the list, a decision needs to be made on whether to cancel the order, order the part from another source, order another part or waive the requirement. The inability to make these quick decisions was causing work delays and stoppages for this PDM line. "Previously, we would not make a decision on backordered parts until it impacted the schedule," Mr. Clark said. "At that point, we were in crisis mode and it would cause delays in the aircraft schedule." So, to prevent that from causing delays in the future, the improvement team looked for a way to increase the speed at which these decisions are made and standardize that process across the B-52 line. "There was a lot of variation as to how each (Forward Logistics Specialist) and Tail Team handled the backordered part," said Milton James, team facilitator. "There was also a lot of miscommunication between agencies and a lot of the process was personality driven." Basically, there wasn't a standard way to make decisions about parts. So, the team developed a standardized process for handling backorder parts and built a flow chart for each FLS and Tail Team to follow. They also developed a checklist so the FLS can conduct upfront research as soon as the part has been identified for backorder, to avoid a crisis situation. "We also developed a system to color code backordered parts on the list," Mr. Clark said. "We color code the parts so it's easy to identify what parts still need solutions and which parts we need to elevate to senior leadership." The color coding has seen great success in the weekly Execution Supportability meeting; another result developed by the process improvement team. "These weekly meetings get all of the players in the room to discuss backordered parts and their solutions," Mr. James said. "These meetings include the (Defense Logistics Agency) and the (Global Logistics Supply Center), so that all organizations involved in backordered parts are communicating with each other." While this new decision-making process has only been in place for a month, it seems to have had a positive effect on the PDM line. While it's hard to measure exactly how many flow days this improvement affects, the B-52 schedulers know that it will have a huge impact if it keeps the aircraft from experiencing delays due to backordered parts.