ALC training transformation champions Published Sept. 24, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- It's a task that all organizations seek to do -- continuously improve their processes. But at Tinker, the need to heighten efficiency has never been keener, as units are facing reduced budgets and up-tempo operations. Within the 72nd Air Base Wing, the edicts of transformation have now come to roost. There's just no other option, according to 72nd ABW leadership, who have been discussing their vision for the future. At its core, transformation seeks to empower the individual. Encourage him or her to think critically about the work and, in simple terms, eliminate waste. And now, with budget constraints impacting the Air Force more than in years past, improving efficiency is a must. "In this resource constrained environment, we find ourselves having to focus our effort and energy in preserving our core capabilities and eliminating redundant, or non-value added programs and processes," said 72nd Air Base Wing Commander Col. Bob LaBrutta. Colonel LaBrutta, along with his 72nd ABW leadership team, was recently briefed about process improvement methods by OC-ALC/XPT transformation personnel. The briefing, entitled "Champion Training," challenges upper-tier leaders to set the tone for efficiency. "These are not tools that should be waiting on the shelf for your processes to become horribly broken," said Brian deFonteny, Air Force Black Belt from the XPT Mission Control Center. "They should be used every single day as a normal way of operating your business." Transformation methodology, taken in part from the business principles of Toyota Motor Corp. and other manufacturers, outlays eight steps for resolving problems. "Typically, when you look at a process, employees are loaded down with waste in that process and aren't utilized to their potential. The waste keeps them from performing the key activities related to their jobs," Mr. deFonteny said. The main problem, Mr. deFonteny explained, is that organizations don't always follow the full eight steps chronologically. Instead, leaders will often notice a problem (step one) and immediately suggest a solution (step five), Mr. deFonteny said. However the better way is to invest time in subject-matter-experts, figuring out the root causes to problems and then formulating associated countermeasures to ensure long-term solutions (steps 1 to 8 in order). While transformation has been in the vernacular for years, it's gaining momentum in the 72nd ABW. "All of us need to be committed to continuous process improvement, because we're going to do this," Colonel LaBrutta said of the transformation principles. "Is it painful? Yes, but it's going to be good pain." Colonel LaBrutta understands that training is the key to success and he plans to provide more lean training to key 72nd ABW staff members. "We want to increase our pool of 'green' and 'black belts,' across the wing through specialized education that we can bring back in to the wing to utilize on our transformation efforts," Colonel LaBrutta said. A major challenge is changing the culture, Colonel LaBrutta said. Since commanders rotate every two years, it's difficult to ensure new ways of doing business are not only planted but actually take deep root. In creating a lean enterprise the key to culture change is to have as many members as possible trained in lean thinking and then have them conduct and participate in rapid improvement events. These three to five day events expose personnel to the transformation principles and tools while addressing highly specific goals aimed at streamlining and improving programs and processes, Colonel LaBrutta said. This can't just be something on paper. Lean thinking has to permeate with all our members because we just can't afford to be spending time and resources on waste. "Once we start seeing the efficiencies and process improvements happening, that's what's going to drive performance and the culture change we need to properly operate and execute our mission in the future," Colonel LaBrutta said. "Oct. 1 our lean transformation begins."