Transformation expert makes regular visits, eyes productivity Published Feb. 11, 2010 By Howdy Stout Tinker Pubic Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center's mission is to "deliver and sustain air power ... anytime, anyplace," and the transformation process is helping them achieve that goal more efficiently. Don Doles, a retired executive from the Danaher Corporation and an expert on transformation and process improvement, is an advisor to the commander of Air Combat Command and one of the Air Force's highly qualified experts. At the request of Maj. Gen. David Gillett, OC-ALC commander, Mr. Doles is spending much of his time reviewing efforts at the ALC and advising how it can meet its strategic goals while improving productivity across the board. Mr. Doles recently completed his third visit to Tinker where he did a "deep dive" into the shop floor processes. In addition, he reviewed plans for the development of Bldg. 9001 and its role in housing many of the manufacturing facilities at Tinker. During a previous visit, Mr. Doles focused on the processes "above the shop floor." "Am I seeing progress? Yes," Mr. Doles says. "I'm seeing a more unified understanding of the direction we need to go." Reviewing current processes can and will result in improved efficiency, he said. One example is work recently done by a B-1 cross-functional team, who reviewed the aircraft's programmed depot maintenance process in minute detail, focusing on areas where work could be done concurrently rather than one after another. "What they did was outline all the different phases of what happens in a very detailed way," he said. "They specifically moved one whole element of work from Phase 1 to Phase 4." Rearranging when some of the work was done saved time and improved the process, he said, but it couldn't have been done without having a detailed understanding of the entire process to begin with and the dedicated work of the team. "You have to get down to that level of detail," Mr. Doles said. "That is a methodology that will certainly deliver results." Conducting constant reviews of how work is done and using the Air Force's eight-step problem solving method is the standard Air Force way to find root cause and improve processes. Over time, this will create a culture which thrives on continuously improving performance. "The eight-step process is a standard methodology that has to be continuously used," he explains. "It's one of the fundamentals of turning a reactive culture into a problem-solving culture." And everyone, Mr. Doles added, needs to be a problem solver. "All the way down to the people on the floor," he said. "The people on the floor are the most important, really. They are the source of the information of what's gone wrong and how to make improvements." In some cases, the ALC is more reactive than proactive when it comes to aircraft maintenance - meeting the operational needs of the customer by "working around" the established processes. Ideally, he said, the depot maintenance process should be improving and meeting flow days with zero CANNS and zero work-arounds, delivering aircraft on-time and meeting customer expectations - "perfect quality." "Will you ever get there? No," he said. "But it's what you constantly work towards. This is a marathon with no end." This mindset is not restricted to the maintainers, said General Gillett. This is an attitude that must be present in work centers throughout the Center. Transformation, like the mission, requires a total team effort and the mission could not be done without other Tinker partners like the Defense Logistics Agency and the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center's 448th Supply Chain Management Wing. There are hurdles in the transformation process, said General Gillett. Two of these are materiel support and technical support. A shortage of parts needed to service aircraft, engines, and commodities undergoing Depot Maintenance at the Air Force's Air Logistics Centers is a major issue impacting aircraft availability, Mr. Doles said. The issue isn't unique to the OC-ALC but is an Air Force-wide problem affecting all of the ALCs in Air Force Materiel Command. "It's one of the most fundamental issues at Tinker," he explained. "But General Gillett is helping provide focus that this is an Air Force-wide, logistics issue." Mr. Doles is scheduled to make week-long visits every quarter to review different areas and advise ALC leadership on process improvement.