Transformation 'essential' to mission Published Feb. 1, 2010 By Brandice J. Armstrong Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Transformation was a hot topic Jan. 20 as Maj. Gen. David Gillett spoke to 100 attendees at the National Contract Management Association Sooner Chapter luncheon. General Gillett, Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center commander, said transformation is more than a buzzword. It is all about getting what you want - setting goals and striving to improve performance. Transformation affects everyone, not just senior leadership. "We're a big Air Force, and it's critical that we continue to improve what we do. By improvement, I mean improved readiness and cost reduction," General Gillett said. "It's important because our Air Force is faced with some pretty daunting financial constraints, but none of us are excused from the mission." Often used in association with terms such as Lean, process improvement, Six Sigma and the Theory of Constraints, transformation can be an ambiguous word. Transformation is about achieving the end result, "getting what you want." To reach goals, the general said goals and objectives need to be clear and teams need to be synchronized. Everyone needs to understand how they contribute to the goals and how they fit into the whole. "It's all about teamwork," the general said. "I can have the mechanics doing the job as quickly as they possibly can, but if the part doesn't show up, they can't do the mission. If personnel aren't hired quickly enough, then I'm not going to have the people to turn the wrenches. And, if the contracting officer isn't hiring the contract field team that I need to augment the force, then I'm not going to be able to accomplish the mission." General Gillett said the team includes everyone at Tinker, from the Center's wings and staff directorates, to the Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Information Systems Agency, and the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center. "Communication and commitment are essential," the general said. "I can't just say it once. I've got to say over and over what our goals are and why they're important. I have to communicate at every level. If the message gets stuck at the group commander level or the director level, it does no good." The general said he couldn't stress leadership commitment enough. "As we talk about transformation, it's important that you walk the walk and be committed - not just in words, but in deeds," the general said. "You have to show you care by being part of the transformation effort." The general has shown his commitment by participating in value-stream analysis and rapid improvement events and through weekly review of results to assure we stay on track. General Gillett said another key element to the transformation process is to apply your knowledge and recognize that occasionally, your efforts may not pay off. You will make mistakes and that's OK if you learn from them and remain committed. "Trial and error is sometimes the way to do it," the general said. "You have to apply the resources and make the effort to improve the process so you're not doing more with less, but you're eliminating the non-value added work. And by non-value added, I mean it isn't something that your customer would be willing to pay you to do." "Transformation is fundamental to what we do," he said. "It is not something extra. I like to remind people that we don't have time to continue to live with broken processes. The old ways of doing business will not allow us to thrive in the future so we have to change and adapt. Transformation is the word we use to describe adapting to our new environment and achieving our goals. As I said earlier, we are resource-constrained and will continue to be. We're more challenged than we were and it's just not the same old 'we'll get by.' We have a mission to do and no excuses will do."