‘Transformer’ surveys Tinker goals Published Oct. 16, 2009 By Howdy Stout Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- A senior advisor to the commander of Air Combat Command toured Tinker last week for a second time to review how the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center is working to improve efforts to deliver aircraft and systems to the warfighter. Don Doles, a retired executive with the Danaher Corporation, is one of the Air Force's Highly Qualified Experts and an expert on transformation and process improvement. He visited Tinker at the request of OC-ALC Commander Maj. Gen. David Gillet to review Tinker's strategic goals "with an outside set of eyes." The goals include improving availability, development and care of people and improving the productivity of depot-level maintenance done by the ALC on an increasing number of Air Force aircraft and systems. "What we're striving for is a workforce that continuously increases their ability to identify problems and improves productivity by solving those problems," Mr. Doles explained. "That's the big objective." Mr. Doles said this in-depth visit gives him a sense of what the ALC's goals are and the resources available to achieve those goals. He expects to return on a quarterly basis to assess the progress made in the intervening months. Although it is too soon to evaluate progress made on all the new strategic goals, Mr. Doles says "all of the ingredients for success are here" in a trained, well-equipped work force with good facilities. The work force also has the support of leadership for identification of problems and suggestions for improvements, he says. Management and workers need to know how each part of the maintenance process works, the standards required, follow standards with discipline and how to measure success, he added. "For Tinker to be successful in achieving its Strategic Goals, we need to have the entire organization be problem solvers," he said. Mr. Doles previously visited Tinker in June and was invited by General Gillet to return and assist in evaluating the ALC's process improvement efforts. Mr. Doles brings his experience of process improvement techniques widely practiced in the private sector to the Air Force's AFSO21 efforts. Tinker is expected to take on an additional one million man-hours of additional work this fiscal year. The ALC already overhauls the Air Force's KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, heavy bomber fleet, E-3 AWACS and numerous engine powerplants and subsystems.