Wing demonstrates war-on-waste progress

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Shawn J. Jones
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  Airmen of the 4th Fighter Wing presented their progress on the war on waste to a top Air Combat Command advisor Nov. 14. 

Don Doles, who advises ACC Commander Gen. John Corley on Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, visited the wing to gain first-hand exposure to process-improvement and waste-reduction initiatives here.

Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century, commonly referred to as AFSO21, is the Air Force's dedicated effort to maximize value and minimize waste in all processes.
Major Chris Melcher, 4th FW AFSO21 chief, hosted Mr. Doles' visit which reviewed improvements to the 4th Medical Group's patient-encounter process, the Military Personnel Element's in-processing procedures, the 335th Aircraft Maintenance Unit's tool check-out process, and the 4th Maintenance Group and 4th Operations Group's approval process for changes to the daily flying schedule.

Though Mr. Doles visit was focused on five key improvement initiatives, the wing had many more to show off. Since May 2007, there have been 20 AFSO21 events here.

Mr. Doles and Major Melcher both agreed AFSO21's influence on Air Force culture will only grow. Commands and wings will continue to encourage their subordinate organizations to eliminate waste while improving efficiency, and AFSO21 training will occupy a larger role within professional military education.

"AFSO21 is not about telling Airmen how to do their job differently, it's about instilling a culture of change and empowering our youngest Airmen to identify waste and seek new and different ways to accomplish their job," Major Melcher said. "Every Airman has an opportunity to be an AFSO21 leader within their work center, formally or informally."

Senior Airman Christine Gerber, a medical records technician from the 4th Medical Operations Squadron, is one Airman who took advantage of the opportunity to improve her work center by applying AFSO21.

"It helped eliminate distractions, allowing us to focus on medical records maintenance, which in turn led to better service for our patients," Airman Gerber said. "Our phones used to ring 50 to 60 times a day. Now they ring about 10 times a day."

Within ACC, the AFSO21 mission is to establish a community of continuous process improvement that leverages the benefits of the collective experience, expertise, tools and best practices across the command. Mr. Doles said his visit revealed significant gains in process improvement and customer service that were a direct result of the wing's application of AFSO21 procedures. He said the next step is to determine if the changes made here can contribute to other war-fighting organizations across ACC.

"AFSO21--the war on waste--is really about building combat readiness," Mr. Doles said.