AFSO21 success depends on your ideas

  • Published
  • By Maj. Raymond Porrata
  • 919th SOW AFSO21 process manager
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century is the Air Force's dedicated effort to maximize value and minimize waste in all of our processes. For this program to be successful, ideas for improvements in work centers have to come from the Airmen most familiar with the unit's practices.

As the program expert, my job is to help Airmen identify AFSO21 projects and guide them through the process; in other words, stand by to lend a helping hand.

I assist units by facilitating rapid improvement events. There are several different avenues for submitting an AFSO21 idea. Airmen can work through their chain of command, or they can directly contact my office.

Getting started may begin with identifying the exact thought that may unlock shop improvements.

Often, getting over the, "This is the way we've always done it," attitude is the first step in initiating a process improvement.

With AFSO21 you have to ask yourself, 'What have I improved today?" and "Is there a better way of doing this?" This thought process requires a culture change and it starts from you. And think of this - AFSO21 ideas don't have to be on a grand scale to bring about positive change. Sometimes smaller processes uncover larger ones.

Col. Steven J. Chapman, 919th Special Operations Wing commander, has said that AFSO21 isn't about colonels and chiefs coming up with "good ideas," but rather Airmen telling the Air Force what processes are broken or how they can be improved.

As he mentioned, "AFSO21 signifies a shift in our thinking. It's centered on processes (groups of tasks) rather than tasks alone, which allows us to gain insight into the value, or lack of value, in each task we perform."

So take these practices and apply them to your everyday work habits. Who knows? Little changes here and there may lead to an overall improvement in something that had been done, "the way we've always done it."

Wing members interested in more information on AFSO21 or how to bring attention to their ideas may contact me at (850) 883-6314.