Air Force announces team-excellence awards
by Richard Salomon
Air Force Manpower Agency Public Affairs
9/20/2004 - RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper announced the five teams selected for 2004 Chief of Staff Team Excellence Awards during a ceremony Sept 14.
Fifteen teams were nominated for the awards, which recognize outstanding team performance and promote systematic process improvement. The awards also serve as a means to share best practices and promote mission improvement and cost savings throughout the Air Force. The improvements made by the nominees are expected to save the Air Force about $104 million in the first year, officials said.
“I want to thank all the teams for your hard work and for the tremendous (effect) you have had on Air Force operations,” General Jumper said during the ceremony at the Air Force Association’s 2004 Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington. “Everybody here deserves to walk off with a trophy. The fact that you recognized a need to improve the mission and used the right tools to produce effective solutions, makes all of you winners in my book.”
The five 2004 award winners are:
-- C-5 CANN (Cannibalization) Jet Rebuild Team from the 60th and 349th Aircraft Maintenance Squadrons at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. In the past, when replacement parts for C-5 Galaxy aircraft were unavailable, parts were removed from one C-5 and used on another. Team members developed three initiatives that eliminated the need to cannibalize aircraft: enhanced spare part funding, spare parts distribution changes, and spare parts programming and repairs process changes. These initiatives resulted in one to two more C-5s being available per day to support global air mobility operations. This team decreased the unit’s cannibalization rate by 93 percent with a first year man-hour savings of $628,000. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.
-- Women’s Health Specialty Care Optimization Pilot Program Team from the 99th Medical Operations Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev. After a comprehensive analysis of military obstetrical care, team members discovered that decades-old practices used in military treatment facilities were not only inefficient, but they provided incomplete services. This program improved customer satisfaction and increased clinical efficiency by using evidence-based medicine, applying the primary care team concept and by using civilian and military best practices. The program affects more than 2.1 million beneficiaries. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.
-- B-52 (Stratofortress) Formal Training Advanced Communications Team from the 11th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale AFB, La. Team members combined the resources of four different units and a government contractor to turn a B-52 weakness into a strength. For several years, advanced communication devices have been added to the B-52 without incorporating sufficient training programs. As a result, crewmembers were not capable of taking advantage of sophisticated on-board communications. This team evaluated communications architectures, analyzed individual-skill requirements and then built and sustained a training process. B-52 crews used these global communication capabilities to support combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.
-- Life in the Fast Lane Test Team from the 18th Flight Test Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla. Responding to operational needs and strategic off-site inputs, team members created a test director training course in conjunction with a fast-track testing program that unclogged a backlog of critical war-on-terrorism tests. The team’s efforts shortened training time by 346 percent and saved $1 million in direct man-hour costs in the first year. The process also cut down average test completion time from 271 days to 52 days -- a 521 percent improvement. The fast-track test process allowed U.S. Special Operations Command forces to receive verified tactics and equipment at a rate previously unheard of. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.
-- B-1 (Lancer) Next Enhancement Implementation Team from the Aeronautical System Center at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Team members recreated the standard acquisition process and eliminated the need to uniquely document every modification. After thorough analysis, they created a comprehensive B-1 indefinite-delivery and indefinite-quantity contract with overarching documentation for all research and development, production and sustainment modifications. As a result, acquisition lead time per modification went from an average of eight months to four-and-a-half months. The team’s process will save the Air Force about $17 million throughout the 15-year life of the contract. This team was also recognized as an Air Force Best Practice.
The judges also recognized the following teams as Air Force Best Practices: Major R. Lucas’ Fit Force Circuit Training Team from the 60th Services Squadron at Travis; Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction Improvement Team from the 341st Space Wing at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; and Community Initiatives Team from the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz.
“The level of competition was outstanding,” said Michael Aimone, the senior judge. “I was enormously impressed with the consistent pattern of excellence and the hard work and dedication these individuals demonstrated toward improving operational performance. Their ideas are helping to shape the future of our expeditionary air and space force.” |
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