DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
In May of 2015, the United States Air Force initiated a Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) program with the intent of training Airmen on how to streamline processes within their units in order to maximize productivity and efficiency.
Everyone has had to, or will, out process from their base at some time or another for a permanent change of station. That process, at times, can be a long drawn out and confusing one. Several Airmen from Dyess AFB have sought to fix those issues.
“We recognized one process at Dyess that needed work had to deal with the way we out-process personnel,” said Technical Sgt. Jesse Boren, 7th Bomb Wing Wing Process Manager. “It needed to be streamlined and, in addition, we addressed several inefficiencies and redundancies.”
Although a culture of process improvement has been slow to materialize here at Dyess, Boren and his team quickly set out to establish a CPI presence.
“Sergeant Boren was the driving factor behind Dyess’ CPI program,” said Staff Sgt. Jennifer Morrell, 7th Force Support Squadron Manpower & Organization Analyst. “We definitely had a learning curve getting the program up to speed. Our first steps to review the orders generation process within the Outbound Assignments portion of the Military Personnel Section, in coordination with multiple agencies from around the Mission Support Group, Medical Group, and Wing Staff Agency, gave us a great launching point.”
The new out-processing checklist was shortened from 78 and streamlined to 32 steps. Additionally, the previous process, which could easily take 180 days to complete, was reduced by 12 days.
“The first thing we did was eliminate requirements not completely needed to obtain PCS orders,” Boren said. “Then we overhauled the orders processing checklist, developing instead a sequential checklist that will push members through each of these requirements based on a time line for completing each item. We teamed with various offices mentioned in the checklist to provide a short narrative describing locations, room numbers, DSN numbers, duty hours, etc. to eliminate a lot of the guess work for the member and their families.
“Finally, one of the last big take-aways from this project was an accountability tool that will be dispersed to squadron leadership on a monthly basis to keep them aware of the member’s progress.”
These improvements create a flow to the process while enlisting the support of a member’s squadron leadership to ensure that they receive their orders quicker than ever. Members will now have an identified game plan upon notification of their assignment, setting them up for success while providing a more favorable overall experience.
“PCS'ing can be stressful for a member and, not least of all, their families. Anything we could do to relieve that burden is what we set out to do,” Boren said. “We've eliminated much of the guess work and fruitless movements in regard to this process in the hopes that we can make the members transition as seamless as possible. This should ultimately mitigate any surprise issues that might prevent one from PCS'ing on their specified projected departure date.
Although Boren and his team have made noticeable improvements over the old system, there is always room for additional enhancements and they remain open to suggestions on how to further extract efficiency.
“The voice of the customer is incredibly important when trying to deliver superior customer service,’ Boren said. “A survey will be located at the back of the out processing checklist that we graciously ask all departing members to complete prior to submitting for their final out. We thank them for this service and would be appreciative of them to take this one last opportunity to make improvements for all present and future Team Dyess members.”
The CPI is not, however, only applicable to the Force Support Squadron. The Wing Process Management office is always in search of other programs where the potential for improvement exists. “If anyone should have any other thoughts on how we can improve this process or any other process here at Dyess AFB, we enthusiastically invite them to head on over to the "7 Bomb Wing CPI" SharePoint page and submit their suggestion”, Boren elaborates. “Here they will also be able to view information in regard to upcoming CPI events and training along with the most up to date CPI references. We ask that everyone help promote the CPI culture in an effort to make a better, more efficient Dyess AFB for all.”