Welcome to the Air Force Institute of Technology

by Kenneth Hendrick, AFIT/LSM

In February 2006, Air Force leaders created the Air Force Smart Operations 21 (AFSO21) program office in an effort to optimize the way the Service conducts its mission. I know, I know, the big question is, “How is this different than anything else the Air Force has seen over the years?” What about “Zero Defects,” “Management by Objectives,” and “TQM”? Haven’t we been down this road before? The answer is “Yes”...and “No.” With each of the prior iterations, the Air Force (just like private industry) has learned some good lessons, has matured the best ideas, and has latched on to some principles that have been tested with success. Additionally, whatever you want to call it, the Air Force is trying to create an atmosphere where change (for the better) is encouraged. The crunch on the Air Force resources due to war, changing political realities, wide-sweeping manpower cuts, and an aging fleet have combined to create the “Perfect Storm” in which “business as usual” is not always the right answer. Our leadership is not asking us to make change for change’s sake, but change which will perfect our processes and allow the Air Force to shift scarce resources to those processes which add value to our respective core missions.

At its heart, AFSO21 has adopted the concept called “LEAN.” LEAN, which has its roots in the assembly lines of the Ford motor plants, and its dramatic success as the foundation of the Toyota Production System, is a philosophy which is not limited to just the world of manufacturing. LEAN provides a structure, a systematic way of thinking, and a set of tools. Obviously, a concept which has taken companies such as Toyota over 50 years to perfect can only be introduced in a short article such as this. However, this short introduction to a few of the techniques will hopefully suggest some ideas which could be put into action by AFIT as it maps its future into the 21^st century.

LEAN, first and foremost, is a culture and a way of thinking. It is about a cycle of continuous improvement. What better place to enter this cycle than with a technique called Hoshin Kanri? This technique is applicable to strategic planning and alignment. Using Hoshin Kanri, an organization defines its mission which is communicated (with metrics) and buy-in is obtained throughout the organizational structure. What is our core competency and how can we enhance it? Once this vision, direction, and metrics have been set, LEAN uses associated tools which are applied to search out the “Voice of the Customer.” The starting point for lean thinking is “value” as defined by the end customer. Value is defined in terms of specific products and services having specific capabilities offered at specific prices to specific customers. It just makes sense to draw in the inputs from AFPC, AFRL, the MAJCOMs, Air Staff, and others in order to match their requirements with AFIT core capabilities and its vision for the future. Do we have our programs right? When is the last time we formally polled our customers? Why do our programs exist? What needs are they meeting? Industry uses the principles advocated by the Kano model and tools such as Critical to Quality Trees (CQT) to mesh their best-in-class products with the actual requirements of their customers.

Neither the Air Force, AFSO21, or LEAN is saying that our processes are broken or that we are not already doing a good job. What LEAN, in particular, is saying is that there are ways to do better. As an ideal, LEAN says we should always be seeking perfection. In a truly LEAN culture, process owners and workers don’t find (and are not punished for) problems; they find, instead, opportunities for improvement. LEAN encourages change through (1) eliminating non-value added steps in our processes and (2) ideas for enhancements which will add value to processes and products.

Some specific LEAN techniques could be used in the development and implementation of AFIT’s vision for a “21^st Century Campus.” In addition to AFIT’s traditional mission, the addition of the new Human Performance Wing will bring an additional 5000 people supporting education on “the Hill.” A technique that LEAN calls “spaghetti diagrams,” which map the current or potential movement of people and vehicles, could be useful to map the movements of students and support processes. Visual management techniques developed under the banner of LEAN and thinking comprehensively will be an absolute must. Anothertechnique called “Value Stream Mapping” would also encourage AFIT to map out, at an enterprise level, our education process (choosing students, educating students in “valued” programs, and personnel assignments after graduation) to justify and validate our requirements to our external customers such as the Air Force Education Resource Board (AFERB).

We know that AFIT’s product is an educated student. Obviously, we also know that Toyota’s product is different. However, another concept Toyota perfected in its implementation of LEAN was adding value to their process as a result of being “agile.” They used a different term but the concept remains the same. Toyota reduced manufacturing setup times from hours to minutes and seconds. The company introduced a flexibility that American companies could not match. In the business of education, there are respected civilian institutions such as Harvard and MIT which have attracted the attention of Air Force leadership as a result of their “agility.” These institutions, specifically, have been adept in developing short courses (in short order) which have met time-sensitive continuing education needs of the Air Force workforce. Is this a capability that AFIT needs? Can we also be “agile” and meet these education needs for our Service? A LEAN culture would encourage AFIT to develop processes and policies which would foster the capability to rapidly react to customer needs. It might require breaking some old processes; it might require AFIT to do something other than “business as usual.” “Agile” use of manpower and even “agile” use of funding might be required.

This is where AFSO21 and LEAN can have value to AFIT. Air Force leadership has said they want to give the “green light” for change and the opportunity to change in order to meet the challenges of the 21^st century. Should AFIT answer this challenge or be satisfied with “business as usual”? The LEAN philosophy and techniques offers at least one path if the choice is the former. As stated earlier, this article does not do justice to all that LEAN can offer. Hopefully, however, it has at least provided a road sign for those whose choice is NOT “business as usual.”