ESC Protocol Office implements innovative calendar system Published Oct. 2, 2006 By Karen Costura Electronic Systems Center Public Affairs HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- The Electronic Systems Center Protocol Office, after employing a relatively simple Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century tool, now has an innovative new calendar system for tracking distinguished visitor information. AFSO21 was designed to trigger ideas throughout the Air Force about how to streamline everyday processes in order to save money and make them more operative and efficient. One of the least complex AFSO21 initiatives is called the "just do it" initiative. Under the "just do it" initiative, offices are asked to identify a well-defined problem and take a relatively simple and quick measure to work through it. The problem can then be solved without further measures, such as a more-intricate rapid improvement event, according to Preskella Gindi, an AFSO21 team member and program manager in the ESC Plans and Programs directorate project management office. The ESC Protocol office quickly thought of a process in their office that could use some improvement and worked with ESC Plans and Programs to create and execute a Web-based calendar to manage and track distinguished visitor information better than before. The new calendar also provides scheduling information for on-call colonels responsible for welcoming distinguished visitors to Hanscom. Based upon an existing ESC calendar application developed by Matt Porter, formerly with the ESC Acquisition Center of Excellence and now working with the 350th Electronic Systems Wing's Business Operations office, the new Protocol calendar uses information gathered from spreadsheets, briefings, and e-mails and combines it into one easy-to-use, color-coded, live-access tool. In addition, the calendar eliminated the need for four separate documents: an Excel "end-of-day" report, a daily e-mail that attached the "end-of-day" report sent to a large number of base personnel, a PowerPoint distinguished visitor slide and a scheduling chart for on-call colonels to greet and farewell distinguished visitors. Before the new calendar, the Protocol office would frequently send information to senior staff, knowing it could be outdated as soon as they reviewed it. Now, the calendar provides accurate, "real-time" information that staff can evaluate at any time by logging in to the ESC CenterNet. "The new calendar has eliminated a very tedious and time-consuming process of notifying senior leadership of extensive distinguished visitor information," said Staff Sgt. Crystal Salas, information manager of the Protocol office. "Now the process is smooth--only one entry is needed and the information is immediately updated." "This new tool saves our office two to three hours per day in workload," said Bruce Lazar, chief of the Protocol office. "It is an invaluable resource." Andy Prout, a Web developer for the Office of the ESC Deputy Chief Information Officer, helped customize the Protocol calendar from the original ESC calendar application and was very pleased with the overall result of the program. "I'm always amazed at how much time can be saved by employing a Web application," he said. "For the relatively small amount of time it took to create this customized Protocol version from the original ESC calendar system, the time-savings is astounding."