Commitment, senior leader involvement enhance RIE success Published June 20, 2006 By Chuck Paone ESC Public Affairs HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- Rapid Improvement Events are occurring with rapid-fire frequency at Hanscom these days. One of the most recent, which began last week and will continue next week, tackled the process of ensuring new civilian supervisors receive needed training soon after starting their new jobs. The level of effort – and commitment of senior leaders – on this RIE says a lot about the entire Electronic Systems Center’s zeal for achievement through process improvement, according to ESC Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Arthur Rooney. “When I look at these RIE members, I see an enthusiastic team and AFSO21 in action, “ he said. “AFSO21 is all about engaging the workforce in continuous process improvement. Rapid Improvement Events prove the T-E-A-M concept that Together Each Achieves More.” General Rooney, who observed the team throughout the process, saw that each member was an expert in his or her portion of the process but “had never understood the total process and how they fit in.” Col. Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing vice commander and the ‘process champion’ for this RIE, had a similar observation. “The power of having every stakeholder in the process come together and understand where they fit in the process, as well as what role others play, is really awesome,” he said. That’s just one of the reasons the colonel is such a true believer in the RIE process. “Even if the Air Force stopped pushing RIEs, I would definitely keep using them, because they’re so powerful,” he said. For this specific one, the team was brought together to solve a very specific problem: ESC was often failing to meet the Air Force requirement of ensuring first-time supervisors attend the two to three mandatory courses within six months of assuming duties as a supervisor. “There was much speculation about the causes, but no cross functional analysis was performed,” General Rooney said. “In short, the process had not been mapped, and many new supervisors were not receiving the education they needed to be highly successful.” The RIE has so far allowed team members to diagnose some of the root causes and begin to build an ideal state that will ensure the process works well in the future, Colonel Schluckebier said. One key to success of this RIE – and others, too -- the general said, is participation of senior leaders like Colonel Schluckebier. When I look at this team, I see Colonel Tom Schluckebier and (ESC Personnel Director) Ms. Sheila Brennan, who exhibit senior leadership commitment in their active engagement,” the general said. “For AFSO21 to be successful, senior leadership must actively participate and learn for themselves the power of AFSO21 tools. “If you doubt the value of an RIE, just ask these senior leaders. If you wonder where you’ll find the time, ask them ‘was it worth theirs?’ “I love that AFSO 21 tools give me a chance to solve problems and fix processes,” said Ms. Brennan. “In my day to day work, I don’t often get that opportunity, and knowing this is what happens when you participate on an RIE and work with subject matter experts has been gratifying and surprising, actually. I thought it would be mostly drudgery but it has been anything but. I get to meet and work with people from all over the Center and AFMC and I learned from all of them.” General Rooney also noted the participation of two facilitators from Oklahoma Air Logistics Center, Danny Melcher and Greg Logan. “A number of centers have provided facilitators to both train ESC personnel as well as facilitate RIE activities,” General Rooney said. “We deeply appreciate the support other Centers are providing as we develop our own organic capability. This is yet another example of the Wingman concept in action in AFMC….One Command.” The general also lauded local workforce members who came together for this and other RIEs. “This shows us what our magnificent workforce can do when given the tools necessary to be successful,” he said. “Thanks to their hard work, all of our new supervisors will receive the required education for their increased responsibility.”