AFSO21: Cutting the fat one step at a time

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Sheri Kangas
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AB, Republic of Korea --  Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century--turning the Air Force into a lean mean fighting machine for today's fast-paced world. To aid in that process, the wing's AFSO21 office recently held a five-day Level 1 Facilitator course to equip attendees with skills and tools to guide organizations through their improvement initiatives. 

AFSO21's main mission is for organizations to learn to do "less with less." Level 1 Facilitator course attendees are trained on Lean principles and are armed with tools to help them pinpoint waste within their daily operations. 

"The class was very informative and eye opening for me," said Staff Sgt. Bryon Baranski, course attendee and voice networks system technician with the 51st Communications Squadron. "I want to do whatever I can to help the Air Force become leaner as a whole. Also, participating in AFSO21 events gives me the opportunity to see other areas of the Air Force that in most cases I wouldn't be able to see." 

As the Air Force transforms, its personnel and resources are continually affected and AFSO21 provides the tools to address those changes. It also allows people to balance the mission requirements to their personnel and resource levels. 

"We need to cut away wasteful processes to allow our warriors to concentrate their efforts and resources on doing the tasks that actually accomplish the mission," said Master Sgt. Luis Acuria, AFSO21 superintendent and Level 1 Facilitator course instructor. While some attendees had prior experience in AFSO21, others only had basic knowledge. Either way, all came out the course with a better understanding of the path the Air Force is on. 

"I participated in an AFSO21 event for the physical training program last year," Sergeant Bryon Baranski said. "I saw the impact the event had on the Air Force and I was very proud." 

Sergeant Baranski and other course attendees said they are excited with the tools they are taking away from the course and are eager to begin applying them to their everyday projects. 

Becoming a trained facilitator is not for everyone, explained Sergeant Acuria. "It takes commitment, perseverance, and an open mind to not only learn the tools, techniques and methodologies of waste identification and reduction, but to have the stamina to implement those improvements and see them through to completion." 

Once attendees complete the course, there are three more steps they need to accomplish before becoming a full-fledged facilitator. They must observe, co-facilitate and then lead a Rapid Improvement Event all within six months of the initial class attendance.
"As trained facilitators, people will be able to break apart processes and implement improvements in small continuous cycles ... eliminating the need to bog down the operation for long periods of time during the improvement process," Sergeant Acuria said. 

Sergeant Acuria went on to say that the AFSO21 office holds the Level 1 Facilitator course as needed. Currently there are 12 facilitators throughout 51st Fighter Wing and 7th Air Force units. Besides the Level 1 Facilitators course, there are also two-day 8-Step Problem Solving Model courses available for anyone wanting to learn how to incorporate Lean principles in their organizations. This course teaches a step-by-step process that can potentially transform a major process one small step at a time to eliminate waste. 

For more information about AFSO21, the Level 1 Facilitator's course or the 8-Step Problem Solving Model course, call 784-5380.