Comments on: Lean in the Air Force http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/ Mark Graban's leanblog.org - Lean Healthcare, Lean Thinking, Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:40:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/#comment-2075 Anonymous Sat, 26 May 2007 17:11:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/05/lean-in-the-air-force/#comment-2075 The Air Force is not saying that they are lean; they admit there is a lot of waste. Additionally, there have been many successes and some failures, and there will be more failures - it's a journey, right. This is the largest lean undertaking anywhere. They have identified 10 core processes and are aligning kaizen events to those processes. The flywheel is just starting to move. The Air Force is also seeing some success in applying lean to their many bureaucratic administrative processes. PBD720 was an initiative that mandated the reduction of force by about 8%, unrelated to lean, but it has now become the burning platform to use lean as a method also a compensate for the already identified loss of manpower. Once training has been applied, the airmen are on board at the same ratio of anywhere else I have seen. Bill The Air Force is not saying that they are lean; they admit there is a lot of waste. Additionally, there have been many successes and some failures, and there will be more failures – it’s a journey, right. This is the largest lean undertaking anywhere. They have identified 10 core processes and are aligning kaizen events to those processes. The flywheel is just starting to move. The Air Force is also seeing some success in applying lean to their many bureaucratic administrative processes. PBD720 was an initiative that mandated the reduction of force by about 8%, unrelated to lean, but it has now become the burning platform to use lean as a method also a compensate for the already identified loss of manpower. Once training has been applied, the airmen are on board at the same ratio of anywhere else I have seen. Bill

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/#comment-2073 Mark Graban Sat, 26 May 2007 02:15:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/05/lean-in-the-air-force/#comment-2073 Stephen -- I'm truly sorry to hear all of that. I appreciate you sharing your experiences with us. Can the layoffs be blamed on Lean or is it a matter of "business conditions," such as funding needs for ground troops in Iraq, etc.? Were the layoffs of officers the result of efficiency improvements?<br/><br/>With Lean, when we promise "no layoffs," we mean no layoffs because of lean improvements, especially those that come from employee suggestions. If sales drop dramatically (like with GM), the need to reduce employees in line with sales/production is different than laying off employees who weren't needed because of production efficiencies.<br/><br/>Please don't take my comment the wrong way -- I'm very empathetic to your situation, especially the frustrating one with the manufacturing company. I don't know enough about military life, so my question about the layoffs is just that -- a question. I don't know what was behind the reductions. Can you or somebody else clarify this? Stephen — I’m truly sorry to hear all of that. I appreciate you sharing your experiences with us. Can the layoffs be blamed on Lean or is it a matter of “business conditions,” such as funding needs for ground troops in Iraq, etc.? Were the layoffs of officers the result of efficiency improvements?

With Lean, when we promise “no layoffs,” we mean no layoffs because of lean improvements, especially those that come from employee suggestions. If sales drop dramatically (like with GM), the need to reduce employees in line with sales/production is different than laying off employees who weren’t needed because of production efficiencies.

Please don’t take my comment the wrong way — I’m very empathetic to your situation, especially the frustrating one with the manufacturing company. I don’t know enough about military life, so my question about the layoffs is just that — a question. I don’t know what was behind the reductions. Can you or somebody else clarify this?

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]]> By: Stephen http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/#comment-2070 Stephen Fri, 25 May 2007 21:21:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/05/lean-in-the-air-force/#comment-2070 I can speak to the fact that the Air Force is actually doing what many companies who try and fail do--using LEAN piecemeal without embracing the whole concept. <br/><br/>The Air Force is going through what they call Force Shaping--a euphamism for layoffs. They miscalculated their personnel and subsequently laid off approximately 1800 junior Officers (middle managers). I know because I was one of them. Some specialties had 80% of their Lieutenants and Captains in year groups (date entering commissioned service) cut. <br/><br/>Additionally, elements of JIT are impossible because of a woeful funding system which has units scrambling to spend millions of dollars the last week of the fiscal year because of mismanagement of funds at the higher levels. <br/><br/>I now have a career in a Fortune 500 manufacturing company which is in the midst of pick-and-choose LEAN as well, but things here are much smoother in many regards. The Air Force may say they're LEAN, but this is another LAME example. I can speak to the fact that the Air Force is actually doing what many companies who try and fail do–using LEAN piecemeal without embracing the whole concept.

The Air Force is going through what they call Force Shaping–a euphamism for layoffs. They miscalculated their personnel and subsequently laid off approximately 1800 junior Officers (middle managers). I know because I was one of them. Some specialties had 80% of their Lieutenants and Captains in year groups (date entering commissioned service) cut.

Additionally, elements of JIT are impossible because of a woeful funding system which has units scrambling to spend millions of dollars the last week of the fiscal year because of mismanagement of funds at the higher levels.

I now have a career in a Fortune 500 manufacturing company which is in the midst of pick-and-choose LEAN as well, but things here are much smoother in many regards. The Air Force may say they’re LEAN, but this is another LAME example.

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]]> By: Mark Graban http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/#comment-2066 Mark Graban Thu, 24 May 2007 22:28:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/05/lean-in-the-air-force/#comment-2066 Here is a hyperlink for what Bill posted:<br/><br/><a HREF="http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123020236" REL="nofollow">Link</a> Here is a hyperlink for what Bill posted:

Link

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]]> By: Anonymous http://www.leanblog.org/2007/05/lean-in-air-force/#comment-2064 Anonymous Thu, 24 May 2007 17:24:00 +0000 http://leanblog.bigbigdesign.net/2007/05/lean-in-the-air-force/#comment-2064 The Air Force has been working on lean for over a year now with a program called AFSO21 (Smart Operations for the 21st Century). Through the University of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education they are training leaders in Lean and Six Sigma principals, along with Kaizen event implementation. This training is then provided to others including frontline airman. The Air Forces is seeing great improvements, but they are not immune to the same problems every organization is having trying to implement Lean. Check out this link for more articles, lean.http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123020236 Bill The Air Force has been working on lean for over a year now with a program called AFSO21 (Smart Operations for the 21st Century). Through the University of Tennessee’s Center for Executive Education they are training leaders in Lean and Six Sigma principals, along with Kaizen event implementation. This training is then provided to others including frontline airman. The Air Forces is seeing great improvements, but they are not immune to the same problems every organization is having trying to implement Lean. Check out this link for more articles, lean.http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123020236 Bill

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