Innovating the standards

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody Dowell
  • Altus Air Force Base Public Affairs
To keep the U.S. Air Force’s capability of air superiority and protect its citizens, constant advancements and innovations are always in the works. At Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, the Commander’s Transformation and Innovation Office is dedicated entirely to that philosophy.

One of the duties of the CCI is to teach a variety of classes for people on base to innovate processes and products in their workplace.

The class gives participants tools to identify and solve problems in the workspace to increase productivity. With these skills, a majority of future problems can be solved in-house.

“We promote Continuous Process Improvement, even though it’s referred to as a program, it’s more like tools,” said Jeff Lee, 97th Wing Staff Agency chief of CCI. “If there is a problem currently or in the future the participants will have the knowledge to make corrective actions.”

The mission for the CCI is to forge innovative and agile Airmen. The CPI training helps the base by giving participants a better understanding of problem solving and streamlining their offices.

“This training opens our eyes to the world around us and what we are wasting,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Alvaro Rojas, 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron quality assurance evaluator. “We can waste time, money or manpower in our daily processes and it just takes the know-how to improve it to make it easier on everyone.”

Anyone with base access can participate in the classes. The Practical Problem Solving Method is the foundation lesson for people interested in furthering their productivity skills, which are needed for advancement in the program. The PPSM is taught every first Friday of each month on base.

The Green Belt class is the next step and as a group, participants will try to solve real base scenarios. These classes are held once a quarter and requires squadron commander’s approval because of the time dedicated in and out of the class.

“People should participate because it not only adds to their professional tool box, but also their personal tool box,” said Lee. “Everything that we teach is not confined to the job and it can be applied to any problem in someone’s life. The training is official and with enough experience it can go on a person’s record.”

Innovation is an important part of any organization or business and is a key factor in the ever growing Air Force in order to accomplish the mission.

“Innovation is based off solving a need, to make something better,” said Lee. “The goal of any innovation is to increase quality of life because no matter what the situation is, improvement makes things easier for people. In the Air Force whether it’s a satellite, an unmanned drone or putting boots on the ground, there’s innovation in that process, making quality of life better for everyone.”

For more information about CPI training contact the Commander’s Transformation and Innovation Office at 97AMW.Transformation.Innovation@us.af.mil or call (580)481-7112 or (580)481-7290.