Another avenue for O.R. applications has just evolved in AFSO21 (Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century or Air Force Smart Ops 21). The purpose of this article is to introduce AFSO21 to the O.R. community and encourage research and development studies to help the initiative succeed. Without O.R. models and analytical operating platforms, many management processes cannot be effective. It is on the basis of what O.R. modeling tells us about a system's inherent characteristics that we can appropriately implement certain decision options on the system. AFSO21 presents tremendous opportunities for O.R. researchers and practitioners to develop models through which the ideals of AFSO21 can be actualized.

What Is AFSO21?


AFSO21 is a coordinated pursuit of operational improvement throughout the U.S. Air Force. It is an integrative process of using lean principles, Theory of Constraints, Six Sigma, BPI, MBO, TQM, O.R. tools and other management science tools. The implementation of lean principles is expected to comprise about 80 percent of AFSO21 efforts.

AFSO21 is not a single tool. Rather, it is a collection and judicious use of various tools and approaches, all focused on improving operations while reducing resource expenditure. AFSO21 is about using typical analytical and managerial tools to achieve operational improvement throughout the rank and file of the Air Force. AFSO21 involves changing the organizational mindset and inculcating a willingness to do things differently. A major tenet of AFSO21 is to get rid of waste and eliminate non-value-adding work elements in Air Force operations.

Opportunities for O.R.


AFSO21 represents a massive and widespread commitment to drastically change how the U.S. Air Force operates. To demonstrate the size and urgency of the effort, the Air Force recently awarded a five-year, $25 million contract to University of Tennessee's College of Business for the primary purpose of training and certifying trainers who will eventually train Air Force personnel in implementing AFSO21 in their respective local operations. Considering that the overall Air Force personnel number more than 700,000, the training and implementation efforts could span several years. While many management issues dealing with people cannot be "algorithmized," the fact remains that O.R. algorithms can help explain the interrelationships among elements in the system to be managed.

Of particular need for AFSO21 implementations is the need to use sound analytical basis for achieving process improvements. This requires modeling and optimization approaches. Although "lean" concepts are well established and proven in the business world, there is still a basic lack of analytical research on how to apply the concepts to different organizational units. This is particularly tenuous in a large organization with a diverse mix of a highly technical workforce and a traditional operational workforce, all working in a constantly changing environment. The dynamics brought on by the impacts of world events creates the need for the development of a stable analytical model that can inform how lean principles are applied and sustained in the U.S. Air Force. Several basic issues are yet to be addressed for AFSO21 from a research standpoint. Below are just a few examples:

• AFSO21 process combination to optimize overall output
  
  
• AFSO21 resource and capital rationing in the presence of pressure to improve operations
  
  
• AFSO21 resource assignment to maximize throughput
  
  
• personnel sensitivity analysis to AFSO21 changes
  
  
• multi-objective decision-making within AFSO21 organization
  
  
• AFSO21 operations under uncertainty
  
  
• stochastic events affecting AFSO21 plans
  
  
• game theory application to AFSO21 expectations
  
  
• analytical sustainability of AFSO21 implementation
  
  
• factor analysis of success factors for AFSO21

The U.S. military has an established heritage of technology transfer to civilian organizations. Many of the tools developed for military applications during and post World War II eventually migrated into civilian implementations. O.R. developments such as LP, PERT, CPM and other quantitative techniques of the 1950s and 1960s provide evidence of forward-and-backward transfer of research outputs. It is expected that many of the outcomes of the practices that emanate from AFSO21 will provide improvement baselines for non-military organizations. O.R. can facilitate a speedy development and deployment of such baselines. Readers and practitioners who may remember the debacle of the previous Quality Air Force program of the 1990s should not despair. This new attempt at AFSO21 is anticipated to have more tangible impacts. For those impacts to be realized, rigorous analytical studies must be done, preferably through O.R. research.

AFSO21 Certification


One of the components of the Air Force AFSO21 contract with the University of Tennessee is to ensure consistent training across the Air Force. This is being pursued through an AFSO21 train-the-trainer certification program. One day, being AFSO21 certified could become as valuable as any of the present certification programs, such as Six Sigma. Only certified instructors will be allowed to engage in AFSO21 instruction for the Air Force. The first AFSO21 trainer certification course took place in early December 2006 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Additional training sessions are forthcoming. The three-day Level I course provides participants with the following:

• syllabus and course materials for the Level 1 facilitator
  
  
• training course developed by the Air Force
  
  
• practical details of how to run simulations and teach other elements in the Air Force course
  
  
• essential background information about U.S. Air Force and AFOS21
  
  
• feedback and coaching on teaching and delivery of course materials
  
  
• potential certification which is required for being listed as an approved instructor for AFSO21 Level 1 training

AFSO21 Certification will be limited to individuals who are both trained in lean concepts and have first-hand practical experience in implementing lean and managing lean projects. Most O.R. practitioners will easily qualify for this. Prior knowledge of the U.S. Air Force or AFSO21 is not required because these topics are covered in the certification course.

Conclusion


Operations research has a lot to offer in many management processes. New processes that are particularly novel but untested, such as AFSO21, create opportunities to use O.R. techniques to do it right at the first attempt. Without analytical guidelines, a new improvement idea might fail, thus turning the initial excitement into just another fad. AFSO21 can be prevented from falling victim to the faddism fate by instituting careful O.R. studies now.



Adedeji Badiru (adedeji.badiru@afit.edu) is the head of Systems & Engineering Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. He was previously the department head of Industrial & Information Engineering at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The views expressed in this article are those of the author's and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Air Force Institute of Technology, United States Air Force, Department of Defense or the United States government.

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