THE EFFICIENCIES CHALLENGE
ENGAGING THE WORKFORCE After defining the types of CPI projects, the steering committee held workshops to engage the workforce in identifying critical projects and potential opportuni- ties. During this process, one challenge became evident: There was a need to change the culture and the mind-set of the staff, to help them understand that what once seemed
impossible—reduc-
ing waste (non-value-added tasks and activities) and lowering costs while main- taining and improving schedule
and
performance, without disrupting opera- tions—was now achievable.
To guide employees to be more proactive in pursuing efficient solutions in daily operations and to help them become more cognizant of the importance of their individual roles in productively using resources,
the steering
tee developed a set of CPI foundational goals, including:
1. Ensure leadership involvement. 2. Educate every employee about projects that qualify as efficiencies and how those actions benefit the workforce and the Soldier.
3. Ensure that the documentation pro- cess for capturing efficiencies is easy to understand and readily accessible.
4. Train, mentor, and empower employ- ees to be innovative, creative, and motivated to change.
5. Provide incentives to the workforce. 6. Promote collaboration with industry.
LAYING THE FRAMEWORK The next step after the project selection workshop was selecting project leads to develop strategies for individual project implementation and to guide the pro- cess. Finally, tracking mechanisms and documentation procedures were
estab-
lished to monitor the health and progress of each project.
116
“The CPI documentation process is important because it helps us track our progress so we can learn how to bet- ter sustain and mature improvements,” said Barb Dmoch, Process Improvement Lead/CPI Director. “The system is user- friendly for the project leaders and makes it easy for them to record the good work being done to make our organization more efficient.”
An informal mentoring program also ensures that help is available to guide and support organizational leads. CPI strategy experts coach PMO project leads; PEO resource management and cost analysts support their PMO counterpart leads.
commit-
SNAPSHOTS OF SUCCESS An example of a successful CPI proj- ect lies in the initiatives of the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office (RS JPO), under the management of PEO GCS. RS JPO reduced the cost of shipping and storage for robotic assets to be drawn down, while establishing a new process for the disposal
of
robotic systems that are no longer required. Unused robots can be turned in to Defense Logistics Agency Dispo- sition Services, enabling other federal and state entities to make further use of mission-capable equipment. The total cost avoidance for this project was nearly $1.4 million.
Although most projects generally yield a cost savings or avoidance, PEO GCS noticed that some initiatives simply resulted in better business practices, which are also vital to mis- sion success. For example, the Process Conformance Improvement project provided the benefit of establishing an organizational that
checks for
assessment mechanism conformances of key
processes across the PEO. In one case, methodologies to accomplish the
same procedure were reduced from five to one.
CONCLUSION
“Our recent success can be directly related to the leadership of our PEO and PMs (project managers), as well as the dedi- cation and ideas of our employees to identify waste and lower costs,” said Dave Taylor, PEO GCS Better Buying Power Expert. “Our leaders and people delivered excellent results, and we are incorporating best practices to raise the bar this fiscal year.”
PEO GCS is on its way to surpassing its FY11 accomplishments. By January, 56 percent of PEO GCS leaders had completed CPI project sponsor training. An additional
three projects, totaling
more than $50 million in cost savings or avoidance, have been completed to date; 40 more projects are expected to close by the end of FY12.
“We are faced with austere economic conditions that constrain our resources and demand innovative approaches to accomplish our mission,” Davis said.
“We will pioneer efficiency initiatives to do things smarter, faster, better, and at less cost, so we can continue to pro- vide affordable, integrated, and robust ground combat systems and ensure the success of our warfighters.”
For more information on PEO GCS, go to
http://www.peogcs.army.mil.
LORI A. GREIN is the Public Affairs Offi- cer for Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems. She holds a B.S. degree and is a graduate of the Defense Infor- mation School. Grein has eight years of government experience in leadership and public relations roles and is an experienced correspondent for Army publications.
Army AL&T Magazine
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