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Bringing Lean to the U.S. Air Force
University of Tennessee program training service personnel to use business improvement initiatives to streamline processes, cut costs
Knoxville, TN — January 17, 2007 — As part of the University of Tennessee's mission to help the U.S. Air Force streamline its operations, more than 30 high-ranking Air Force officers and civilians graduated January 11 from a six-month program in which they learned to use business tools to promote efficiency.
The Master Process Officer Program is part of a five-year, $25 million contract between UT and the Air Force signed last year. As part of the contract, UT assists the Air Force by developing curriculum, teaching programs, providing technical assistance and coming up with cost-saving ideas and models.
Brig. Gen. Taco Gilbert III, who heads Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO 21) from the Pentagon, said the Air Force chose UT as its academic partner because UT was willing to tailor a program specifically for Air Force personnel. AFSO 21 is an initiative launched last year to streamline Air Force operations.
In the Master Process Officer course, select Air Force officers and civilians from bases worldwide were taught to use business improvement initiatives, including Lean, Six Sigma, the Theory of Constraints and business process re-engineering to improve processes and cut costs.
"Our project with the Air Force is the largest Lean effort worldwide," said Alex Miller, associate dean for executive education at UT's College of Business Administration. "The Air Force is committed to greatly improving the efficiency of its operations."
Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, participated in the graduation to recognize the graduates and reiterate the importance of AFSO 21.
Chilton is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems and plays a key role in steering the AFSO 21 effort. He is also a veteran of three space flights, having been the pilot on the maiden voyage of Endeavor in 1992, the pilot of Endeavor's Space Radar Laboratory mission in 1994, and the commander of the Atlantis docking mission to the Russian space station, Mir, in 1996.
The Master Process Officer Program is part of a five-year, $25 million contract between UT and the Air Force signed last year. As part of the contract, UT assists the Air Force by developing curriculum, teaching programs, providing technical assistance and coming up with cost-saving ideas and models.
Brig. Gen. Taco Gilbert III, who heads Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO 21) from the Pentagon, said the Air Force chose UT as its academic partner because UT was willing to tailor a program specifically for Air Force personnel. AFSO 21 is an initiative launched last year to streamline Air Force operations.
In the Master Process Officer course, select Air Force officers and civilians from bases worldwide were taught to use business improvement initiatives, including Lean, Six Sigma, the Theory of Constraints and business process re-engineering to improve processes and cut costs.
"Our project with the Air Force is the largest Lean effort worldwide," said Alex Miller, associate dean for executive education at UT's College of Business Administration. "The Air Force is committed to greatly improving the efficiency of its operations."
Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, commander of the Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, participated in the graduation to recognize the graduates and reiterate the importance of AFSO 21.
Chilton is responsible for the development, acquisition and operation of the Air Force's space and missile systems and plays a key role in steering the AFSO 21 effort. He is also a veteran of three space flights, having been the pilot on the maiden voyage of Endeavor in 1992, the pilot of Endeavor's Space Radar Laboratory mission in 1994, and the commander of the Atlantis docking mission to the Russian space station, Mir, in 1996.
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