Finding solutions through Air Force CPI

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Curt Beach
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  

Wasteful, ineffective or unsafe ways of doing business compromise integrity and mission effectiveness. Maintaining a healthy self-assessment program is crucial in identifying the heart of a problem and taking steps to resolve it.

 

Barksdale now offers a program designed to do just that, an entry level Continuous Process Improvement class called Green Belt academics.

 

“In short, CPI strives to develop countermeasures for root causes of problems and minimize or eliminate them so that they don’t come back,” said Senior Master Sgt. Woodrow Lemon, CPI superintendent.

 

The goal of Air Force CPI is to eliminate waste while maximizing customer value. It’s designed to increase mission capabilities while reducing costs. This is done by applying improvement strategies which enable Airmen to integrate continuous improvement into day-to-day operations.

 

Green Belt certification, the initial level of CPI training, introduces core methodologies, tools, problem solving strategies and facilitation. Some of the key principles within the class include improving flow and reducing waste within a process, focusing on factors that degrade product quality, identifying and overcoming process constraints, and redesigning processes.

 

The certification begins with five days of classroom instruction, where over the next year they will grow as CPI facilitators. They will observe and help facilitate CPI events, leading to their solo event where they will put their skills to work, leading a team through the entire improvement process. 

 

A CPI event aims to correct a broken process that has been presented to the CPI office for improvement.

 

“We take a problem that doesn’t have a solution, and we find a solution. That’s what the team’s job is,” said Lemon. “The team, comprised of Green Belts and subject matter experts familiar with the broken process, works through the problem, finds the root causes and then develops countermeasures to eliminate those root causes.”

 

To prevent rank from being a communication barrier, students attend the classroom portion of Green Belt training in civilian attire, promoting healthy discussion and equal contribution during problem-solving scenarios.

 

Barksdale’s CPI office was stood up April 1 and offered its first Green Belt class June 22. The class is offered quarterly, with registration for November’s class beginning in October. Students are nominated by their leadership to attend the class.

 

“It’s a lot of information, but it’s extremely beneficial because you don’t learn these skillsets at the squadron, base or group level,” said Capt. Tasia Harris, who just finished the classroom instruction. “You receive tools you can use to fix a problem and have it be effective long-term. I thought this was a great course to arm myself with the skills to go back and improve my unit because there’s always room to grow and improve.”

 

Individuals interested in Green Belt academics or any of six other CPI-centered classed offered monthly, should visit Barksdale’s CPI SharePoint, https://cs1.eis.af.mil/sites/barksdale/2%20BW/2mxg/AFCPI/default.aspx, or contact Lemon at 456-6899.