OGDEN, UTAH –
Defense Logistics Agency and Air Logistics Center Ogden hosted a two-day summit in Ogden, Utah, May 7 through 8 to discuss a new collaborative planning and execution process that will be used at maintenance sites at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, as well as at Robins AFB, Ga. and Tinker AFB, Okla. The process is called the Integrated Planning and Execution Sustainment Process, or IPEx SP.
IPEx SP was developed over the past two years at Hill AFB. In late 2011, the Air Force Materiel Command Logistics Directorate and Defense Logistics Agency Aviation directed the process be replicated at all three industrial sites.
The process represents a standardized approach toward implementing an integrated system, and is aimed at improving supportability to depot maintenance by creating a single end-to-end process. It will not replace existing processes or initiatives, but rather will improve the linkages, eliminate duplication and highlight potential synergies between them.
IPEx SP was recently recognized by the Office of the Secretary of Defense as a candidate of merit for establishing a Department of Defense blueprint for sales and operations planning.
"DLA Aviation is fully engaged in the process, both in helping develop it and in helping deploy it to other locations," remarked Army Col. Jim Kinkade, DLA Aviation site commander at Ogden. "This cross-agency summit [including the Aerospace Sustainment Directorates, the Air Force Global Logistics Center, DLA, HQ AFMC, the ICBM Sustainment Directorate, and the Air Force Maintenance Wings] ensures all sustainment partners are engaged as the process continues to take hold and mature at all three ALCs."
Kinkade stressed it is critical to bring decision makers to the table together in order to work on a common operating plan, and the summit presented the perfect opportunity to do so.
"The people who attended this summit are responsible for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of weapon systems and components. They own or control all the resources and processes needed to make a positive difference in material supportability for these items that are desperately needed by our war fighters," Kinkade emphasized. "By combining separate, yet related processes, into a single integrated process, we are able to see the cause-and-effect relationships within the sustainment chain and more fully leverage Air Force and DLA capabilities - leverage that is more important now than ever."
"IPEx SP's key objective is to optimize the sustainment chain, enabling reliability and responsiveness through collaborative requirements and supportability planning," said Air Force Col. Reggie Hall, 748th Supply Chain Management Group commander. "It works to achieve this objective by implementing a standardized approach to long-term material supportability focused on continuous process improvement in daily standard work, coupled with a standard cadence and governance structure."
During the summit attendees examined the process in detail. The process framework consists of three main components: requirements determination, supportability analysis and operating plans.
According to an Air Force factsheet on IPEx SP, delays in the sustainment chain can cost up to $3 million per day and reduce equipment availability to the warfighter.
"Through joint efforts between AFMC and DLA and the integration of organizational and industry best practices, we can increase parts availability and reduce time in maintenance," Hall said.
Heather Vickers, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Ogden Deep Look Center lead, said the process is overseen through five levels of governance which provides accountability and ensures visibility.
The governance structure begins with functional and executive steering groups at each site. Functional groups conduct critical topic reviews; identify cross-cutting root causes and policy-related problems. Group memberships includes the deputies or similar positions amongst the stakeholders and are supported by the appropriate program managers, production specialists, item managers, DLA customer support managers, and Deep Look program managers.
"At each site these groups meet monthly and quarterly coordinating across Air Logistics Centers," said Vickers. "They ensure support to daily standard work, reviewing lessons learned, evaluating training plans; and identifying, recommending and implementing policy changes."
Daily standard work is what is done every day by employees within the Air Force and DLA in order to provide sustained support for the maintenance lines and the warfighter. Within the IPEx SP framework, daily standard work is supported and improved through the development and execution of a common operating plan, sharing lessons learned and escalating issues to the appropriate level of governance for resolution.
Vickers said above those levels is the IPEx SP Working Group who are responsible for setting policy, standardizing processes, and ensuring lessons learned are spread through DLA and the ALCs. At the top of the governance is the IPEx SP Steering Group chaired by command representatives from the Air Force and DLA who meet yearly.