WASHINGTON (AFNS) – Air Force finance officials are implementing ways to improve customer service to Airmen with process changes, said the director of the Secretary of the Air Force Financial Management Process Improvement and Integrations Office.
“This has been a rocky road for some Air Force travelers,” said Josephine L. Davis, SAF/FMPI. “Fortunately, process improvement and service delivery initiatives will improve travel reimbursement services.”
Air Force finance officials recently completed two separate Air Force Smart Operations 21 reviews to improve the travel and permanent change-of-station voucher processes. Senior Air Force and Reserve command financial management leaders attended a travel voucher process AFSO 21 event at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to conduct an end-to-end review of the travel voucher process.
“The active-duty, Guard and Reserve team identified and validated problems in the current processes and agreed on a future state process,” Ms. Davis said. Some short-term solutions are now in place via a recent Defense Travel System software upgrade that improves government charge card usage. This same upgrade implemented a pilot program with the Navy, results from which will be applied to improve travel voucher services to the Air Force Reserve and Guard communities.
Ms. Davis said the Robins AFSO 21 review also looked into improving the submission of PCS travel vouchers, services for deployed members, and ensuring Airmen aren’t over or underpaid. A subsequent AFSO 21 review took place in September at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., to review and improve these processes. Solutions in this area are also under way and will be implemented with DTS software upgrades scheduled to occur in 15-18 months.
Some Airmen may remember that in the past an Airman would visit the base accounting and finance office and work with a travel pay clerk to reconcile a travel voucher, according to Ms. Davis. The Airman would leave the office with a cash reimbursement and a copy of his or her filed travel voucher.
“The process was functional and effective from a traveler’s perspective, but it was costly and labor intensive for the Air Force,” Ms. Davis said. “The cost and manpower requirements for such a process were not an issue in the past. However, times have changed due to federally mandated manpower reductions.”
In light of this changing fiscal landscape, two additional process improvement initiatives are currently underway to enhance financial service delivery to Airmen: the Financial Service Delivery Model and Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System (www.dimhrs.mil/).
“The primary objective of FSDM is to improve service delivery to Airmen through enhanced utilization of Web-based self service applications,” Ms. Davis said. “Click, Call, Walk” isthe FSDM slogan.
With FSDM, Airmen will have:
· 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access to Web-based service for financial transactions;
· a toll-free number to a contact center when additional assistance is needed; and
· the ability to deal face-to-face with a base financial service technicians for those unusual financial transactions.
“Ultimately, FSDM will result in enhanced customer service and substantial return on investment for the Air Force,” Ms. Davis said.
Another initiative is DIMHRS, a Department of Defense program currently under development. It provides the Armed Forces with an integrated, multi-component, personnel and pay system that improve delivery of military personnel and pay services, according to Ms. Davis. This system provides each service member with a single, comprehensive record that features self-service capabilities to empower them to update portions of their personal information, and initiate personnel and pay actions.
Finance officials listen to customer comments, Ms. Davis said. They heard such comments as “I had to use my savings to pay my government travel card” or, “I had to wait months for payment due to the huge backlogs.”
“These types of comments reflect a detrimental impact on our mission,” Ms. Davis said. “Air Force leadership takes them seriously, and continues to take steps to resolve members’ concerns.”
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
COMMENTARY>>Integrity first - always
By Master Sgt. James Albini
714th Training Squadron First Sergeant
Each week I have the privilege of spending time with the Air Force’s newest enlisted aviators. I like to discuss the core values and apply those three ideas to real world experiences. Unfortunately, an aspect of my job is to interview Airmen who have taken the wrong path and made poor choices. These experiences have caused me to redefine my definition of our first core value, integrity.
If I ask Airmen to tell me what they think integrity means the preponderance would respond, “Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.” This is the textbook definition. I have come to realize most Airmen do not have a problem doing the right thing when alone; the harder action is doing the right thing while in a group.
All too often when things go wrong, it wasn’t because one person, by himself or herself, decided to make a poor choice.
Instead a bad decision was made while with a group of friends. Despite the many opportunities to prevent a Wingman from going down the wrong path, many remain silent. Some consider it not cool to speak up in front of others and challenge the group. Others don’t want to be labeled a rat or killjoy. This thought is what caused me to reinterpret integrity.
We must have the courage to stand by our convictions and speak up in the presence of others. Although the reference I used is associated with discipline, it can be applied to the work center. Doing the right thing when everyone is watching is extremely tough. Failure to have courage and stand up has resulted in countless DUIs, underage drinking, assaults and work related accidents. I leave you with this simple challenge … think of our first core value in two ways; doing the right thing when no one is watching and doing the right thing when everyone is watching.
714th Training Squadron First Sergeant
Each week I have the privilege of spending time with the Air Force’s newest enlisted aviators. I like to discuss the core values and apply those three ideas to real world experiences. Unfortunately, an aspect of my job is to interview Airmen who have taken the wrong path and made poor choices. These experiences have caused me to redefine my definition of our first core value, integrity.
If I ask Airmen to tell me what they think integrity means the preponderance would respond, “Doing the right thing when nobody is watching.” This is the textbook definition. I have come to realize most Airmen do not have a problem doing the right thing when alone; the harder action is doing the right thing while in a group.
All too often when things go wrong, it wasn’t because one person, by himself or herself, decided to make a poor choice.
Instead a bad decision was made while with a group of friends. Despite the many opportunities to prevent a Wingman from going down the wrong path, many remain silent. Some consider it not cool to speak up in front of others and challenge the group. Others don’t want to be labeled a rat or killjoy. This thought is what caused me to reinterpret integrity.
We must have the courage to stand by our convictions and speak up in the presence of others. Although the reference I used is associated with discipline, it can be applied to the work center. Doing the right thing when everyone is watching is extremely tough. Failure to have courage and stand up has resulted in countless DUIs, underage drinking, assaults and work related accidents. I leave you with this simple challenge … think of our first core value in two ways; doing the right thing when no one is watching and doing the right thing when everyone is watching.
COMMENTARY>>Alice, balanced scorecard and Wonderland
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
COMMENTARY>>Alice, balanced scorecard and Wonderland
By Col. Charles Hyde
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
314th Airlift Wing commander
I love military history and reading about the exploits of the warriors and units that left us with a rich legacy of character, service and heroic defense of our republic. A storied history, however valuable for learning and development of the warrior ethos, does not predict success on future battlefields. Future success depends on a well-understood objective and requires progress toward its attainment.
In previous articles, the 314th Airlift Wing’s mission, vision, and goals were presented. The mission is the purpose of our wing – to train the world’s best C-130 and C-21 crew members to fly, fight, and win. The vision sets an enduring context for our mission: what we are, what we want to be, and our legacy in the future – the foundation of combat airlift. Goals help us accomplish our mission and realize our vision. In short, our mission, vision, and goals are our objective as a wing.
Our objective, that point toward which we strive, is the first step on the road to success. In the book “Alice In Wonderland,” Alice asks the Cheshire cat which path she should take. The cat replied by asking where Alice wanted to go. Alice, unfortunately and similarly to many businesses and organizations, didn’t know. The Cheshire cat then replied that it didn’t matter which way she went. If we don’t know what we are trying to accomplish, then we cease to be an effective and successful team. Having an objective is the first step toward success.
The next requirement for achieving success as an organization is to continuously progress towards its objective. If we don’t have a common mission, vision, and goals, we will fail. Likewise, we can have an objective, but fail to move toward it.
Continuous improvement is the lifeblood of a military organization. Our success and the success of our students depend on it, but it is not enough. The improvement must lead us on a path which reaches our objective. That path is defined by metrics.
Metrics are the key to measuring where we are going and how we are progressing.
The 314th AW leadership met last week to work on our metrics. The balanced scorecard is the AETC tool we use to document our objectives and measure our progress toward attainment.
We refined our mission, vision, and goals and started to define the metrics we will use to chart our path as a wing. I have challenged each of our commanders to build good metrics and implement them in each flight and section. The reason is simple. In order to be successful, we must work together with a common objective and strive for continuous improvement.
Hopefully when you hear someone talk about the balanced scorecard and metrics, it won’t be a mystery. It’s simply a tool to keep us out of Wonderland and focused on training the world’s best C-130 and C-21 students to fly, fight, and win.
COMMENTARY>>Not only our President, our Commander in Chief
By Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Qualls
19th Mission Support Group Superintendent
Now that the Presidential election is over, the dust has settled and the American people have spoken and soon we will have a new President. Regardless of your personal feelings concerning the outcome of this recent election, as military members we have a duty to the President that eclipses our civilian counterparts.
Why, you ask?
Assuming we took advantage of our right, responsibility and privilege to vote, we cast our ballot. We exercised our choice and our voice was heard. We did this as good and responsible Americans, but more importantly; we did this as private citizens.
As military members, officially we are to remain politically neutral. Partisan politics will not or at least should not effect or determine our willingness or ability to perform our mission.
In our Oath of Enlistment we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and obey the orders of the President.” In article II, section two of the Constitution, the President is appointed as our Commander in Chief. As Commander in Chief, the President is the Commander of our nation’s military forces.
This also works in accordance with our Constitution in ensuring civilian control of our military. In addition, as a result of a formal agreement between the DOD and United States Secret Service, individuals affiliated with the Armed Services have a special obligation to report information to the Secret Service pertaining to the protection of the President of the United States.
Ours is a great nation. We’re great because of our diversity. As loyal Americans and committed military members, we not only owe it to the American people, but again; we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
While we progress with the Global War on Terrorism and numerous other issues facing us as a nation; our oath has never been more important than now.
19th Mission Support Group Superintendent
Now that the Presidential election is over, the dust has settled and the American people have spoken and soon we will have a new President. Regardless of your personal feelings concerning the outcome of this recent election, as military members we have a duty to the President that eclipses our civilian counterparts.
Why, you ask?
Assuming we took advantage of our right, responsibility and privilege to vote, we cast our ballot. We exercised our choice and our voice was heard. We did this as good and responsible Americans, but more importantly; we did this as private citizens.
As military members, officially we are to remain politically neutral. Partisan politics will not or at least should not effect or determine our willingness or ability to perform our mission.
In our Oath of Enlistment we swore to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and obey the orders of the President.” In article II, section two of the Constitution, the President is appointed as our Commander in Chief. As Commander in Chief, the President is the Commander of our nation’s military forces.
This also works in accordance with our Constitution in ensuring civilian control of our military. In addition, as a result of a formal agreement between the DOD and United States Secret Service, individuals affiliated with the Armed Services have a special obligation to report information to the Secret Service pertaining to the protection of the President of the United States.
Ours is a great nation. We’re great because of our diversity. As loyal Americans and committed military members, we not only owe it to the American people, but again; we took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.
While we progress with the Global War on Terrorism and numerous other issues facing us as a nation; our oath has never been more important than now.
VIEW FROM TOP>>This is not a dry run
By Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Brinkley
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we endeavor daily to ensure that we sustain unrivaled Combat Airlift for America … always, it dawned on me that we never have a second chance to get our mission done right. We have one chance at life and what life holds for us. So my challenge to you, as well as myself, is not to function as though this is a dry run.
Those waiting for our support around the world are counting on us taking our mission seriously. We must apply our training, focus and resources to ensure that when called, we respond with pinpoint precision.
This is not a dry run. In your lives, do you apply this mindset or do you function as though you will be able to go back and start over again?
Beyond our vital mission, are you living your life as though this is your only opportunity to maximize your potential? I sometimes reflect on people who become frustrated because they wake up and realize they have not utilized time and opportunity to the fullest extent. Each one of us have gifts and talents, that if maximized, can benefit our workplace, families and communities. This is not a dry run.
One of our core values, excellence in all we do, demands that we attack each day as a chance to grow and improve. Are we exhibiting excellence in all we do? The first place to check is in the mirror in the morning. Consider how physically, mentally and spiritually fit you are. To live your life in an exceptional way requires you not to take a single day for granted.
To continue to be the best air force in the world, our military, civilians and families must understand that this is not a dry run.
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing command chief
As we endeavor daily to ensure that we sustain unrivaled Combat Airlift for America … always, it dawned on me that we never have a second chance to get our mission done right. We have one chance at life and what life holds for us. So my challenge to you, as well as myself, is not to function as though this is a dry run.
Those waiting for our support around the world are counting on us taking our mission seriously. We must apply our training, focus and resources to ensure that when called, we respond with pinpoint precision.
This is not a dry run. In your lives, do you apply this mindset or do you function as though you will be able to go back and start over again?
Beyond our vital mission, are you living your life as though this is your only opportunity to maximize your potential? I sometimes reflect on people who become frustrated because they wake up and realize they have not utilized time and opportunity to the fullest extent. Each one of us have gifts and talents, that if maximized, can benefit our workplace, families and communities. This is not a dry run.
One of our core values, excellence in all we do, demands that we attack each day as a chance to grow and improve. Are we exhibiting excellence in all we do? The first place to check is in the mirror in the morning. Consider how physically, mentally and spiritually fit you are. To live your life in an exceptional way requires you not to take a single day for granted.
To continue to be the best air force in the world, our military, civilians and families must understand that this is not a dry run.
Combat Airlift!
VIEW FROM TOP>>Thanks to our Wingmen
By Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr.
19th Airlift Wing commander
Today, Wingman Day, we are gathering together in small groups to talk about how to cope with all the different stresses we face every day. These stresses, unresolved, can degrade both our mission focus and quality of life. Wingman Day offers us the opportunity to address and resolve these stressors and talk about how we can best support each other.
Team Little Rock’s embrace of the Wingman concept and culture is a key component to the delivery of a peerless Combat Airlift capability. Great military powers throughout history have employed the Wingman concept to fight the greatest battles in history. The Romans, for example, used battle lines arranged with infantry in the center and cavalry on the wings. The infantry lined up face to face with the opponent while the cavalry protected the center from being outflanked by their enemies. Neither the cavalry nor the infantry stood a strong chance of defeating their enemy separately, but together, protecting each other, they were a formidable force. Likewise, Team Little Rock is a formidable force when we employ the Wingman concept in the delivery of Combat Airlift for our nation.
As Airmen, we are part of a larger team and the combined effect of each of our efforts makes us the greatest team in the world, capable of taking on any task or foe. We rely on our Wingman to know when we need help, and to be there to pitch in to fill the gap and make the mission successful. There is a great Wingman line in the latest “Iron Man” movie where Air Force Lt. Col. James Rhodes tells Tony Stark that when he puts on the uniform and he looks in the mirror, he recognizes that every person who wears the same uniform has his back. That is a great feeling, that is the Wingman culture.
Tomorrow our country celebrates a holiday proclaimed by President Lincoln, as a national day of prayer and thanks for our country’s prosperity. From the founding of our country to today, one constant thread throughout is the commitments and sacrifices great Americans like you have made to win and defend freedom here and around the world. You and your families will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices required to protect the things we are most thankful for. Thank you for your service.
Kim and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!
Combat Airlift!
19th Airlift Wing commander
Today, Wingman Day, we are gathering together in small groups to talk about how to cope with all the different stresses we face every day. These stresses, unresolved, can degrade both our mission focus and quality of life. Wingman Day offers us the opportunity to address and resolve these stressors and talk about how we can best support each other.
Team Little Rock’s embrace of the Wingman concept and culture is a key component to the delivery of a peerless Combat Airlift capability. Great military powers throughout history have employed the Wingman concept to fight the greatest battles in history. The Romans, for example, used battle lines arranged with infantry in the center and cavalry on the wings. The infantry lined up face to face with the opponent while the cavalry protected the center from being outflanked by their enemies. Neither the cavalry nor the infantry stood a strong chance of defeating their enemy separately, but together, protecting each other, they were a formidable force. Likewise, Team Little Rock is a formidable force when we employ the Wingman concept in the delivery of Combat Airlift for our nation.
As Airmen, we are part of a larger team and the combined effect of each of our efforts makes us the greatest team in the world, capable of taking on any task or foe. We rely on our Wingman to know when we need help, and to be there to pitch in to fill the gap and make the mission successful. There is a great Wingman line in the latest “Iron Man” movie where Air Force Lt. Col. James Rhodes tells Tony Stark that when he puts on the uniform and he looks in the mirror, he recognizes that every person who wears the same uniform has his back. That is a great feeling, that is the Wingman culture.
Tomorrow our country celebrates a holiday proclaimed by President Lincoln, as a national day of prayer and thanks for our country’s prosperity. From the founding of our country to today, one constant thread throughout is the commitments and sacrifices great Americans like you have made to win and defend freedom here and around the world. You and your families will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow with firsthand knowledge of the sacrifices required to protect the things we are most thankful for. Thank you for your service.
Kim and I wish you a happy Thanksgiving!
Combat Airlift!
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