1. TACTICAL RAPID IMPROVEMENT
EVENT
FIELDBOOK
How to conduct a successful Rapid Improvement
Event as part of the Air Force Smart Operations for
the 21st Century (AFSO21) Effort
January 2006
Beta Version

2. PREFACE
A paradox of documenting a Tactical Rapid Improvement Event (RIE)
Field Book is that though the body of knowledge is continually
improving and changing, the core concepts remain consistent. The Air
Force is continually learning new applications for improvement in the
wide range of situations they face daily. Thus, this Field Book strikes a
balance between documenting the core or must-do principles and the
tailorable tools that may not all be implemented in every area. Care was
taken to provide examples in most cases, with good use of graphics.
The purpose of this Field Book is to serve as a reference for any Air
Force team member who will Facilitate or participate in an AFSO21
Rapid Improvement Event or initiative – usually one work week in
duration. It is meant to be a guide, but not necessarily a recipe to be
followed without thought about the operation. Further reference and
detail is provided in the wider-scoped CONOPS and Implementation
Plan for Air Force Smart Operations (AFSO21).
This Field Book focuses exclusively on the Rapid Improvement Event.
It does not take the place of the wider-scoped CONOPS and
Implementation Plan for Air Force Smart Operations that provide the
plans and framework for full enterprise transformation.
Any Air Force team member who wishes to lead Rapid Improvement
Events should work for a time with a learned expert who has
successfully led transformations with other organizations before. This is
not because the toolkit is so mysterious that it cannot be learned but
simply because it is a “learn through doing” system. This Field Book
will show the user key steps in conducting a successful RIE – a key step
for an organization on its journey toward a culture of continuous
transformation.
1

3. 2

4. PERSONAL JOURNEY RECORD:
(Record your RIE’s on this page; get your RIE Facilitator to sign)
Event Title Event Type Dates
Event Types described on next page.
3

5. PERSONAL JOURNEY RECORD – PAGE 2:
(Have your RIE Facilitator sign this page next to the CPI Tools you
learned and used)
Improvement Tool Trained Applied Cert
VSM:
Current State Map
Future State Map
Annual Action Plan
Communication Plan
Basics:
Flow & Pull
7 Wastes
Standard Work
6S
5 Why’s
Advanced:
Total Productive Maintenance
QCO/Setup Reduction
Cell/Workplace Design
Kanban
Level Production
Quality:
Problem Solving
Error Proofing
Six Sigma (belt/training)
Six Sigma (project)
Training – 8 Hr Basic Instruction
4

6. KEYS TO AFSO21 TRANSFORMATION IN THE
AIR FORCE:
• AFSO21 requires Leadership at all levels
• Leaders must engage and actively PARTICIPATE
• All employees learn by doing: Get expert help, but you must do
it yourself
• Educate the ENTIRE workforce: Knowledge transfer
• Operationalize AFSO21: Involve everyone
• Tie all actions to key metrics: Customer Value & Combat
Readiness
• Change your Metrics to change behavior for desired results
• Manage your Operation with a focus on improvement
• It is not easy and will not happen overnight
• The only constant is change; be sure the changes in your area are
true improvements!
Three aspects must change to transform an organization:
• Physical
• Operational
• Cultural
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7. Air Force Hanger (modeled after the Toyota House):
AFSO21 Operating System
JOINT CDRS AIRMEN AIR FORCE
Desired Air/Space/Cyberspace Deployment Predictability, Safe Combat Capability,
Capability for Joint Fight— Work Place, Involvement & Flexibility, Efficiency,
Results When/Where Needed Satisfaction & Sustainability
AF Smart Ops for 21st Century – AFSO21
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Lean—Six Sigma—Reengineering
SUPERIOR VALUED COMBAT
Pillars PROCESSES AIRMEN CAPABILITY
• Core Mission Focus • Innovative Airmen Asymmetric:
• Responsive • Knowledge - Global Strike
• Right the First Time Enabled - Global Mobility
Elements • Waste Removed • Accountable - Intell/Surve/Recon/
• Recognized/ C2
Rewarded
Foundation Performance Standards & Measurement
Bedrock Integrity Service Excellence
Integrity - Service - Excellence 1
The AFSO21 Operating System diagram above illustrates the bedrock,
foundation, key pillars and results needed to move your operations along
on its transformation journey. It portrays a holistic approach that
focuses on Superior Processes, Valued Airmen, and Synchronized
Combat Capability in order to provide lasting Results for our customers
(Joint Commanders), Airmen and the Air Force.
The Air Force method for continuous improvement will blend Lean, Six
Sigma, and other recognized techniques with our Airmen culture
focused on combat capability, innovative Airmen, and responsive
processes with minimal waste.
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8. Principles, Tools & Systems in the Hanger Model:
The AFSO21 journey applies key, unchanging Principles and tools. The
principles are “must do’s” that guide transformation, interwoven
throughout the improvement process from planning through
sustainment. These principles also apply well in “Above Shop floor”
and support areas. Air Force operations are already operating on a strong
Base of our core values, our adherence to standards, and measuring
results. The three “Pillars” represent delivery of war-winning,
asymmetric combat capability and effects (why we exist as Airmen), the
attributes of our workforce we must develop, and the ever improving
processes that deliver results for our customers (Joint Commanders), our
people, and our Air Force as an enduring and continuously improving
institution.
Primary tools and methods we will use in our AFSO21 operating system
will include Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraint, Business Process
Reengineering, and other methods. We will adapt these techniques to
our culture. They will be used in our relentless pursuit to improve the
capability we provide to the joint fight and homeland security. Our aim
is to deliver that capability with less non-value added work and
resources—to reduce the cycle times in our processes similar to our
efforts to reduce the kill chain in time critical targeting.
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9. Model for AFSO21 CPI:
1
5 Leading Change
Leading Change 2
Measure, Assess
Measure, Assess Organize &
Organize &
& Sustain
& Sustain Prioritize
Prioritize
Continuous
Improvement
Cultural
Centered on
Transformation
Combat
Capability
4 3
Process
Process
Improve
Improve Redesign
Redesign
This model is followed from Step 1 – Leading Change through Step 5 –
Measure, Assess & Sustain. We will use this model to describe the steps
taken to complete a successful RIE. Some loop-backs can happen
during an event. Please note that each AFSO21 event often kicks off
several more iterations of this cycle as more Redesign, Improve and
Sustain actions open up new avenues to improve the operations.
It is the multiple passes (whether in a project area or larger Air Force
end-to-end processes) that result in the greatest gains. A single pass is
equivalent to an action workout. It is the continuous pursuit of
improvement and revisiting areas to see and take the opportunities for
greater waste removal, variability reduction, and improvements to
combat capability delivered. A net effect is a cultural change in how we
do and think about the work we do.
8

10. Typical Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) Timeline:
Please note the importance of leadership involvement in the setup and
scoping of each RIE. A Strategic VSM session with Strategic
Alignment and Deployment is needed in advance to avoid losing the
impact of each RIE and to help prioritize which RIE’s will yield the
“biggest bang for the buck”.
AFSO21 RIE Schedule
Process Owners
(Commanders
Identify Secure
Executive
Exploration
Chartering
Potential Services
& Staff)
Follow-up
Council
Project
Project
Project of Coach
Out-brief and Celebration
Preparation
Pre-event
Team Leader
Event Kickoff
(MBB’s, BB’s,
Consultants)
Core Team
Project Publish
Evaluation Results
Event
Implementation
Members
Team
- 4 Wks - 3 Wks - 2 Wks - 1 Wk + 1 Wk
Event
Integrity - Service - Excellence 65
This key session, along with strategic planning by the leaders in your
area, align all of the various improvement efforts.
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11. Preliminary Step: Total Process Value Stream Map –
The Big Picture:
[Leaders in your area should conduct this VSM “visioning” session
before your RIE. Refer to this overall vision and plan when you start
setting up your RIE.]
• Select a Product or Key Process in our area (what we deliver to
the Customer)
• Form a Team that create the “Vision” for this process
• Understand Customer Demand
• Map the total process at the “50,000 foot” level with minimum
detail
• Identify the total time for each step the process (80% of the time,
it takes less than …)
− Note: If the Total end-to-end time (TAT or Lead Time)
does not make sense, you have missed something in the
process.
• Identify the Minimum Cycle Time (MCT) for each step in the
process
• Use the comparison of MCT and TAT to identify Waste
Elimination opportunities in the high-level Value Stream
• Select a target area for more detailed analysis. Criteria
considerations:
− Close to Customer
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12. − Opportunity to improve total Lead Time for the Customer
− Ability to deliver waste reduction results on a timely basis
• Develop a detailed Action Plan to close the gap between your
Current and Future states; integrate all other transformation and
improvement initiatives into the overall plan. The overall plan
will include follow-on RIE’s (like yours), “just do it” tasks and
somewhat larger “projects”.
• Start the setup steps for your RIE (see next pages); NOTE: the
supervisor or key leader in each target area should be the Team
Leader for the RIE and should help implement and sustain all
changes brought forward by the team.
Example of the AFSO21 Support Request Worksheet Form:
An RIE that is well-scoped with buy-in by leaders and stakeholders will
likely be a success. These are two of the most critical success factors for
RIE’s. All of the fields need to be filled out completely with great
attention to the “expected improvements” goals. These goals should be
measurable, numerical and integrate into the goals of the unit. They
need to align with the overall Air Force goals. The goals should
“stretch” the team toward even greater success. Blank and completed
examples of this Form can be downloaded from the Air Force Smart Ops
for the 21st Century – AFSO21 Community of Practice (CoP).
In addition to a clear objective and scope, other critical fields include:
Point of Contact (POC) Information. Someone who
understands the objectives MUST lead the team. This person will be
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13. Leading the event, working closely with the facilitator and coordinating
the identification, attendance, and expectations of the team members.
Sponsor: Each RIE must have a sponsor with the availability
and authority to approve and support the changes the team decides to
make during the event week.
Team participants: RIEs are only successful when they have
knowledgeable participants who have embraced the idea of change and
who are willing and capable of being the driving force behind such an
effort.
Requested Date and Location for the Event: The sponsor,
team participants, critical stakeholders, process to be studied, and
facilitator must all be available simultaneously during the RIE week.
This requires some coordination and can drive when and where the event
should take place.
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14. Example of an AFSO21 Support Request Worksheet. This
sheet can serve as a team charter.
AFSO21 Support Request Worksheet
RIE (Process targeted for Improvement): F-15 Acceptance Inspection (AI) Process
MAJCOMPriority: __________
W ing/Directorate Priority: __________ Date of submission: ______
Impact of Event on Overall AF Goals Impact: defined and documented process for AF and Guard to accept a plane being
- Increased Aircraft Availability returned from PDMin W arner Robins AFB. This process will reduce redundancy , waste
- Reduced total cost and damage caused by unneeded disassembly and inspection and i ncrease aircraft
availability. Overall impact : increase in aircraft availability in the near termand future.
Unit: 154th W ing
Base: Hickam AFB
Sponsor: - Owns all processes under study ; Colonel Ronald P. Han, Jr.
Group/CC or higher (name, title) Commander, 154 th Maintenance Group, 154 th W ing
POC: (name, phone, e -mail) Lt Col Bill Petti, (808)448 -8429 or DSN 448 -8429, W illiam.Petti@ hihick.ang.af.mil
Current Mission Sh ortfall: Complex acceptance procedure delays availability of plane and increases costs
(schedule, cost, quality)
Current Measures of Effectiveness: Current time and cost to performacceptance in spection in terms of flow days and
(name, description, st d, FY04/current value) manhours, accuracy of part serial numbers.
Brief description of current process: An Acceptance I nspection will be accomplished on all newly assigned, tra nsferred,
(include boundaries by highlighting start and loaned or returning aircraft from Program Depot Maintenance (PDM); to include
stop of process) modification and TCTO's accomplished by CFT's or depot away from home station
before placing into service at home station. In conjunction with a periodic/ isochronical
inspection when possible. If no periodic inspection is due.. . QA will review the PDM
work package and Form 103…The check sheet will be placed in th e aircraft forms and
routed to PS& after all items have been initialed/signed by appropriate work area.
D
Description of expected improvements: Faster availability of aircraft after returning form PDM, reduced cost, and no reduction
of accuracy of seri al number data
- Schedule Acceptance flowdays reduced
- Cost Cost to receive aircraft from PDM reduced
- Quality No change expected in the short term; could be if FOD issues are resolved
Implementation TeamMembers: Lt Col Bill Petti, 154 th MXG, (at Lean Executive Training at W arner -Robins-Feb 05)
(name, unit, training/experience in Lean) Lt Col Jan Sue Heverly, 154 MXS, no Lean training yet …(others)
CMSgt Irvin Yoshino, 154 MXG, attended L ean training at Hurlburt Field
Personnel Responsible for Sustainment of SMSgt Douglas Awana, 154 AMXS, Production Superintendent
Gains: SMSgt Dominador Molina, 154 MXS, F -15 Inspection Docks Chief
Other Potentially Affected Groups or PACAF/LGMand 15 th AMXS (will be sending representatives to Lean Event)
Parties (Other MAJCOM’s, bases, cross -
functional teams, prog rams, initiatives, etc)
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15. Step 2 – Organize and Prioritize:
An RIE needs to be set up properly. Please use the setup checklist
from the Air Force Smart Ops for the 21st Century -- AFSO21
CoP. In preparation for the event, meetings or conference calls
should be held with the team participants, critical stakeholders,
sponsor and facilitator. Here are some key questions you can ask
during your meetings/calls starting 3 weeks in advance of the
event:
Answer all Questions with your Leadership Team
1. Are all participants and affected parties aware of and in
agreement with the objectives, scope and expectations for
this event? (Do this at least twice in advance of each RIE
event)
2. Who will officially kick off the workshop (sponsors and
process champions are good candidates)?
3. How will views of nonparticipating associates be brought
into the process (before/during, will they be available for
daily outbriefs)?
4. When will the workshop sponsor need to be present at the
event?
5. How will progress be reported out during the RIE; who will
do this (the team leader / POC may be the presenter or may
share the presentation responsibilities)?
14

16. 6. How will results be reported out at the end of the workshop
(there are standard report forms, but to whom should they be
sent)?
7. When and how will follow-up activity progress be
communicated to the sponsor and management team? By
whom?
Event – 4 Event – 3 Event – 2 Event – 1
Weeks Weeks Weeks Week
Organize &
Leading Prioritize
Change
Team Leader
• Confirms avail.of
Team Leader
•Event focus area personnel/resourc
•Prepare data
identified •Reminds leaders, packets,
•Consultant and sponsors to employee
Assigned Tm Ldr be available for
Forwards suggestions,
•Team Leader Inbrief and Day 5 supplies, tool
assigned team roster, Outbrief
preliminary kits, forms,
Team Leader •Ensures affected meeting spaces
data, and
•Begins collecting event goals
parties in the for event
primary data to Facilitat.
event focus are •Confirms event
•Determines some aware of pending agenda and
opportunities event schedule with all
•Defines goals •Ensures affected affected parties
•Selects team partied have a
members method to
•Identifies forward
resources required observations
15

17. Step 3 – Process Redesign
Actions during the week of the actual RIE. Focus on your team
members and make sure they stay focused on the goals. Use flip
chart paper and capture any ideas or thoughts as you go. Ask lots
of questions to see if they are tracking. Be a good time manager to
ensure the group stays on task through the course of a day and the
week. This includes setting clear expectations on what will be
accomplished each day and setting expectations on the day, which
typically could run longer than an 8 hour duty day. So all should
plan for it. As the event is conducted, capture portions that will be
part of the outbrief in an organized and chronological order. The
order includes the problem the team is addressing, current state
process and performance, problem identification, and
improvements recommended, with associated measures. In the
best events (especially in a “shop” area project), improvements
should be implemented and validated during the one-week RIE.
The following steps need to be followed closely. The appropriate
day is noted.
Typical Event Week – Agenda:
1. [Day 1] Present the Charter/Worksheet; clarify the
boundaries
2. Review the RIE “Current State” and/or the RIE “Tools”
Briefing/Training slides on the tools & principles.
3. Do a ‘Group Waste Walk’ – physically (if possible) or
virtually (if not possible to go where the process occurs)
walk as a team through the entire process.
16

18. 4. Capture the Current State (map or list of steps); mark steps
as Value-Added (VA) or Non-Value-Added (NVA) (See
section below: Describe the current state)
5. Identify Current problems and issues
6. [Day 2] Present the RIE “Future State” and/or “Think out of
the box” Briefing -- Leave behind any frustration that was
created as you closely examined of your current state and
think about improvement for a while.
7. The team may (or may not) develop an “ideal state” vision.
Depending on the experience and culture of the team, it may
be helpful to draw a vision of the process if it could exist
perfectly with no waste.
8. Develop a “future state” vision – either by removing as
much NVA work from your current state as you can or by
adding back to your ideal state (if the team created one) the
NVA work that you cannot yet (during this RIE) eliminate
9. Identify Root Causes and constraints in the current state to
be sure that you eliminate as much waste as possible in your
future state.
10. Develop the detailed Lean Action Plan (how to get from the
current to the future state)
11. Prioritize the Action Items. Secure the approval of the
sponsor and other leaders to move ahead.
12. [Day 3-4] Capture, Post and Train all affected people on
future Standard Work and process changes
13. [Day 5] Present the RIE Final Results briefing
17

19. Typical Event Week – Bill of Materials:
• Laptop with latest Training Briefings and sample results
Briefings
• Powerpoint projector to show your files on a screen or wall
• Flip Chart and Easel (tape to wall; apply post-its)
• Large roll of butcher block paper
• Post-it notes (to capture the Current State)
• Red and Green stickers (3/4”, AVET #5466, 5463, to mark
value added steps)
• Copy of Training slides (1 each, black and white, 2
handouts per page, double sided)
• Waste Walk Form or 7 Waste Checklist
• Digital camera (secure permission from your site first; use
to capture all Before and After pictures, team pictures, and
pictures of the whiteboards before erasing)
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20. Step 3 – Process Redesign
A. Describe the Current State
It is important to capture the Current State in as much detail as
possible. When documenting current state of any process or
operation, you can also use the following tools. These are
described in detail in the AFSO21 CONOPS and Implementation
Plan on the Air Force Smart Ops for the 21st Century -- AFSO21
CoP.
• Value Stream Mapping (picture pg 23)
• Current Standard Work (picture pg 37)
• Affinity Diagrams (left center, pg 31)
• Spaghetti Diagrams
• Current Cycle Times of each process step
• Department Metrics (if tracked)
19

21. Here is an example of a format used to display Current State data
collected during your VSM. The metrics tracked will depend on
your process, so change them so they make sense to your team.
20

22. Here are some additional data collection elements and tips for
documenting current state:
• Customer requirements (units/day, quality specs, min
delivery time)
• SIPOC (for each Process we are studying, identify several
Inputs and Outputs, and then Suppliers and Customers for
each Input and Output)
• Other Selected Process Metrics (e.g. overall end-to-end
time, Available Time, defects, etc.)
• Complete a quick walk through the target area to validate
the main processes.
Step 3 – Process Redesign
B: Analyze the Current State
Now that you made documented each step in your Current State
and made them visible (on a chart, wall, projected file, etc.), mark
which steps add value in the eyes of the customer (Recommended:
use green stickers for value added and red for non-value added if
you are using post-it note to capture each process step as in the
picture below).
21

23. Valuable:
• Is the output of the process what the customer wants and
needs?
• Are there items missing that can add value to the customer
in the current process?
• Steps that do not add value should be eliminated
22

24. • Time spent on Non-value-added steps that are required
should be reduced.
Capable:
• Can each step be performed the same way with the same
result every time?
• Is the result satisfactory from the standpoint of the
customer?
• Can the steps be executed in similar locations with the same
output every time?
Adequate:
• Can each step be performed every time it needs to be
performed?
• Can each step be performed in the cycle time required?
• Is there enough capacity to perform each step without
waiting?
• Is there too much capacity due to the need to add capacity
in large increments?
• Can the process accommodate changes to operating
conditions and still meet customer requirements?
• Can the process produce similar quality outputs across a
range of operating conditions?
23

25. Step 3 – Process Redesign
C. Identify Current Problems & Issues
Human Method Machine
Im proper N preventive
o
No Standard
loading M aintenance
W ork
Lack of
Training
Lack of O M
ld odel
docum entation N Training
o
M anual Poor Design
Interuption of
Job
Paper Jams
in the
Paper fill Copier
level not
Poor quality Copier
clearly
Paper overheats
m arked Paper gets
Num of
ber Paper wet
jam per day
s wrinkled in R not air
oom
not captured shipm ent conditioned
Supplier not R leaks
oof
aw of
are
problem
Measurement Materials Environment
Fishbone or Cause & Effect diagrams are used to brainstorm
potential root causes to a problem. The “5 Why’s” is method
developed by Toyota for analyzing and solving problems by asking
“Why?” five times or until no other reasons can be brainstormed.
These “root” causes are what need to be addressed to eliminate
failure. The first few brainstormed causes were likely just
symptoms of the more underlying root issues.
24

26. Steps 3 & 4 – Process Redesign & Improve
D. Identify Waste for Elimination
The team and key stakeholders then develop a “waste free” Future
State vision for the process. Once you have as waste free of a
picture or vision as possible (given your time, resources and buy-in
by the team), it is time to start developing an action plan and
implement it. An example Future State Map is below. Again, it is
recommended that you use your original post-it note process steps
(with green stickers for value added) to do this step. Make sure
that you do NOT move any red-stickered (non value added) steps
over to the Future State unless there is no other solution.
25

27. Step 4 –Improve
During this step, the team will plan out then implement the
solutions selected in the previous step. The team should
communicate all potential changes to the people in the affected
area before, during and after the RIE. After implementing each
item, the team will then evaluate solutions against targeted goals to
determine effectiveness. New process cycle times and Standard
Work will be updated as well. The team will verify their results
from the previous step and measure the impact of their changes
against the goals. Results should be documented. Note: always
take a “before” picture before you move some major objects.
A good example of these steps through Future State Map and
Action Plan is included on the next page. A good way to prioritize
the Action Items that were brainstormed in the prior steps is to
rank them based on Difficulty (how easy and cheap it would be to
implement this step) and Impact (progress toward the goals of the
RIE). An example of this follows. The cutoffs for these factors
should be defined before prioritizing the tasks. For more
examples, see the Air Force Smart Ops for the 21st Century --
AFSO21 CoP at link.
26

28. Potential Action Items are placed in one of the four quadrants.
Those items that can be implemented with minimal effort but have
a large impact should become “just do its”. Others may be future
RIEs or projects which require more investment – but may be just
as worthwhile to pursue.
Impact
Difficulty
27

29. Step 5 – Measure, Assess, & Sustain
The team will do a practice debriefing within the group before
presenting to leaders. During this meeting the group will:
• Document areas where further examination (and follow-up
– may be another RIE) may be necessary
• Identify who will monitor (and audit) changes, and who will
update the action register with future results
• Identify areas for future RIE events
• The team should also recognize the efforts of those in the
area being improved
It is important to present your RIE results to leaders and
stakeholders on the final day of your RIE. Do not wait until a
fancy briefing can be drawn up and approved. Present what you
have, even if it is just hand-drawn flip charts. These sometimes
make the most effective communication devices for busy leaders.
Note: make sure you discuss the importance of thanking the team
with your leaders in advance. Nightly outbriefs to these leaders
can prevent a negative reaction in front of your team.
The Team Leaders, Champions & Sponsors need to check on all
major improvements in the days, weeks, and months following the
RIE (especially Monday after)! The final briefing action plan
should be used to prevent backsliding. Follow-up must continue
until the plan has been implemented, stability has been achieved on
the new process, and/or the next improvement effort on the process
has begun.
28