More than $1 million saved, three units recognized

by Tech. Sgt. James M. Hodgman
U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa Public Affairs

2/19/2014 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- Three U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa units earned the command's Pathfinder of the Year Award for implementing cost saving measures that will save the Air Force more than $1 million.

According to the USAFE-AFAFRICA Business Transformation Office, the Pathfinder of the Year Award recognizes outstanding teams of Airmen for significant achievement in process efficiency.

Lt. Col. Stephen C. Cristofori, USAFE-AFAFRICA BTO deputy chief, said he was impressed with this year's submissions.

The number of submissions for this year was up sharply from 2012, he said. The selection team had an extremely difficult time choosing the winners.

"In the end, the difference was proved by the clear use of the Air Force's 8-step model in defining the problem and process while obtaining actionable data and definitive results," he said.

One of the most impressive displays of definitive results, Cristorfoi said, was seen from the USAFE-AFAFRICA-United Kingdom International Relations Team and their efforts to reduce wait times and costs for visa extensions.

Prior to 2013, service members and their families stationed in the U.K. experienced lengthy wait times when they applied for a visa extension. Applicants often had to surrender their passports for up to six months or use the premium visa application process, which proved to be very costly.

The International Relations Team proposed a streamlined process for processing U.S. military applications. This new process reduced the wait time for a visa extension to 19 days and saved $1.065 million.

"The U.K. visa application process submission was a standout amongst all the submissions," Cristofori said. "What impressed me was the use of the 8-step problem solving model to break down the problem using objective data, identifying the total process time for visa extensions and determining the non-value added sorting process at one of the processing offices."

Those were the key steps in saving more than a million dollars, he said.

The work of the USAFE-AFAFRICA-UK International Relations Team will also have a profound impact on the quality of life for those who live and work at USAFE-AFAFRICA-UK bases, Cristofori added.

For family members in the U.K., the sheer impact is having the freedom to travel when they want to, he said.

The lieutenant colonel also said that USAFE-AFAFRICA will benefit from the efforts of all units who entered the Pathfinder competition.

For all the groups that submitted, there are several impacts; first, they all have the empowerment from their leadership to go out and fix something that makes their lives better, Cristofori said. Second, their actions will save Airmen and their families time and save USAFE-AFAFRICA money to devote to other mission critical needs.

The Pathfinder of the Year Award is given to units who best meet the award criteria in one of three categories.
The 2013 award winners are:
Tier 1: Savings less than $100,000: The 52nd Maintenance Group Aerospace Ground Equipment Flight at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany

Tier 2: Savings between $100,000 - $1,000,000: The 100th Maintenance Group Energy Reduction Team at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England

Tier 3: Savings of more than $1,000,000: The USAFE-AFAFRICA-UK Office at RAF Mildenhall.