By Vicky Falcón
NAVAIR Public Affairs Office

A planned merger of the four AIRSpeed programs (Depot AIRSpeed, Enterprise AIRSpeed, NAVAIR AIRSpeed and NAVICP AIRSpeed) will strengthen the connection between these programs across the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) and maximize savings and recapitalization opportunities.

“Our goals for the merger are threefold,” said RDML Mark Skinner, NAWCWD Commander and NAVAIR AIRSpeed command deployment champion. “We want to give the NAE board of directors visibility into all NAE AIRSpeed activities, ensure that the activities are prioritized and coordinated, and develop metrics that will allow us to quantify AIRSpeed results.”

The merger, which should occur during this fiscal year, is dependent on two developments. First, a portfolio management system needs to be created which will give the NAE Board of Directors (BOD) NAE-wide visibility of AIRSpeed projects and savings. Second, all four AIRSpeed programs need to benchmark (describe/compare/contrast) their present and desired future states.

According to Capt. Bob Novak, NAVAIR AIRSpeed program manager, those two tasks are well under way.

“Not only are we already analyzing the benchmarks for consistency in deployment and execution,” he said, “but we’re also looking at the projected costs, the benefit/savings realization plan, and the desired end state for each AIRSpeed program, among other factors.”

According to Novak, he is also looking for the best business practices for reporting data. “We want to give the leaders of the NAE true visibility – a clear picture – of what AIRSpeed is doing and how best to use AIRSpeed savings to recapitalize across naval aviation,” he said.

“The Navy’s budget has been stretched thin in recent years as we work to recapitalize our force and assets to meet the needs of our nation’s defense,” explained Novak. “Several years ago the leaders of the Naval Aviation Enterprise decided that Lean/Six Sigma/Theory of Constraints – AIRSpeed – would be the tool set we use to produce savings and efficiencies that will offset the budget reductions that this year alone total almost $200 million across Naval Aviation.”

There are currently 150 NAVAIR Black Belts working on projects, plus 200 Green Belts active or in training. According to Skinner, NAVAIR is focused on AIRSpeed execution and sustainment in FY06. “We recently documented our first million dollars of savings and have received more than 170 project ideas through our Web site,” he said.

The ultimate goals of NAVAIR AIRSpeed won’t change with a merger, said Novak. “We will continue to drive productivity through process improvement using industry-proven tools.”

A true, ongoing culture change is necessary, though, to make AIRSpeed successful. According to Novak, the most significant adjustment will be for leaders to recognize that the AIRSpeed savings produced by program offices, competencies and business units will be realigned to make improvements in the Naval Aviation Enterprise – not necessarily returned to their programs and competencies.

“Implementing this depth and breadth of change for the good of the Enterprise is becoming a NAVAIR commitment,” said Novak. “The NAE’s priorities will be addressed first for the realignment of all available savings.

“The Fleet is already realizing the benefits of the implementation of AIRSpeed at the depots and AIMDs,” added Novak. “The implementation for NAVAIR AIRSpeed has been briefed to the PEO and competency leaders. Our methodology will enable the PEOs, competency leaders and PMAs to have an input into the prioritization for actual savings. The difference is that the NAE BOD will make the final decision on the realignment and recapitalization of funds to be used to have the greatest impact Enterprise-wide.”

According to Novak, the merger of the Depot, Enterprise, NAVAIR and NAVICP AIRSpeed activities will result in an even more focused and coordinated opportunity for the Naval Aviation leaders to review all AIRSpeed savings and make more informed decisions to best address emergent funding needs and fleet priorities.

Though there will be adjustments to make with the AIRSpeed merger, it will be a win-win situation for everyone, according to both Skinner and Novak.

“Not only will the merger provide us a forum to share productivity improvement ideas and best practices across the NAE,” said Skinner. “But the merger will also allow us to take on more complex cross-competency and cross-activity projects as our AIRSpeed skills grow and mature. We will also be able to focus more of our project activity on issues that have high Fleet interest, through our interaction with the acquisition and maintenance and supply chain management sub teams.”

Novak agrees. “Each Black Belt, Green Belt and Kaizen project has immediate benefits in the form of improved efficiency and quality of work life for employees,” he said. “But the savings, whether from applying manpower resources to other projects, reducing costs or freeing assets, all eventually add up to dollars that can be given back to the fleet.”

“I’m continually impressed with the efforts of our deployment team and our Black Belts and Green Belts – outstanding individuals that are making a difference one process and one project at a time,” said Skinner. “We still have a lot to do, but we’ll get it done.”

For more information on NAVAIR AIRSpeed, go to http://www.navair.navy.mil/navairairspeed/.