In-Processing saves man hours Published Dec. 29, 2007 By Senior Airman Steven R. Doty 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Since the implementation of the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century (AFSO21) campaign, many changes have occurred throughout the Air Force to make it operate more efficiently with less. Here at Kunsan Air Base, AFSO21 has provided a way for Airmen to review policies and procedures to maximize productivity and minimize waste. For Tech. Sgt. Kristi Wilson, 8th Mission Support Squadron, non-commissioned officer in charge of personnel employments, AFSO21 has allowed her team to reduce in-processing from four days to 10 hours. "Cutting back to just one day gave us the opportunity to not only get Airmen into their work centers faster, but reduce the amount of man hours (8th MSS) had dedicated to the four-day process." Sergeant Wilson said. Sergeant Wilson said that under the old in-processing procedures, there were an exceeding amount of people gone at any one point in-processing the base. "It's essential that every work center have as many personnel as possible in order to maintain the Wolf Pack's mission of Defend the Base, Accept Follow-on Forces, and Take the Fight North," Sergeant Wilson said. The new in-processing schedule has not removed anything, but has prioritized it. For example, there are certain briefings that must be given in person such as the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), immunizations and the wing commander's briefing. Other briefings are done through handouts or other forms of mass communication. "We just referred to the AFI (Air Force Instruction) and the USFK (United States Forces in Korea) policies to find out which briefings had to be done in person and which did not. From there, we were able to cut out a lot of "filler" briefings," Sergeant Wilson said. "It was not a contest between what was more important and what was not, it was just a matter of saving people time." The project to streamline base operations began in August and Airman have spent much of their time dedicated to simplifying in-processing. Sergeant Wilson said that it was a very thorough process that involved a lot of work, but in the end, it was very worth it. "The biggest benefit has been our ability to focus on our other duties and responsibilities with our extra time such as DEROS management," Sergeant Wilson said. According to Sergeant Wilson the new in-processing schedule will save about 160 man hours per year. Colonel CQ "Wolf" Brown, 8th Fighter Wing commander, supports the initiative. He agrees as the Air Force attempts to achieve greater efficiency, Airmen here need to look at better ways to operate. "Unfortunately, things don't always all line up together very nicely. Part of our process here is to take a look at all the different things that support our mission," he said. "When we're looking at our self-inspection checklists, we need to ask ourselves how does this relate to the mission we have to accomplish and if it supports the mission. If it doesn't support the mission or help the Airmen who support the mission, then it may be something we consider not doing anymore." For first term Airmen like Airman 1st Class Tayler Martin, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew-chief, the new in-processing format was quick and effective. "I was nervous about coming to a new base, but the in-processing gave me just the information I needed without overloading or exhausting me," Airman Martin said. Sergeant Wilson hopes the new in-processing process provides Airmen new to Kunsan all the information they need, while providing a smarter more effective process in line with AFSO21. In-processing occurs every other week on Tuesday's from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the base theater. For more information, contact Sergeant Wilson at 782-3043.