TOPIC SPONSOR: AFCEC/CB
There are numerous different processes and procedures to follow from idea creation to enterprise distribution depending on the type of innovation, development needed, programming, acquisition of, or sustainment of the innovation through the Category Management spectrum. While the current Air Force Category Management Program illustrates the responsibilities of the Category Managers, it does not clearly illustrate the process to follow for each of the 10 Categories when navigating an innovation through the respective processes or coordinating offices for enterprise distribution. Often, the lifecycle of an innovation is much shorter and faster than the development of the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP), which leads to a lack of development funds and long-term sustainment of the innovation. Without clear processes to follow in bringing an idea from Air Force acceptance to long-term sustainment, many ideas and innovations languish before enterprise distribution, never clearing the 'Valley of Death.' What processes and procedures can help bridge this 'Valley of Death'? Consideration to doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMLPF) should be included in the mapped processes.
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- What processes and procedures can help bridge this 'Valley of Death'? Weigold answers this by exposing the flaws in the USAF's current Continuous Improvement and Innovation (CI²) program and its Guardians and Airmen Innovation Network (GAIN) platform. He argues that GAIN prioritizes administrative processes for decentralized, one-off innovation submissions but fails to require structured implementation methodologies. To successfully bridge the "Valley of Death" from isolated ideas to enterprise-wide sustainment, Weigold recommends reintroducing rigorous, industry-standard procedures like the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) framework. By mandating these formal processes, deploying cross-functional teams, and linking CI² projects directly to readiness metrics, the USAF can ensure that grassroots innovations are systematically scaled and integrated into long-term sustainment efforts.
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