Embracing the AFSO 21 culture Published July 11, 2007 By Chief Master Sgt. Frank Murphy 60th Operations Group superintendent TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Have you embraced AFSO 21? AFSO 21 is designed to increase productivity and allow us to work with less manpower than we currently have, while accomplishing our global mission. A common misconception is you are following the AFSO 21 goals if you design the process so that it's more efficient. While this is important, it's more valuable to determine if you need to accomplish the process. Work that has value added or a reason to be accomplished, needs a fresh look and a decision made as to whether it is the right way to work. Some items are mandated by Congress and still have to be done, while others are just the way we've always done them. Recently, my enlisted performance reports met the Chief's Group board at the Air Force Personnel Center to review them in preparation for the board. A board member noticed one of the EPRs didn't have a numerical grade assigned and notified me by email about the issue. I was on temporary duty at the time, but replied that I would try and fix it upon my return. After returning home, I looked in the global email listing for the senior rater's address to start the process, with no luck. After some thought about how to find the person, I researched the senior rater announcements and found the person's duty location. I gave this information to my group's commanders support staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge. We came to the following agreement to fix this error: we would retype the report, scan it, get it signed by everyone, and then have it down to AFPC in time for the board. One thing led to another, and ultimately the deadline was missed. As I started thinking about the whole process, I wondered why the markings had to be computerized. This had generated quite a bit of work in tracking down people, and retyping the already completed report. I looked up the appropriate Air Force Instruction for EPRs, and it turns out there can be hand written grades; we just choose not to do that. But it raises the question; why do we insist on falling back to the way we've always done it? Even if the AFI didn't allow pen markings, why would we accept that as an answer? This simple EPR correction involved three colonels, two senior noncommissioned officers and countless others at the board. So back to the original question; have you embraced AFSO 21? I don't mean moving tasks around so your shop no longer has to accomplish them and someone else does. I mean looking at what you do daily and seeing if there is value added; is it mission critical, mandated by law or just something we like to do? Anything else that gets in the way of efficiency needs to be either addressed or eliminated.