Doing more with less through great IDEAs

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tabitha Lee
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Often times Airmen look around their work place and think, "This task is silly," or "I know how to do this better." The Air Force Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program was designed to let these Airmen be heard.

The IDEA Program is an incentive program, governed by AFI 38-401, that promotes process improvement and resource savings through ideas submitted by military and civilian employees.

"It's a program that aims at soliciting members to show the Air Force a way to do things cheaper, quicker, and better while paying them to do so," said Tynisha Williams, Management Analyst RAF Mildenhall IDEA program manager.

The program started in 1954, when the Government Employees' Incentive Award Act established the Federal Incentive Awards Program. This program was set in place in order to encourage all employees to improve the efficiency and economy of Government operations. In 1973, the Suggestion Program helped save more than $3 billion dollars for the Air Force and has now evolved into the IDEA Program.

The program is open to all active duty Air Force military members and civilian employees that are paid from Air Force appropriated funds.

With recent resource management decision cuts, the Air Force community has to continuously assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the way they perform everyday business. The IDEA Program offers a way for everyone to contribute IDEAs on how to do more with less due to limited budgets and manpower.

If a member submits an eligible IDEA, the member is eligible to receive between $200 and $10,000.

Last quarter, the IDEA program paid out $5,200 to individuals with eligible IDEAs. In order to raise awareness of the program, the 100th Force Support Squadron, and the 48th FSS Manpower offices have worked together to find ways to encourage individuals to participate. The offices are giving away an iPod Nano to one individual per quarter who submits an idea to the program.

"The first Nano drawing was accomplished Jan. 5," said Williams, "and was awarded to Staff Sgt. Raymond Shanks, 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, for a technical order change that he submitted to the Program in November. Each person who submits an IDEA to the program is eligible to win the next iPod Nano, so we're encouraging people to submit those ideas."

Getting started with an idea may seem difficult, but the list below, from the 100th FSS Manpower and Organization office, provides instruction on how to submit an idea to the program.

1. Identify improvement opportunities - Look around your environment to see if there is anything that needs to be changed.

2. Gather data - Start researching relative data to help make the point and contact agencies to estimate costs and time. It is important that to collect all of the information in order to formulate the IDEA.

3. Analyze the facts - Will the information you gathered help you solve the problem? If so, then you're off to a good start and should begin organizing the information.

4. Sell Your IDEA - Log on to the IPDS website, https://ipds.randolph.af.mil, and establish an account if you have not already done so. Click on "Start a new IDEA." Thoroughly describe your improvement opportunity. Be sure to attach any information that supports your idea. And finally, identify the benefits that can be expected if your IDEA is approved. Sell it!

For more information, contact the 100th FSS Manpower and Organization office at DSN 238-4332.