Vance Operational Readiness Inspection on horizon

Published Nov. 28, 2006
By Maj. Steve Mollick
ORI Preparation Center Director

Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Although the official schedule has not yet been published, Vance Air Force Base is expecting its Operational Readiness Inspection beginning Aug. 14.
Some people may be thinking "Six months away! I've got more pressing matters to worry about than ORI prep." These issues may include the pressures of day-to-day operations, keeping up with the training timeline, inventorying the newest shipment of individual equipment, ensuring everyone has received their flu vaccine or even getting to the gym. But now is the time to get serious about preparations.
ORI preparation has been compared to a marathon, where the runner doesn't want to burn out after just a few miles, and not be able to successfully complete the race. However, unlike a marathon, ORI prep has a pre-determined timeline, or "clock."
Therefore, preparation might more accurately be compared to football. Considering the 24-month ORI cycle, Vance is in the fourth quarter already! In football, a strong first quarter sets the tone and tempo for the rest of the game. A great start establishes momentum and motivates the entire team. A big lead takes pressure off individuals and allows them to play to their maximum potential. Team Vance has had a spectacular first three periods, and just needs to tie up a few loose ends to wrap up the victory in the final quarter. This is not to minimize the importance of these details. The "loose ends" can and will trip those who don't deal with them.
Successful completion of the mission depends upon the seamless and simultaneous accomplishment of innumerable separate programs. To the casual observer, there is little difference between a satisfactory operation and an outstanding operation. The inspectors are not casual observers. In fact, the difference is in the details.
How can each person help ensure outstanding results? Every program or process is an important part of the mission. Therefore Airmen should "LUV" their programs.
"L" stands for Learn. It may seem a bit simplistic, but learning the program involves identifying all applicable guidance that governs it. This includes local guidance. Make sure the program is in compliance and the continuity book is up to date, with current self-inspections and appointment letters. Look at prior inspection reports for weaknesses to avoid, and more importantly, strengths to emulate.
"U" stands for Upgrade. Words to live by here are "work smarter, not harder." An improvement requiring hundreds of man-hours to implement, which only improves efficiency by 2 percent isn't what is desired. Identify areas that are either not in compliance, or would benefit from a process improvement. There are a number of resources available to help in this area including best practices on the Air Force Manpower Agency Web site, which might be appropriate plug-in solutions for a program. A unit's ORI prep team representative can provide guidance on implementation timelines and documentation requirements. Also under "Upgrade the program," identify local guidance that needs to be changed, and work those changes through the appropriate chain of command.
Lt. Col. David Hammack, Air Education and Training Command IG, wrote in the Jan-Feb 05 TIG BRIEF, "Don't change local guidance too close to the ORI." This results in information that is so new that many "people are not familiar with it. Too many changes before the ORI increase the chance of confusion and noncompliance." Now is the time to make the changes, so everyone is comfortable with them by August.
"V" stands for Validate. Get someone else to look at the program to ensure nothing was missed. Ideally, get a headquarters or wing Staff Assistance Visit. Other options include getting a supervisor or someone from the OPC to look over the program.
Getting a jump start on ORI prep will identify problems early enough for a planned, logical improvement, rather than a bandaged crisis management fix later. It will establish a solid track record for a healthy program prior to the inspection. And it will provide people greater confidence and a smoother distribution of workload leading up to the inspection.
To finish with another football metaphor, Vance is in the fourth quarter with the lead. Control the ball (continue positive practices), don't miss any blocks and don't fumble (Learn, Upgrade and Validate programs). This is a certain formula for victory!