iNNOVATION program to go live July 1

  • Published
  • By Mary Lou Gorny
  • Hilltop Times Editor
Hill AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  In the spring of 2013, Col. Kathryn Kolbe, 75th Air Base Wing commander, and Col. Frederick Thaden, 75th ABW vice commander, organized a team of all the wing's annual award winners.

The purpose: To create a new streamlined program specific to Hill Air Force Base designed to get ideas from all levels, to lower costs and to help refine processes in light of the prospective furloughs and pressures of sequestration, said 2nd Lt. Joel Bischoff, 75th Security Forces Squadron.

The result: Once a person clicks on the iNNOVATION icon and fills out a form in SharePoint, the idea is submitted within a relatively short period of time for evaluation to leadership and a Subject Matter Expert.

Submitters will be asked to choose an area the suggestion would fall within such as: Acquisitions, Civil Engineer, Communications and IT, Contracting, Financial, Education, Intelligence, Legal, Logistics, Military Personnel Services, Medical, Munitions and Safety among others. The submitter is also asked if the idea would best be implemented at the local base level, major command level or Air Force wide.

Volunteers, including some from the Top 3 and Company Grade Officer Council, will look through the submissions and prioritize ideas to research and for response.

The goal is to make sure the ideas are reviewed at least twice a month by a senior leader such as Col. Kolbe, Col. Thaden or Chief Master Sgt. Jason France, 75th ABW command chief, and a subject matter expert.

Within a month, said Bischoff, ideas should receive an "approve," "disapprove" or "further research" designation. Ideas will reviewed twice a month.

If evaluators decide an idea should be submitted to the formal Idea Program, the submitter will be notified and iNNOVATION efforts will be suspended. Significant financial incentives are possible through that program for the submitter.

If the idea is chosen the submitter will be highlighted at a wing function and in other ways yet to be determined.

The iNNOVATION program will be active July 1 at the 75th ABW level through a soft launch to work out any kinks or bugs in the program, said Bischoff.

Once that phase is done, all of Team Hill may contribute.

The concept is that an idea can be submitted and have a relatively immediate impact at Hill AFB. Ideas that go higher would be sent up the chain for further dialogue and discussion.