Support battalion creates ‘best practices’

The 415th Base Support Battalion works to develop innovative ways to provide quality support to the KMC.
“We strongly promote creative thinking at the 415th and encourage them to always look for a better way to do business, to develop a Best Practice, and share that Army-wide,” said MaryPat Begin, from the 415th BSB Plans, Analysis and Integration Office.
She said that a Best Practice is a superior method or innovative practice that contributes to improved performance of a process and must demonstrate that it is better, faster and cheaper.
“The 415th BSB’s motto is ‘dedicated to support’ and with the current high operations tempo and budgetary cutbacks, improving how we fulfill our mission and uphold our motto is key to our success,” said Ms. Begin.
The many initiatives for process improvement permeating the 415th BSB support the Installation Management Activity – Europe program called Productivity Improvement Review.
One example of innovative thinking is explained by Tim Wood, the 415th BSB transportation officer.
“The 415th Personal Property Branch has streamlined procedures for processing requests for the pick up of personal property,” he said.
Scheduling personal property pick up entailed a visit to the office located at Daenner Kaserne, and a process that could take up to 45 minutes. The customer would then return to the office for a counseling appointment, receive a 45-minute briefing on pick up of personal property, after which the transportation counselor would schedule pick up.
The 415th BSB Personal Property Branch knew there had to be a better way. Thomas Muench, a transportation counselor, and Dieter Bauer, the division Information Assurance Security Officer, developed a Web-based request form that customers fill out and submit from the comfort of their office or home.
The process is completed in half the time, said Mr. Wood.
In addition, there is significant savings to the U.S. Government because the transportation office can meet U.S. Army Europe Quality of Life Standards requiring pick up of household goods within five days of request, preventing use of high-cost carriers to meet the standard.
Two other BSBs in the 26th Area Support Group have adopted this process. It has been recognized by the Department of the Army Installation Management Agency and Department of Defense Quality Management as a Best Practice. In addition to the personal property PIR, the Directorate of Logistics has several other PIRs being piloted.
The Transportation Motor Pool opened a carwash for non-tactical vehicles eliminating the need to take the vehicle off post for cleaning and they have had great success with a PIR for mission support reimbursement.
A third PIR is another computer-automated application – the TMP Dispatch, Maintenance, and Utilization Tracking System created by Helmut Weinheimer, a dispatcher at TMP, and Georg Korn, an operations assistant at TMP. It is being implemented throughout all 26th ASG transportation motor pools.
“The 415th BSB, Transportation Division’s motto is ‘success is the result of a good plan,’ and they prove it every day,” said Ms. Begin.
(Courtesy of the 415th Base Support Battalion)