CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan -- When attention on deck was called, service members and Department of Defense civilians stood at attention as Maj. Gen. Peter J. Talleri, commanding general, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, entered the conference room Feb. 11.
Talleri kicked off the third round of the Continuous Process Improvement Plan managed by the Business Performance Office when he signed the project letter. The CPI plan consists of a group of process improvement projects aimed to streamline organizational activities and save time and resources as determined by the 11 goals contained in the Marine Corps Bases Japan Installation Strategic Plan.
“The plan contains significant changes on how we will achieve the goals identified within it and represents an initial effort encompassing all elements of MCBJ,” said Anna Wallace, management program analyst, Business Performance Office. “This plan was aligned with the Marine Corps Service Campaign Plan and the (III Marine Expeditionary Force) Campaign Plan and facilitates the attainment of required support levels for all assigned operating forces over the next five years.”
As the CPI Deployment champion, the commanding general is responsible for championing all CPI efforts across the command. The general’s signature on the project execution letter is consistent with the base order governing the CPI program and project execution and communicates strong executive commitment for improvement efforts.
Example projects include the implementation of web-based billing for on-base residents and an appointment-based system for identification cards at the Installation Personnel Administration Center.
“This reduced customer wait times from an average of 90 minutes to an average of nine minutes,” said Barry Henderson, business director, Business Performance Office. “This resulted in a substantial savings of approximately 13 man-years in 2009 equaling $1.9 million is lost productivity returned to the MCB Butler and it’s DOD customer base.”
Henderson also said the improvement projects all have the end goal of improving the quality of life and customer support for service members and their families assigned to Okinawa.
“We believe it represents a good plan because it clearly links organizational improvement efforts to the overall strategy of the organization,” said Henderson. “(The project) demonstrates how we can improve support levels to operating forces and the base Marines, sailors and their family members who live and work aboard our camps.”