RSO uses problems to find solutions at Pitch Days

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer, AFLCMC Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio (AFLCMC) – Charged with reducing sustainment costs and increasing mission capability rates, the Rapid Sustainment Office scours the landscape looking for solutions and scale them across the enterprise for maximum effect. 
 
The RSO gets inputs from the Major Commands and field units on problems and merges those into “Ability To” statements, according to Rob Hogle, RSO Technology Scout and Innovation & Integration Team Chief Engineer.  These focused statements help find solutions that can deliver results fast. 
 
“With problem statements and known users, we can have a much easier time transitioning technology to the field and getting that design thinking feedback to be able to do true agile development of a product,” Hogle said.  “We can have the companies go out and build with real-time feedback from the users through demonstrations.  They then go back to iterate, come back out with another demonstration and we can determine whether or not it's a minimally viable product, which we could leave in the field with the risk acceptance of the commander.”    
 
A key element is defining and advertising problems to potential partners and then listening to their solutions.  The RSO uses Pitch Days, inspired by the popular TV show, Shark Tank, to hear proposals. 
 
“When the concept for the RSO began, we were a start-up with limited budget,” Hogle said.  “We decided to leverage the [Small Business Innovation Research] process and mature technologies to a point where we could transition solutions to potential scale.  Now, as a new directorate we plan to still utilize the Pitch Day approach in conjunction with pursuing other funding opportunities to accomplish the RSO mission and mandate.”
 
The drive is to find ways to maximize benefit across the enterprise. 
 
“We’re not focused on weapons system specific problems, like fighter problems, bomber problems or tanker problems.  We look at if something works across the Air Force and then scaling across the Air Force,” he said. 
 
To hear the full conversation, you can watch Leadership Log on YouTube at https://youtu.be/CUbMJ3DPZ3w.  You can also listen by searching “Leadership Log” on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, Radio Public or Breaker.