SALT VI tackles digital material management adoption

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Mikaley Kline, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Strategic Acquisition Leadership Team Cohort VI wrapped up a six-month project with a briefing to Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton at the AFLCMC headquarters building on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, July 11, 2024.

SALT is an opportunity for AFLCMC civilians who have just promoted into leadership roles or are ready to promote into leadership roles to access specialized coursework from leading universities while working together on a small team completing a six-to-eight-month challenge project benefitting AFLCMC.

“We were tasked with helping AFLCMC craft a strategy to train the acquisition workforce to enable a widespread culture shift towards digital materiel management (DMM) adoption,” said Pamela DiDonato, Deputy Director of Engineering for Cyber and Networks Directorate at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. “Usually, the SALT projects are stand-alone projects. However, this one was unique and we were able to build upon the project that the previous SALT group started, which was more broadly focused on shifting AFLCMC to digital material management adoption.”

The team’s final presentation discussed digital business design details and how a successful digital transformation should include a strategy for people, processes, and tools.

The team's final recommendations are outlined below:
 
  • Digital adoption must be championed by leadership and that leaders lead by example by using the digital tools and promoting their use as well as communicating progress towards Digital Transformation, highlighting successes and best practices along the way.
  • Ensure the necessary digital tools and licenses are funded and available.
  • Identify clear and accessible training paths for the workforce that cover all aspects of DMM from basic skills to advanced techniques.
  • Follow-up training with hands on experience through automation competitions, pilot projects, and/or job rotations.
  • Support structures need to be put in place to enable DMM adoption to provide employees with the resources and support they need to succeed from technical assistance to coaching and mentoring.
SALT VI cohort member Marcus Green, AFLCMC Architecture and Systems Engineering Division Contracting chief, stresses the importance digital material management adoption and how SALT cohort members are vital change agents.

“Digital Material Management is our path forward to succeeding in the future fight no matter in the air, space, or cyberspace,” Green said. “Our ability to train and develop our Airmen and Guardians starts with building and cultivate a culture around digital. It has to be relevant, timely, specific, and most importantly useful."

The SALT VI team was able to craft their recommendations by bringing together what each person learned from their individual coursework like the “Organizational Design for Digital Transformation” course through MIT, “Digital Transformation Certificate” from Cornell, and various leadership programs from Harvard and Disney.  

The team was also able to gain valuable insight by partnering with SALT Cohort V and through that partnership visited the Armament Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to see and learn about how they have successfully embraced the Digital Transformation. 

Additionally, the team got to experience a trip to the National Institute for Aviation Research in Wichita, Kansas to learn about how they are helping to digitize decades old aircraft programs.  

DiDonato felt that the experience gained from this was invaluable.

“I personally feel that I have gained so much from this opportunity all around - the training was invaluable, the TDYs [temporary duties] were eye opening, and getting to brief the AFLCMC commander was such a cool experience,” DiDonato added. 

SALT VI team members:
Jaclyn P. Blevins
Jaderic C. Dawson
Pamela S. DiDonato
Nicholas A. Dorsten
Marcus R. Green
Angela M. Hart
Taylor B. Ketterer
Richard K. Porter
Christopher A. Ruwaldt
Santae L. Zanders