USAFE-AFAFRICA ready for 4th annual Innovation Madness competition

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  • By Staff Report
  • U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa
The fourth annual Innovation Madness competition will begin March 13 at U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, in an effort to encourage operational innovations using Continuous Process Improvement across the command.

Participating USAFE-AFAFRICA wings will compete against each other in three separate rounds and have the opportunity to win a total of $250,000 throughout the competition while at the same time highlight their Airmen’s ingenuity.

“The ultimate goal is to improve operational processes, maximize mission capabilities, and reduce costs while keeping our leadership always one step ahead of our adversaries,” said Col. Ronald Hopkins, USAFE-AFAFRICA Innovation and Transformation Office Division Chief.

The competition was conceived by USAFE-AFAFRICA’s ITO and Office of Financial Management and Comptroller in 2015.
The first round of judging will focus on mission improvement initiatives based on awards packages that each wing submits to USAFE-AFAFRICA ITO. The round winner will be announced March 22.

The second round will grade 59-second videos produced by each wing’s public affairs office, which highlight the wing’s specific innovative achievements. The videos will be available on both wing and USAFE Facebook pages. The round winner will be announced March 29.

The third round will judge the wing’s CPI program. ITO will use total number of CPI events, total validated money and time savings and other CPI program criteria provided by Wing Process Managers throughout the year. The round winner will be announced April 3.

A champion will be announced April 5 and be recognized with the Lieutenant General William H. Tunner, Innovation Madness award.

“Innovation strengthens the ability of our Air Force to reduce cost, save time, and maintain our technological edge,” said 3rd Air Force commander, Lt. Gen. Richard Clark. “The most creative ideas come from our warriors.”



Videos, round winners, and other announcements on Innovation Madness 2018 can be found at www.facebook.com/HQUSAFE