News>Maxwell Airman receives $10K through IDEA Program
Photos
Computer programmer Senior Airman Zachariah Grummons works on a database at the Air Force Integrated Maintenance Data System Center located on Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Ala., Sept. 20. Recently, Grummons submitted the paperwork for IDEA 2012-2069, “IMDS Automation and Expediency of Element Recycles,” saving the Air Force $111,625 annually and earning him a $10,000 check from the Air Force Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Voss)
42nd Air Base Wing commander, Col. Trent Edwards and wing command chief, Chief Master Sgt. Garth Meade present Program Executive Office-Business Enterprise System, computer programmer Senior Airman Zachariah Grummons a $10,000 check from the Air Force Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program. Recently, Grummons submitted the paperwork for IDEA 2012-2069, “IMDS Automation and Expediency of Element Recycles,” saving the Air Force $111,625 annually. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Michael Voss)
by Master Sgt. Michael Voss
Air University Public Affairs
9/26/2012 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- Recently, an Air Force Integrated Maintenance Data System computer programmer received a $10,000 check from the Air Force Innovative Development through Employee Awareness Program.
In February, Senior Airman Zachariah Grummons from the Program Executive Office-Business Enterprise System, submitted the paperwork for IDEA 2012-2069, "IMDS Automation and Expediency of Element Recycles," saving the Air Force $111,625 annually.
While spending his day rewriting C-sharp coding, Grummons overheard a coworker complaining about the recycle process for programs. The process required individual programmers to recycle the script for each part of a program with a coding error. The recycling process can take up to 10 minutes of programmer's time per code error.
Grummons relates the process to a car assembly line.
"The recycle process was similar to a car being assembled on a line, and upon completion, the engineers realize they forgot to install the spark plugs," said Grummons. "It required the car be returned through each phase of the production line until it reached the engine assembly station. There, the technician would install the spark plugs and begin the process again."
Grummons agreed with his coworker that the process was inefficient and added a function that would automate the process. Today, when the system finds code errors, it refreshes the code without programmer involvement. The new process saves 8.86 minutes of processing time per element recycled, which equates to an increase of 88.6% program efficiency.
According to Grummons' IDEA submission, utilizing the 2011 calendar year as a baseline, 9,644 elements were recycled, which when multiplied by 10 minutes per element, is 96,440 minutes. Divided by 60 minutes, that's 1,607.33 hours. Given that the average estimated hours worked per year by contractors involved is no less than 1,800 hours per year, he calculated that 1,607.33 hours per year divided by 1,800 hours equals 0.893 years of work saved. Concordantly, the average estimated annual salary of the contractors involved in this task is around $125,000 per year. Therefore, he concluded that 0.893 years multiplied by $125,000 figures out to $111,625 saved per year.
"Previously, these recycles would have required continuous monitoring and input by a support contractor," said Susan Mills, Maxwell AFB IDEA program coordinator. "Since the process automation, the need for continuous monitoring has been eliminated saving the Air Force time and money."
Although it may not seem like a significant change, IMDS is used service-wide to schedule maintenance for Air Force assets like the F-35 Lightning II, F-22 Raptor and various munitions.
"Airman Grummons has been an example for others," said Tech. Sgt. Krista Crout, Grummons' supervisor. "Since receiving the award, there have been Airmen asking about the IDEA program because they hadn't heard of it or thought it was only for Airmen on the flightline. Sometimes, Airmen don't understand the value of their contributions to the service, especially programmers, because many of them never use the programs they create."
"I don't think I am special," said Grummons. "There are a lot of ideas that are getting implemented every day, but people don't realize the Air Force might pay you for the savings."
According to Air Force Manpower Agency, the Air Force IDEA Program is an incentive program that promotes process improvement and resource savings through ideas submitted by military and civilian employees. It is accomplished by encouraging a better way of doing business by fostering employee awareness and participation in the Air Force IDEA Program.
