Military Review English Edition July-August 2016 | Page 15

LEADING AND MANAGING

continuous improvement. From the infantry squad
to the Pentagon staff, all organizations are driven by
processes. Some of these processes are inherited from
our predecessors, while others are directed by policy.
Regrettably, a process is sometimes prescribed to us by
the old Army adage, “That’s the way it has always been
done here.” Regardless of how our work processes originated, their importance to the long-term viability of
our Army cannot be overstated. After all, organization-

has a long-term commitment to steadily increase the
efficiency of its manufacturing, and other processes
such as talent management, through Lean and Six
Sigma efforts.13
The arsenal begins the cycle with annual strategic
planning that determines key performance indicators
and performance targets for the coming year. To align
continuous improvement with strategic planning,
process-improvement events are planned to sup-

(Photo courtesy of Watervliet Arsenal)

Col. Lee Schiller Jr. (left) reviews progress with his arsenal leadership team at one of Watervliet’s monthly continuous process review
stand-ups 3 March 2016 at Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, New York.

al processes drive our daily battle rhythm, from ordering parts for an Abrams tank to awarding a multibillion
dollar contract for a new weapon system.
Despite organizational processes having such an
important role in all that is done in the Army, many are
rarely examined or improved. Quite simply, this lack of
attention sub-optimizes our efficiency and, in turn, our
readiness. The longer a process has been in place, or the
longer an organization allows a process to continue as
is, the tougher it is to recognize inefficiencies.
At the Army’s oldest continuously active arsenal,
the Watervliet Arsenal in upstate New York, the
tyranny of time is not part of any leader’s vocabulary.
This arsenal today has one of the most progressive
continuous-improvement programs in the Army,
despite being in operation for more than 202 years. It
MILITARY REVIEW  July-August 2016

port pursuit of these targets. Every month, arsenal
commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. convenes his key
leaders and representatives from the workforce for a
stand-up around an operational-style type of board,
similar to what one may find in a battlefield operations center. At this board, frank and spirited discussions take place concerning the progress being made
toward mutually agreed-upon improvement goals,
and, at the end of the huddle, all walk away as one
team with common direction and priorities.
One of the arsenal’s current improvement projects that has generated a great deal of interest is its
focus on the professional development of its diverse
workforce. “We have been very aggressive in instituting Lean and Six Sigma methodologies into our
operations,” said Schiller. “But, as we ramped up those
13