JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Master Sgt. Michael Olsen, maintenance training manager for the 325th Maintenance Group, at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, created a mission readiness training scheduler to eliminate manual input required to schedule formal training courses.
The hybrid model, called Training Titan, uses web-based user input and unattended automation to streamline student scheduling. Currently, four Airmen manually manage and process over 60,000 training requests emailed to the Air Force Personnel Center per year.
Automating this process would significantly reduce response time, from seven days to less than 24 hours, for training requests and will give Airmen time back to focus on higher-level tasks. His idea earned him a spot at this year’s AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo.
We asked him a few questions about his idea, being a finalist and his thoughts on innovation and empowering Airmen and Guardians.
Q: What is the name of your project?
Training Titan
Q: Please briefly describe your idea:
Training Titan is an automated process that streamlines scheduling and reduces response time to less than 24 hours. It also eliminates efforts required to create, manage and update student statuses. This automated scheduling system ensures accurate resource allocation, minimizes conflicts and optimizes resource utilization. The automation will replace human input and reduce workload by 60 percent, enabling schedulers to redirect their focus and expertise toward higher-value tasks.
Q. How will your idea help the Air Force deliver installation and mission support capabilities, improve installations or support families in a better way?
As the Department of Defense strives to maintain operational readiness, one of the most daunting challenges faced is the manual scheduling of over 60,000 students annually. This colossal task places a tremendous burden on our Airmen. It requires significant time, effort and resources to ensure accurate and efficient scheduling. By introducing this automation, we can alleviate the pain points associated with manual scheduling and empower our Airmen and Guardians to focus on higher-value tasks.
Q. How does it feel to be selected as a finalist for the 2023 Innovation Rodeo?
I feel honored to be selected for this competition! I am always looking for platforms to showcase my ideas and the ideas of my teammates. By introducing intelligent automation into our daily process, we can remove unneeded stress from our workload.
Q. As a finalist, you’ll be learning from leading innovators, collaborating with industry partners and networking with peers, senior leaders, and innovation teams. What are you hoping to gain from that experience?
My biggest goal for this competition is to network and collaborate with like-minded innovators. Increasing exposure of our ideas will benefit the Department of the Air Force tremendously.
Q: Why do you think innovation and a culture change that empowers Airmen and Guardians is important in today’s Air and Space Force?
We must continue to push the envelope on innovation. It is our duty to follow and enforce the Chief of Staff of the Air Force’s strategic plan to accelerate change or lose. I have been building automations with the Air Force for over two years and the benefits of implementing IA products have had a significant return on investment for our Airmen and Guardians. More importantly, it gives these individuals time back to focus on high-level tasks.
The 2023 AFIMSC Innovation Rodeo finals will be held July 21 in San Antonio. For more information, visit https://www.afimsc.af.mil/innovationrodeo/.