An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The Art of Problem-Solving: Boosting Raider Efficiency

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  

The 17th Training Wing conducted its first Practical Problem-Solving Methodology, PPSM, class to 20 personnel and four observers with the help of Brian Marchitello, Headquarters Air Education and Training Command master process officer, at the Military Family Readiness Center, December 11.

The PPSM approach is an 8-step process for the Air Force to uniformly define what is and is not a problem while minimizing wasted time and resources in the workplace. Through this process, the 17th TRW can optimize its resources to better support its mission of training, transforming, and empowering joint and coalition warriors.

“Everybody in the Air Force is a problem solver, but if you don’t have a methodology on how to find solutions, all you’re doing is going after symptoms instead of the root cause,” stated Marchitello. “This methodology teaches folks how to go through the process and fix the problems the first and right way.”

Going forward, the PPSM class will be taught and implemented at Goodfellow to help Airmen get certified in identifying and tackling problems to achieve the overall mission more efficiently. The current class is designed to be more hands-on and engaging, ensuring the concepts are better understood and easier to apply in daily work.

“We can implement PPSM into Goodfellow’s mission by giving them more skill sets and resources to document their processes,” said Michelle Schwartz, 17th TRW continuous process improvement manager. “I think in many situations, PPSM can be used to get us out of the ‘don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions’ mentality so we can better address problems and accurately solve them.”

Students assigned to different teams create a ‘product’ during a simulation in the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The simulation demonstrated the chaotic nature of working together without an established process to identify and solve problems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)

The Art of Problem-Solving: Boosting Raider Efficiency

Students assigned to different teams create a ‘product’ during a simulation in the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The simulation demonstrated the chaotic nature of working together without an established process to identify and solve problems. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)
Photo Details / Download Hi-Res
Brian Marchitello, Air Education and Training Command master process officer, teaches the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The PPSM class provides an organization with a structured process to identify and solve problems in the workplace quickly and efficiently. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)

The Art of Problem-Solving: Boosting Raider Efficiency

Brian Marchitello, Air Education and Training Command master process officer, teaches the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The PPSM class provides an organization with a structured process to identify and solve problems in the workplace quickly and efficiently. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)
Photo Details / Download Hi-Res
Personnel assigned to Goodfellow Air Force Base familiarize themselves with problem identification during the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow AFB, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The PPSM concept provides more efficient problem-solving skills to help save time and minimize resource waste. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)

The Art of Problem-Solving: Boosting Raider Efficiency

Personnel assigned to Goodfellow Air Force Base familiarize themselves with problem identification during the Practical Problem-Solving Methodology class at the Military Family Readiness Center, Goodfellow AFB, Texas, Dec. 11, 2024. The PPSM concept provides more efficient problem-solving skills to help save time and minimize resource waste. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Brian Lummus)
Photo Details / Download Hi-Res