U.S. Air Force joins Council for Continuous Improvement; CCI to provide curriculum and networking.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 29, 1995--The U.S. Air Force has joined the Council for Continuous Improvement (CCI) to make further progress implementing Quality Air Force and improving mission effectiveness.

By joining the non-profit consortium the Air Force gains access to a skill-building curriculum and networking opportunities with other organizations also striving to optimize their business processes and performance.

Air Force membership activities will be coordinated by the Air Force Quality Institute (AFQI) located at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and Headquarters Air Force PEQ and Major Command Headquarters staffs around the world.

"Membership in CCI represents a quantum leap in the process capability of the Air Force Quality Institute to meet the needs of all Air Force customers," said Col. Hank Fiumara, commander, AFQI. "Timeliness and applicability are two of the key result areas for our customers. CCI membership will help us better serve Air Force commanders and their organizations."

The Air Force is CCI's largest member to date. The other 175 organizations on the Council's diverse membership roster range from Keebler, Lockheed, Mobil Oil, the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and divisions of Ford, General Motors, and Anheuser-Busch, to the State of California and the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Employees of the Air Force will have many opportunities to network and share experiences and successful business practices, as well as lessons learned, with their fellow CCI members. Such opportunities include meetings held around the country throughout the year and on-line electronically with CCI's MemberLink network.

This sharing of what people have learned in the workplace as they attempt to build high-performing organizations is part of CCI's basic tenet of helping its members avoid "reinventing the wheel" and wasting limited resources. Air Force personnel will be able to obtain information on a wide variety of topics such as implementing criteria from the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, organizing a benchmarking effort, and managing process metrics.

Air Force senior leadership will also be invited to participate in CCI's CEO Forum. This group provides an opportunity for leaders to learn and share experiences with their peers about the unique challenges of managing rapid change and organizational effectiveness.

"CCI is very proud that an organization like the United States Air Force, which has already achieved notable success with its quality improvement efforts, has assessed that CCI's resources will be of value in its quest to continuously improve everything it does," stated CCI's CEO and President Peter E. Hamm. "I think Air Force participation in CCI once again demonstrates the critical importance of industry, government and academia working together. This kind of collaboration and alliance building can only strengthen our nation."

The Air Force has developed numerous curriculum products on its own however, a recent Air Force study found it cost effective to have access to CCI's cooperatively-developed curriculum and training materials.

CCI's curriculum, in the form of turn-key workshops, is used to train employees in skills such as how to be an effective team member, benchmarking, process improvement, evaluating customer satisfaction, and re-engineering. The workshops incorporate the experiences and input of member organizations and include hands-on exercises to enhance learning. Like all Council members, the Air Force has gained license rights to copy and modify all CCI training materials to meet their unique needs.

CCI, founded in 1989, is based in San Jose, and has five regions around the country to serve its members: East Coast, Midwest, Southwest/Texas, Southern California/Arizona, and Northern California.

For more information about CCI, call 408/283-1300.

CONTACT: Council for Continuous Improvement

Kathy Keller, 408/283-1300