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An Information Sheet for Federal Communicators, Managers, Workers, and Their Partners--Pass It On
Most federal employees, like other Americans, watched the President's State of the Union Address on Jan. 23 on their television sets. Not Richard H. Dean.
Richard, a Social Security claims representative from Oklahoma City, represented the federal workforce as the President's special guest in the House gallery. President Clinton cited the 49-year old Vietnam veteran as an example of one of the "hard-working Americans who are now working harder and smarter than ever before to make sure that the quality of our services does not decline" as the federal workforce shrinks.
Richard, after digging himself free from the rubble after a bomb shattered the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, helped rescue crews locate and carry out his colleagues. He saved the lives of at least three people.
The last Reinvention Express (Vol. 1, No. 19) was published on December 8, 1995, and here it is, almost the end of January in a new year, and we're just getting out Vol. 2, No. 1. Furthermore, for reasons about to be explained, many of you will not see this until much later unless you get delivery by e-mail or check out our Web site at http://www.npr.gov.
First came the long furlough, then came the wicked blizzard of 1996--make that two blizzards during the same week of January. When some of us finally returned to our desks at the National Performance Review, we found that our long-awaited new computer network server was being installed.
The editor's e-mail and FAX directories were a casualty of the upgrade.
A team from the E-mail Program Management Office at the General Services Administration saved the day. Team members set up a list server for the Express and entered as many of the e-mail addresses as we could salvage. We're also soliciting new e-mail customers, so please pass subscription information on to your colleagues.
Here's how to subscribe. Send an e-mail message to: Listproc@etc.fed.gov. Put this message: SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L@ETC.FED.GOV firstname lastname. (Put a space after the e-mail address and after your first name.) EXAMPLE: SUBSCRIBE EXPRESS-L@ETC.FED.GOV John Doe. If you need help, contact Pat Wood at (202) 632-0223 or pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov.
The Office of Personnel Management invites quality experts, government reinventors, and others to submit proposals to speak at the 9th Annual Conference on Federal Quality in Washington, DC, June 3-6, 1996. The theme is "New Realities: Common Sense Government." Common Sense Government is the name of the Vice President's latest report to the President on reinventing government. The National Performance Review is one of several conference co-sponsors. Hurry--OPM must receive proposals by Feb. 5, 1996. For information and an application form, call Kim Exeter at (703) 312-7333.
In this age of reduced funding, federal managers must consider every economy, every efficiency, in order to deliver high quality services at less cost. Necessity will be the mother of reinvention. Here's a success story about customer service, technology and good management that other federal programs can learn from.
The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Center Europe in Pirmasens, Germany uses an Internet Web site (http://www.pirmasens.amedd.army.mil) to list the supplies it sells and to receive orders. Its customers are Army, Navy, and Air Force organizations in Europe and Southwest Asia and embassies in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Some customers are as far away as Bejing and ships at sea.
Rolling Warehouses--Trucking Along
Medical staff in hospitals and other sites in Bosnia, Hungary, and Croatia, for example, can track medical supply trucks by computer and even divert supplies--like life-saving antibiotics--off a truck enroute. That's because the Center uses various commercial trucking companies that are outfitted with laptop computers and global pointing receivers (to transmit their location on the highway). The Center updates tracking information and truck contents on its Home Page a couple of times a day, and it's working toward almost instantaneous updates.
The Center's pharmacist puts medical notes on the electronic bulletin board so that military pharmacies can keep up with the news like the latest drugs or recalls. Electronic commerce also means that these pharmacies can order directly from the Center--eliminating a middleman and reducing pharmaceutical inventories by about $1 million. Orders often come in overnight and the prescription drugs and other supplies are dispatched the next morning. Some locations in Germany get these supplies within hours.
Putting Customers First
"We don't believe any Defense organization can match us in putting information at the fingertips of our customers," said Col. Richard Ursone who commands the center. "We meet with customer representatives to find out what they want. We are a one-stop shopping center and we purchased the software for online commerce for a nominal amount." The Center also repairs medical equipment like X-ray units and cardiac monitors and manufactures 5,000 eyeglasses a month. The Center depends on team work, performance measures, benchmarks, and a highly-motivated staff to assure high productivity and excellent service. The Command's staff includes about 15 Army civilians, 30 military staff, and 225 German nationals. A co-located medical logistics batallion also works with the Center.
For More Information
For more information, contact Col. Ursone by e-mail at ursoner@pirmasens-tammis1.army.mil or from the U.S. by phone at
011-49-633186-7395 (or 6426).
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We want your success stories. For more information, contact Pat Wood , National Performance Review, 750-17th St., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 632-0223; FAX: (202) 632-0390; e-mail: pat.wood@npr.gsa.gov.