New Knowledge Management Cell helps save Airmen time, money

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Grace Lee
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  ailable on them are essential to communicate and share information in an instant, but not all Airmen know about all the programs and tools available to them or how to use them to their advantage.

To help educate Airmen and make their processes faster and more efficient, a new section called the Knowledge Management Cell was created.

"The Knowledge Management Cell is the focal point for Enterprise Information Services, which includes SharePoint, Air Force Portal, Adobe Connect, Defense Connect Online, Microsoft Lync and more," said Senior Master Sgt. John Wiggins, 56th Communications Squadron knowledge management superintendent. "We are essentially here to help squadrons streamline or improve everyday computer processes."

Learning how to use the programs can help save Airmen their resources.

"There are many ways we can help Airmen save minutes in the day and money for gas on such things like going to meetings," Wiggins said. "Many people go to meetings that require them to take time to leave their office and drive to the meeting when they could be using Defense Connect Online to conduct a meeting from their desktop."

Users may also learn a new way of getting the same process done such as sharing a PowerPoint more practically.

"Many people share PowerPoint presentations over email which takes up space on the network as well as on email inboxes," Wiggins said. "This can be avoided if they convert the PowerPoint into a PDF file which creates a much smaller file. Learning little tips like these can make a big difference."

For those who are unsure of how to use certain programs or want to gain a better understanding of them, the Knowledge Management Cell Airmen are here to help.

"We can analyze mission requirements and recommend solutions to help people not only manage their information but do it the quickest way possible," said Staff Sgt. Brian Gosha, 56th CS SharePoint owner. "For us to help a unit, the first action is for a squadron commander or designated representative to have an understanding of where or what their unit might need help or improvement on."

A survey will be sent to the unit to capture what processes or IT tools the unit struggles with, Gosha said. Once the survey is completed and returned, the KMC will schedule a week-long visit to the unit to better understand the unit's needs and help educate personnel on better options.

"The KMC provides options, not solutions," Wiggins said. "The goal is not to 'inspect a unit,' but to focus on the needs of the unit. We are here to help personnel by showing how they can use the IT tools available in a better, more efficient way. The KMC is bigger than Luke; it's a collaboration of KMCs everywhere. If we don't have a solution, we will work with other bases to provide the customer a viable solution."

For more information, call the Knowledge Management Cell at 623-856-7013.