Unit Effectiveness Inspection survey seeks unit members,’ spouses’ feedback

  • Published
  • By Maj. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 403d Wing Public Affairs
The Air Force Reserve Command and the 403rd Wing want your feedback, so leadership is encouraging Airmen and their spouses to take a survey as part of the Wing's upcoming Capstone event as part of the Unit Effectiveness Inspection in March.

During every UEI cycle, the Air Force Reserve Command Inspector General administers a survey to the inspected wing to capture candid, confidential beliefs, attitudes and opinions about matters relevant to the four UEI major graded areas of managing resources, leading people, improving the unit and executing the mission, said Lt. Col. Lt. Col. Allyson Chauvin, 403rd Wing inspector general.

The survey is very important for several reasons, said Chauvin. The survey results assists the AFRC IG inspection team by effectively targeting their efforts during the on-site Capstone visit in March, which assists wing leadership with corrective actions for identified issues.

This is the wing's second Capstone inspection as part of the inspection system that is a continual evaluation process to assess the unit's mission effectiveness, efficiency and readiness. According to AFI 90-201, the unit effectiveness inspection system is designed to foster a culture of critical self-assessment and continuous improvement, providing a "photo album" versus a "snapshot" view of wing effectiveness. Under the current inspection process, wing members identify deficiencies in their units, report them to the IG and then create and implement a plan of action to correct those issues. The process involves a mix of exercises, self-assessment, no-notice inspections, and an in-depth AFRC IG capstone inspection of the unit every 24-30 months. The wing's last capstone event was January 2014.

Part of this evaluation process includes getting feedback from wing members.

"The AFRC IG team, and wing leadership, wants to hear from Airmen and their spouses, so now is the time to lay issues on the table," said Chauvin. "We want to help the headquarters inspection team be fully prepared and focused when they come here, so be honest in your answers as it will make the results more meaningful to the wing. If we have unaddressed areas of risk, we want the IG team to know about that ahead of time."

Airmen are assured that their feedback is anonymous, intended for AFRC IG use only. According to AFI 90-201, The Air Force Inspection System, "Survey participants are assured that results are not shown to their chain of command ... under no circumstances will wing personnel, to include Wing commanders, receive copies of survey results."

The AFRC IG team will summarize significant trends within the wing and propose courses of action for wing leadership without compromising participant confidentiality, said Chauvin.

"Your feedback on wing issues is a vital part of this evaluation process," said Col. Frank L. Amodeo, 403rd Wing commander. "My priorities remain Airmen, families and communication. What better way for us to improve on those priorities than to have direct communication from Airmen and families about what they like and what they need fixed."

Other than take the survey, there are no taskers for the upcoming inspection.

"There is no reason to prepare," said Chauvin. "The purpose of the new inspection system is to allow us to conduct business as normal and to self-govern, self-inspect and correct problems as we find them."

AFRC IG has already reviewed many of our units' self-inspection checklists for the upcoming UEI," said Chauvin. "In March, the AFRC IG team is validating that the Wing is doing what they are supposed to be doing.

"Compliance should be part of the wing's 'every day' culture," she added. "This is a wing commander's program and a unit commander's program in which every single Airman in this wing plays a part. Everyone is responsible in this process."

An important step in that process is for Airmen to take the survey, which takes about 20 minutes to complete, she added. The survey link has been emailed to every unit member and Airman and Family Readiness will provide spouses with the link to the survey.