Imagine a vast ocean of information—reports, emails, policy documents, and years of expertise, all scattered and disconnected. This is the reality facing the Department of the Air Force (DAF) as we navigate the complexities of digital transformation (DT). If you need to find information to do your job, you’ll need to search through all of these and other resources to find it. But instead of drowning in this data deluge, we can chart a course for success by focusing on a critical first step: knowledge management.

In the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Digital Innovation & Integration Center of Excellence (DIICE) knows that a successful DT journey requires more than just adopting new technologies; it demands a fundamental shift in how we access, understand, and leverage information. This empowers our workforce and ultimately drives true innovation. It begins with three crucial steps:

1. Encapsulate Today’s Data: Before embracing new tools, we must address the immense sea of existing information scattered across documents, emails, and individual minds. This data, often siloed and inconsistent, needs to be readable, findable, interpretable, and transferable or accessible across different systems.
   
   
2. Bring Digital Tools to Bear: Once we have a handle on our data, we can leverage digital tools to capture, analyze, and extract insights. This empowers data-driven decision-making and allows us to automate processes, freeing up valuable human capital.
   
   
3. Gain Efficiencies & Revolutionize: The ultimate goal of DT is to help people do their jobs better. Accessible, understandable information enables our workforce to:
   
1. Understand the Past: Decipher the reasoning behind past decisions, even those made before their time.
2. Shape the Future: Anticipate the impact of current decisions to make more informed choices.
3. Share Knowledge Seamlessly: Easily transfer knowledge and expertise to other parts of the workforce.

DIICE exemplified this approach as they worked with SAF/AQR (the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Science, Technology, and Engineering) to map DAF policies. The team tackled MIL-STD-882, which defines the military’s approach to system safety, and all the Joint force instructions that reference it—a sprawling web of interconnected guidance. DIICE created a digital model to transform this complex tangle into a clear visual representation, one which easily highlights the ripple effects of even minor changes.

Overview of MIL-STD-882 document model. (AF graphic)

This model empowers policymakers to understand the impact of their decisions, ensuring updates can be implemented quickly and efficiently. It could also be used to automate alerts to program offices, streamlining their compliance efforts and keeping them abreast of the latest guidance.

This project underscores the transformative power of knowledge management in DT. Easily accessed insights empower our workforce to work smarter, not harder. This is crucial as we face a wave of retirements and a competitive job market—preserving institutional knowledge while equipping the next generation with the tools and expertise they need is paramount.

DIICE’s work demonstrates that DT is not about replacing people with technology, but about empowering them with what they need to excel. Knowledge management is the bridge to connect today to a more digital future. It enables us to build on previous efforts and connect human expertise with digital models and analysis tools. By prioritizing this foundational capability, we can unlock the true potential of DT and revolutionize how the DAF operates.

DIICE focuses on four lines of effort: education excellence, research and technology transfer, consulting, and best practices to generate digital solutions centered on model-based systems integration efforts that result in improved execution of weapon acquisitions and support across the AFMC enterprise in support of the warfighter.  For more information, please visit the DIICE webpage: https://www.afit.edu/DIICE or contact AFIT.CZ.DIICE@us.af.mil. 

The Air Force Institute of Technology, AFIT is located at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. AFIT’s mission is to educate defense professionals to innovatively accomplish the deterrence and warfighting missions of the USAF and USSF. AFIT’s vision is to lead defense-focused education, research and consultation to accelerate military superiority across all domains and is accomplished through operationally relevant advanced academic education, research, and professional continuing education. For more information, please visit the AFIT webpage https://www.afit.edu/.

This article first appeared on the Department of Air Force Digital Transformation Office (DTO) TIPping Point blog and was reprinted with permission.