JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- With the substantial challenge of mounting cyber assistance requests, the 747th Cyberspace Squadron needed to come up with a unique solution. Their answer materialized in the form of a special team.
Chief Master Sgt. Aaron Williams, 747th CYS senior enlisted leader, was inspired to mobilize a tiger team after implementing the concept at a previous assignment. A tiger team consists of subject matter experts working together to solve a specific issue. In this case, the issue was that a higher number of computer support tickets were being submitted than traditional methods of ticket remediation could resolve. To combat the higher demand, the 747th CYS dispatched a specialized tiger team that worked together to reduce the unit computer ticket queues across the installation.
“Despite their best efforts, our Airmen are stretched to the limit,” said Williams. “To bridge the understanding gap and foster unity across our base, I proposed the establishment of dynamic tiger teams to provide in-person, face-to-face solutions to our customers and identify any additional issues that could be swiftly addressed.”
The tiger team initially started with four Airmen who would group outstanding tickets by squadron, coordinate on site visits and address the units’ tickets in bulk. As part of the effort, the team provided additional training to client support administrators at each squadron to equip them to handle day-to-day administrative cyber support actions.
“We're actually building up our client support administrator program, so I created the training for them,” said Tech Sgt. John Elliot, 747th CYS client services non-commissioned officer in charge. “So we're going to start going through to train people and help them support the other units a lot better.”
In May, the CYS commander set the guidance and intent for the squadron to reduce the backlog of tickets within four months. The tiger team’s efforts, coupled with refined ticket processing procedures, made the task of decreasing the ticket queue much more efficient. The team ultimately met the goal a month early.
“What sets us apart is the unwavering commitment of our small team of 95 Airmen and non-commissioned officers who tirelessly serve the full contingent of 11,000 customers spanning the Indo-Pacific Theater,” said Williams. “Also, this initiative humanizes the support process by facilitating direct communication. We are, in fact, one team, dedicated to delivering excellence.”