Innovation at its best Published Aug. 3, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Jose L. Hernandez Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Innovative Development through Employee Awareness program has continually given Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen an opportunity to provide innovative ways to ensure a more resourceful and efficient work environment. According to Charles Hamilton, 5th Force Support Squadron IDEA program manager, monetary rewards are given, as an incentive, to individuals whose proposals are approved. Senior Airman Peter Bailey, 17th Munitions Squadron space and missile systems electronics maintainer, is one Airman who has had five proposals approved within the past year. With a $200 reward for each of his ideas, he has continued to find practical ways for ensuring efficiency in his career field. "Five of my ideas have been approved and I have received a reward total of $1,000," said Bailey. "I also recently won a Kindle and was awarded a commanders coin because of my involvement in the program." Bailey said the ideas he submitted all focused on ensuring maintenance efficiency. He said he was proud of his submissions but the one he was most proud of helped save the Air Force thousands of dollars through electronics maintenance troubleshooting. "There is one electronics test we run on a piece of equipment and if it fails, we end up tossing that specific equipment away," said Bailey. "However, I realized that we did not have to toss the entire equipment if we just swapped out a small specific part." The shop put the idea into effect only one week after it was approved. "It felt great to see it implemented right away," said Bailey. "It's always nice to see an idea come to fruition and it's great seeing the impact and change I have." Bailey explained there are two key factors that have helped him develop new ideas. "The things that really come into play is my job experience and a lot of research," Bailey said. "I'm good at my job and any chance I get I'm always reading through our technical data books to learn more maintenance knowledge." He said when they run certain electronics tests, it's a waiting game, giving him spare time to crack open a book and read up on work manuals. "I gain a lot of the knowledge from those books, and as I read, I learn more and more," said Bailey. He added that the more he reads, he gains more knowledge and combines it with his work experience to come up with new ideas. Bailey said when he learned about the IDEA program he submitted a proposal, and when it was approved, it motivated him to submit other ideas he had in mind because it was not as difficult of a process. "The most intensive part about the paperwork is doing the actual research," said Bailey. "It's all about explaining in detail the specifics about an idea." He explained a lot of the people in his organization shy away from paperwork. "I don't think people here are aware of how the process for submitting an idea works and they'd rather just continue turning wretches," said Bailey. Currently Bailey is juggling an idea involving fabricating a specialized tool to make weapon systems maintenance more secure. There's no telling what future innovations and ideas Bailey will come up with next.