Assessment of Logistics Improvements Made by Department of Defense Reinvention Laboratories

This thesis examines the logistics accomplishments of Reinvention Laboratories in attempting to improve business practices within the Department of Defense. It documents five cases in which over $342 million in annual savings were achieved to show The potential of continuous improvement. It also provides recommendations for further research and for investment of resources to permit DoD logistics organizations to obtain greater savings. This thesis provides a tool and a knowledge base useful to existing and new Reinvention Labs. Through review of the lessons learned and study of the barriers to success, it is hoped that avoidance of the many pitfalls encountered with implementing change can be avoided. Through Business Process Reengineering (BPR) and the entrepreneurial spirit, DoD can transform its large and inefficient logistics organizations into more flexible, effective, streamlined institutions capable of rapidly adapting to the changing needs of the Armed Services. This thesis illustrates how DoD, through the resource savings in Reengineering and Reinvention, can generate finding to invest in modernization to prepare for the missions identified in the DoD's template for the future Joint Vision 2010