area during start-up, the results showed lots of work to do. Some fixes were im-
plemented through focused training and dialogue on weak areas and then re-
assessed later in the year. One could make this a lifetime of work, but they do not
have the time, so they plan to use awareness of these issues as a selective mea-
surement for continuous improvement.
Results
The tremendous progress achieved since February 1999 includes the following
achievements:
• Kept the construction program going through the seventy-nine-day Kosovo air
campaign (March-June 99)
• Received final approval of the program and organizational plan (24 May)
• Met planned initial operating date (1 July)
• Completed a $6 million runway restoration project in just thirty-two days (August-
September 1999), which was necessitated by operational considerations and the
possibility of a Balkans follow-on air campaign
• Opened a $13 million, 150,000-square-foot commissary and base exchange
that is now the standard for worldwide consolidated stores for the military ser-
vices (November 2000)
• Won numerous design awards
• Successfully recovered when three construction contractors were terminated
for nonperformance, reprocuring the work in record time
LaGassey describes the PMO as “self-actualizing.” He adds,
Team members feel great about what they are doing, the responsibilities they
have, and their contributions to the program. Our reputation in the Air Force
goes all the way to the Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C. We’ve got applicant
lists a mile long of people who want to come to work here. We’ve had a num-
ber of our people “stolen” off with promotion offers. One Italian engineer who
had been with us only ten months was hired away at four times his current
salary to run the infrastructure effort at Bologna airport. He was one of seventy
applicants. He was told his Aviano 2000 experience pushed him to the top of
the list. Two sponsors in a row, Lt. Gen. Mike Short, who successfully ran the

responds,
If given the same state of play, that is, a troubled program that is five years
under way, I would approach it just a little differently. For one, I would be more
insistent in my battles to get the resources I need to get this thing off the ground
and make the program go. Because I was breaking new ground each day and
was not sure if it was going to work, I sometimes used kid gloves in my dealings
with those who had the resources I needed. As a result, they sometimes slow-
rolled me and I accepted it. With the experience I’ve gained, I now know that it
works and I don’t have to take no for an answer.
Keep Moving 209
Two, I would have pushed harder to clarify the roles and responsibilities
earlier and get them down on paper. We were making it happen, but I’ve seen
that getting buy-in is one of the hardest parts of making this work. When you
win a battle, you have to codify it. As time goes on and people transfer out, we
lose some of the history. A lot of how we do it (organization, processes, our PM
methodology, and so on) is in my head and we need to formalize them. If I
croak tomorrow, we don’t have it all nailed down. A PMP update (with signa-
tures) is on our strategic plan for 2002.
Third, I would institute a more effective personnel assessment program.
For the most part, I’ve been fortunate to have great people, but there are always
a couple who I would like to change out if given the opportunity. The trouble
with our system is that it takes lots of paper in the form of counselings and so
on to effect a change. Because of the “bullet train” nature of Aviano 2000,
such refinements weren’t possible at the outset, and now we don’t have the nec-
essary documentation to effect additional personnel changes I might want.
Lessons Learned
Catching up with a program that had been under way for five years was much
more difficult than anyone could have imagined. Achieving full operational ca-
pability meant assigned people, an organizational structure, processes and proce-
dures in place, money flowing, and projects being delivered. LaGassey achieved

training has been a real eye-opener for many, especially those who had never been
involved in large projects before. Core team members get specialized training on
software, partnering, leading teams, and the tools to be used. LaGassey says, “Our
capabilities and maturity have been increased a thousandfold because of training.”
What effect is this work having on the larger organization?
We are beginning to create a mind-set of project management as the only way
to do business. The successes of Aviano 2000 made believers out of those who
knew we needed change but didn’t know quite how to go about it. Now they
see the benefits to an organized, structured, focused approach. We purposely
included representatives of the user (customer) organizations during our PM
101 basic training as one step in the process, along with asking each of the
four groups in the fighter wing to have a standing representative of the colonel
group commander within the PMO. This has paid great dividends in spreading
the word. Our goal is to have everyone thinking the same way.
How is it being extended?
We’ve also made a point to include the leadership of our major customer
groups in quarterly program reviews. The 31st Fighter Wing structure is a
straight military hierarchy—chain of command. The senior commander is a
brigadier general. He’s the wing commander. Beneath him are four groups:
operations, logistics, medical, and support, each commanded by a full colonel.
Beneath the groups are the squadrons, mostly technical in nature, each with a
commander, usually a major or lieutenant colonel. There are about twenty
squadrons at Aviano. We included both group and squadron commanders as
Keep Moving 211
our target market because every squadron on the base has at least one major
construction project in the program. By creating “group representative” posi-
tions in the PMO, we formalized a channel for the group commanders to have
a direct voice in the process. That way, the group commanders’ concerns enter
the system without anyone having to talk to me except on the most pressing
issues. Each squadron in turn has “facility project managers” who are respon-