Has anyone cracked the code on Command Maintenance, one that produces 100% participation by all Soldiers and Leaders?

2017-01-27T22:03:32-05:00

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2017 10:06 PM

2017-01-27T22:06:47-05:00

That, Chief, is like a unicorn....good luck seeing it!

Response by CW4 Angel C. made Jan 27 at 2017 10:17 PM

2017-01-27T22:17:11-05:00

It's "Command" maintenance. So the command must enforce it. With that said your job as Chief is also to be a magician. Work your magic wherever the command can't!

Response by CW4 Michael Little made Jan 27 at 2017 10:21 PM

2017-01-27T22:21:07-05:00

The "code" is expectation management... I'm a firm believer in being part of the staff/team, and that helps to influence the maintenance climate in an organization, but once you think that your show it's the most important thing going, you've lost.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2017 10:31 PM

2017-01-27T22:31:51-05:00

All of the officers and CSM/1SGs need to be there. If they aren't you'll never get participation. If the O6 is there every time and the BDE CSM is there with him it will motivate others to be. If at Div or higher, the CG, CCWO and CSM need to cost at least one motor pool a week. The secret is leadership involvement. Now, how to get that? No idea.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2017 10:37 PM

2017-01-27T22:37:54-05:00

The only time I've seen this happen is at the 82nd. I was in an artillery unit, so maintenance was actually pretty critical. The entire battalion had its formation in the motor pool and the Commander or CSM put out the focus for the day and stayed in the area the whole morning. Platoon Sergeants were there as well.
It's just some plain old "Lead From the Front" action. It's not complicated, it's simply not easy.

Response by LTC John Mohor made Jan 27 at 2017 10:38 PM

2017-01-27T22:38:12-05:00

I may not have seen100% participation when I was on active duty the first time in Germany but I'll bet I witnessed 99.7 %. I had an BN XO a Major with his own set of coveralls. We never knew what track or vehicle he was gonna spot check nor where he might show up next! He was all over the guns, ammo haulers and FDC tracks. He'd do his own 2404 operator level inspections then compare it to what we found the we had to explain all discrepencies. It sure kept all of us on our toes!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2017 12:35 AM

2017-01-28T00:35:44-05:00

Every unit i have ever been in the whole command team from BN CDR on down was in the motorpool walking, spot checking and talking to Soldiers on Mondays. The only thing I never understood was how the Company/Troop XO wanted all 5988E by 1130 for all our vehicles lol

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jan 28 at 2017 6:40 AM

2017-01-28T06:40:16-05:00

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jan 28 at 2017 6:48 AM

2017-01-28T06:48:45-05:00

Chief, your position as a warrant Maintainer is a tough one.. With no command authority, all you can do is advise the commander and lead the maintainers by example (plus enforce regs and policy). It takes the command team to make it happen. So get with the commander and ask Him(her) ..Sir, what can I do to help YOU make command maintenance a priority and supported not just by you, but the junior leaders as well? What roadblocks to 100% participation do you know of WE can effect?
You can assist by making the task of maintenance as pain free as possible.
If your TAMMS (is that still a thing?) clerk only hands out user level parts with a 63B on hand to supervise, and your holding a Maintenance meeting at the same time...That is a roadblock.
If the company maintenance teams are responsible for handing out user level parts and the team leaders allows free access to the parts...thus part not getting to assigned vehicles..that is a roadblock.
I have no doubt you get the point..
Any roadblock YOU can effect, do so..make user level maintenance as easy as possible.....effective as possible......and support the end user as much as possible.....

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2017 7:07 AM

2017-01-28T07:07:31-05:00

I say that would be competition between this and a battalion sending a 100% of their soldiers on a FTX or deployment. They both are unicorns.

Response by 1SG Al Brown made Jan 28 at 2017 7:52 AM

2017-01-28T07:52:02-05:00

Battalion formation in the motorpool. XO walking the line and spot checking paper. 1SGs and PSGs making Soldiers very uncomfortable when not performing correct maintenance. Two or three staffers will sneak off to save the world, but a good CSM in a lawn chair makes it tough to get out the front gate.

Response by COL John McClellan made Jan 28 at 2017 10:34 AM

2017-01-28T10:34:56-05:00

An eternal struggle, Chief!

Response by CPT Ryan H. made Jan 28 at 2017 11:41 AM

2017-01-28T11:41:55-05:00

On the 2404 (5988E) our unit input the step number from the PMCS checklist ahead of the identified fault as a forcing function for using the manual. Made it easy for anyone to look at the 5988 with a manual and be able to know exactly what was wrong with the piece of equipment. Real good maintenance happened. Had better informed operators and leaders in our Stryker company.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2017 7:50 PM

2017-01-28T19:50:40-05:00

Hold formation in the motor pool. Lock the gate to the motor pool.

Response by CW2 Stephen Pate made Jan 29 at 2017 5:00 PM

2017-01-29T17:00:44-05:00

Amongst other things I've started to do about 5 mins of academics at the beginning of our weekly maintenance meeting. We have all of the XOs and motor Sgts there with myself and I explain some faucet of maintenance to them all. It produces a shared understanding and I've found that when they understand they are more likely to be successful. Plus I send them the teaching slides I use from the meeting so they have that as a reference. It's easy for those of us that's been doing this for a while to quickly blow past a MMIS slide or talk quickly about 5988-Es not being right, but at the end of the meeting everyone is like, "what's MMIS?".

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 29 at 2017 10:04 PM

2017-01-29T22:04:13-05:00

Its an uphill battle that you will never win if the command team shows no support. I have been in my unit for two years and little by little we have shown progress on getting all the companies to the motor pool to make sure their trucks still have 4 wheels. My only suggestion is making yourself relevant at Bn functions and meetings and provide the XO and BN Commander your concerns.
Im in a Reserve unit and there are only about 50 full-timers at any given day so attending sync meeting and training meetings is my chance to voice my concern to all company training nco/ officers to include the Bn XO. This is how I was able to get the XO support and she made it mandatory for all possible full-timers to come out and do command maintenance.
Command maintenance in my opinion wont get its full "command" interest until readiness rates become mandatory on commanders and PL OER.

Response by SGT David T. made Jan 30 at 2017 7:56 AM

2017-01-30T07:56:15-05:00

Leaders doing their jobs might be a good start. Another thing that works more or less well is make sure every piece of equipment is assigned to someone. Make it clear that it is their equipment and they are responsible for its upkeep. Probably not 100% solution but should get you pretty close.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 31 at 2017 5:33 PM

2017-01-31T17:33:58-05:00

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member I've never seen 100% participation on Command Maintenance, unless you are SFC or below maybe SSG and below and you don't work for a higher up. Besides that, no one else shows to the motor pool or stays in the motor pool after mandatory formation.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 3 at 2017 9:07 AM

2017-02-03T09:07:09-05:00

The Commander can tell S-3 not to approve any training schedules that don't have time allotted for maintenance. Then the 1SG needs to make sure that his leader are pushing it down to the lowest level.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2017 4:32 PM

2017-03-26T16:32:05-04:00

Command Maintenance, at times, can be a real pain. Having to explain why the unit needs more time in motor stables. Smaller equipment can be easy to knock out in under an hour, but bigger and more complex takes more time. The leadership teams in some units only allow 1 hour before a convoy. I always put my two cents saying that it takes more than a hour to knock out a M984 series wrecker. Chief, you just have to put your foot down on operations/training and the CO. I had the best success asking the commander if he liked his home. Then tell him how he can lose it after an investigation find him at fault for not allowing sufficient time to check equipment.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2017 3:42 AM

2017-04-14T03:42:19-04:00

The BN XO is the key. If you have a weak one. He or she and you do not have command authority. However, I have been fortunate to have a BN XO that leaned on the company XOs. Him and me also leaned on the company commanders along with me informing the boss on maintenance issues. Our command maintenance program was decent but not perfect. The commanders have to be engaged. I would often times remind the BN XO that mondays and tuesdays were on the training schedule for ground and signal command maintenance. Every once in a while another event would be scheduled. If no one listened. I would invite my brigade counterparts down on command maintenance to see it was not being done to standard. The program was about as good as anyone could have got it. However, I didn't own the mechanics so the real issue in that unit was misuse of maintenance personnel. Every detail, CQ, SDNCO, etc a mechanic was put on it.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 14 at 2017 3:43 AM

2017-04-14T03:43:20-04:00

I mean if you have a weak one, he or she won't be able to influence the company XOs and commanders.