Defense Logistics Agency Communications Playbook – Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Guidance

Defense Logistics Agency

Director’s Guidance for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Warfighter-Focused, Globally Responsive, Fiscally Responsible Supply Chain Leadership

50 Years of Combat Logistics Excellence

About this Playbook:

• Provide DLA senior leaders with effective, innovative communications methods for use with the FY 12 Director’s Guidance

• Develop supervisor and employee understanding and support of DLA’s missions, functions and capabilities

• Generate awareness and advocacy for key initiatives among stakeholders and customers

This playbook provides the tools needed to facilitate communications; ensuring coordinated, effective message alignment and delivery.

Use of this playbook will:

Table of Contents

Section 1 Plan

Section 2 Messages

Section 3 Products

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Background: • The Director’s Guidance defines three focus areas: Warfighter Support, Stewardship Excellence and Workforce

Development. This playbook identifies messages, activities and opportunities to communicate the strategic direction DLA will pursue to the widest possible DLA audience for FY 2012.

Scope • Designed to synchronize with Defense Department savings mandates, the DUSD L&MR mission, as well as the

OUSD AT&L vision and the DLA 2010-2017 Strategic Plan, the DLA FY 2012 Director’s guidance continues the forward-thinking approach of its predecessors. This plan covers all aspects of DLA communications. The underlying message of all public affairs activities remains unaffected by the continually changing defense and world environment, in fact, it is heightened: DLA does what is right for the Armed Forces, DoD and our Nation.

Objectives:

• Elevate awareness, increase understanding, gain support and reduce resistance. • Ensure coordination of the plan to increase acceptance, active support, and dissemination. • Exploit detailed audience, event, and delivery research.

Strategy: • DLA Strategic Communications (DP) is the lead organization for efforts to meet the goals and objectives of this

communications playbook. That office ensures that key and sub-messages are aligned with the FY 2012 DLA Director’s Guidance, the 2010-2017 DLA Strategic Plan and other significant Defense Department documents effecting the Defense logistics enterprise.

Section 1

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Strategic and Tactical Communications Approach: • Tactical: Development and distribution of tools and vehicles to increase awareness. These products

include: brochures, posters, messages from the Director, and presentations.

• Strategic: Two-way communication tools to increase awareness and boost recipient sense of involvement. These include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Commanders’ town halls and management staff meetings.

Our Goals:

1. Create understanding of DLA goals and objectives to help motivate the workforce. 2. Generate supervisor awareness and support of FY 2012 guidance and its support ing

communication plan. 3. Build awareness to increase customer support and advocates. 4. Show DLA as a current and future competitive force.

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Phase Purpose Action Level of

Receptivity and Active Support

Time Frame Communication Principle

One Provide information to increase awareness

Communicate release of DLA Director’s FY 2012 Guidance to employees, stakeholders, customers and other interested parties

Awareness and potential interest

1 Oct and ongoing

Timely, accurate, informative

Two Continue to provide information and process feedback to determine if corrective course of action is necessary

Continue to produce numerous products to communicate key messages to target audiences and collect feedback for metrics

Continued awareness and targeting of potential audiences

1 January and ongoing

Re-emphasize key messages and stress importance of gathering feedback for future successful communications

Three Expand two way flow of information and begin gathering metrics

Report success stories, initiatives completed and begin preparation for FY 2013 guidance

Support and increased understanding of change

1 April to 30 Sept Continuous communication, support and buy-in of principles

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Plan Phases:

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Communication Tools: Numerous one-way and two-way communication tools will be employed throughout this process to provide information in a timely manner. As the process progresses, additional tools may be indentified.

Monitoring/Feedback: DLA Strategic Communications monitors the effectiveness and efficiency of messages, message vehicles, venues, and audiences. Performance metrics are gathered through a number of surveys to include the DLA Culture Survey. Independent survey vehicles use a random stratified sampling process and a designated sample size of 300 or less for internal audiences and 200 or less for external audiences. Collateral feedback is monitored using existing formal and informal mechanisms such as e-mail, website submissions, and remarks gathered during discussions and meetings.

Tips for messaging: Situational awareness: Understand who is receiving the message, for what reason and how far it may spread. Be clear and credible: Relay the information in clear language using everyday terms, be specific. Size matters: Brief delivery is preferred for electronic and face-to-face, more detail for written communications. Be positive, avoid absolutes: Avoid words such as nothing, never, all, forever.

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What’s New in the Fiscal Year 2012 Guidance: • The DLA FY 2012 Director’s Guidance incorporates stakeholder, leadership, employee and

customer feedback and input. Involvement in this guidance is paramount to its success. • The guiding principal behind the primary goals and objectives has not changed - DLA’s number

one mission is Warfighter support. • The FY 2012 guidance defines three focus areas and 16 initiatives with a strong emphasis on:

• Logistical support of the readiness and sustainment of America’s Warfighters, industrial activities and other efforts critical to preserving and enhancing our defense posture.

• Delivery of maximum payoff from taxpayer resources while effectively supporting the Warfighter, to include consideration of risk management factors.

• Enabling the DLA workforce to capitalize on their skills, experience and potential in support of the DLA mission.

Overall themes: • DLA’s top priority is Warfighter support. • DLA is fully committed to preserving and conserving the resources of America’s

taxpayers, while effectively supporting Warfighters. • The men and women of DLA are vital to the current and long-term

success of both the agency and America's Warfighters.

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Section 2

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Key Messages:

DLA’s top priority is Warfighter support

SF1 DLA is committed to supporting

the readiness and sustainment of America’s Warfighters.

- DLA is supporting operational requirements and force drawdown/equipment reset in the Southeast Asia area of operation. - We are improving our support at Service industrial sites. - DLA is fully committed to DoD’s operational energy strategy, developing alternative, renewable and green energy sources and initiatives to increase and enhance Warfighter agility.

SF2 DLA is enhancing its partnerships

with the Military Services.

- DLA is engaged with customers and external stakeholders to drive additional support improvements worldwide. - We are continuing our efforts with the Services to upgrade the technical data exchange process for improved weapon systems support. - DLA continues its involvement in the Joint Staff J4 (Logistics) efforts to enhance coordination of supply actions and processes

SF 3 DLA is working to provide a

portfolio of best-value product support strategies.

- The agency is aligning processes and leveraging DLA capabilities to better support customer outcomes across logistics support scenarios. - We are developing and providing “right-sized” logistics support, matching supply solutions to the area of operations. - DLA is developing cross-Service opportunities to apply Performance Based Logistics (PBL) and DLA organic solutions to enhance best-value support.

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Key Messages:

DLA is fully committed to preserving the resources of America’s taxpayers, while effectively supporting Warfighters

SF1 DLA is focused on developing a

range of programs and processes to provide best-value products and

services to Warfighters.

- DLA is working to provide a portfolio of best-value product support strategies which leverage DLA capabilities and align with customers needs. - We are improving our awareness of related metrics and determining new strategies for cost reductions. - DLA is implementing information technology enhancements to facilitate improved customer support and process efficiency.

SF2 DLA is implementing an efficient and effective global network for

storage and distribution across all classes of materiels.

- DLA is reducing unnecessary materiel levels to maximize our storage posture, while ensuring adequate supply availability. - We are capitalizing on the synergies between our disposal, distribution and strategic material storage processes and facilities. - DLA is committed to synchronizing our actions with our strategic partners so that Warfighters receive the full benefit of optimization and consolidation initiatives.

SF 3 DLA is finding and implementing improved acquisition execution

practices across all agency supply chains.

- We are focused on engaging our industry partners to identify and reap the benefits of best practices. - DLA is applying innovative, state of the art acquisition approaches, such as reverse auctions, in pursuit of best-value and costs savings for our customers. - We are dedicated to mitigating risks to mission accomplishment and efficiency.

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Key Messages:

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The men and women of DLA are vital to the current and long-term success of both the agency and America's Warfighters

SF1 DLA is dedicated to harvesting the

advantages of a diverse, high-performing workforce.

- DLA identifies and implements a wide range of diversity initiatives that meet the changing needs of customers and workers. - Our success in creating and maintaining a diverse workforce comes from our leaders and employees who take active roles in implementing our diversity programs.

SF2 Enhancing DLA organizational and

performance practices yields a more agile, knowledgeable workforce benefitting both customers and colleagues.

-We are committed to developing and deploying effective performance management systems, since it is only through such systems that DLA can remain a high-performing organization. - DLA is increasing refresher training for supervisors and managers on all aspects of the performance management process. - DLA believes employee involvement is one of the best ways to create a positive, organizational culture that thrives on performance.

SF 3 DLA employees capitalize on their skills and professionalism to better

support our Warfighters.

- DLA provides a clear tie between performance and recognition policies, aligning organizational goals, individual achievement and employee recognition. - We make full use of suggestion programs and management processes to increase employee focus on agency improvement, cost reduction and customer service.

Products: In support of the FY 2012 DLA Director’s Guidance, Strategic Communication, in conjunction with the PLFAs, will execute the following products:

- 5,000 hard copies of the FY 2012 guidance

- Both a Web .pdf and a print ready version of the guidance for posting to DLA Web sites and for PLFA’s to reproduce additional copies

- A DLA FY 2012 guidance video

- Quarterly internal and external news articles, media interview talking points, and other support activities and events

Section 3

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This communications playbooks was produced by DLA Strategic Communications. For questions or information on the contents or production of this playbook contact: Interact@dla.mil, or phone 703-767-6200.