Evaluating the SFLC Industrial Operations Organization and delivery of depot maintenance to stakeholders through a systems thinking Approach

Abstract

The U.S. Coast Guard has been part of several major organizational transformations. A little over a decade ago, the Naval Engineering enterprise underwent a significant organizational transformation. Due to the nature of the Coast Guard's organizational size, expansive geographical laydown of its cutters and boats, and inherent responsibilities, the Coast Guard must maximize the use of each finite resource. The purpose of this thesis is to examine and analyze the current transformed Surface Forces Logistics Center Industrial Operations Division (SFLC-IOD) organization. Additionally, it evaluates how can systems-thinking inform future enterprise transformation opportunities for improved efficiencies in the delivery of depot-maintenance to the surface fleet. Moreover, the objective is to propose alternative enterprise architectures that deliver value to all stakeholders. The primary methodology for this research utilizes the Architecting Innovative Enterprise Strategy (ARIES) framework, supported by literature reviews, and internal and external stakeholder interviews. This research identifies four alternative architectures that provide value to the SFLC customer ecosystem; the selected architecture supports a gap identified in the stakeholder analysis by providing a dedicated industrial depot-maintenance service to major cutters clustered at dense centers of gravity. Additionally, it focuses on providing dependable and repeatable specialized services to its waterfront customers; this affords the surface fleet requisite flexibility in operational planning and execution of its mission. The qualitative analysis suggests that the U.S. Coast Guard should explore a self-sustaining depot-maintenance posture due to the U.S. Navy's increased dependency on private commercial, industrial base activities in support of their non-nuclear surface naval fleet.