Air Force innovation cells are popping up across the country, many of which do not have the capability to directly write or influence policy decisions. Tesseract, a spark cell formed within the Air Staff Logistics Directorate, has the unique ability to directly inform and update Department of Defense policy within this directorate.
Tesseract’s overall mission is to accelerate combat-focused logistics innovation by empowering Airmen and connecting them to a network of ideas and resources in order to improve the capabilities of the United States Air Force.
There are many assets and resources offered by this spark cell, including a large network of connections within the DoD innovation community. Most of their solutions involve connecting clients to the right people through their liaison network and slack channel. In such a large and quickly expanding innovation system, being connected to the right people immediately can save a lot of time and confusion.
Tesseract also has the ability to assist in the codifying process, attaining commercial rights for civilian companies, working with stakeholders to attain approval, etc. This spark cell is able to work with clients at any stage, but prefers to work with them prior to applying for an SBIR grant to assure licensing and rights are written correctly for prototypes. Eventually, Tesseract hopes to offer seed funding to spark cells. For now, they have the ability to assist in finding funds for spark cells.
Implementing Theory of Constraints across maintenance and logistics is another one of Tesseract’s main initiatives and resources offered. TOC is described as “a mentality shift that improves workflow by removing unnecessary maintenance multitasking, which ultimately reduces the number of aircraft in a “work-in-progress” status.” Most recently, Tesseract offered a course in TOC this past spring with more opportunities to learn this unique problem solving tool scheduled for the future.
Tesseract encourages interested Airmen and civilians to reach out to them through the contact form on their website or on their social media platforms. Many of their scheduled opportunities are advertised on their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages. It is also possible to join the community and conversation by joining their Slack channel. To find out more about Tesseract’s many partners and previous projects visit their website.
