NAVSUP WSS Bolsters Warfighting Readiness Through Problem Solving Practitioner Course

In a concentrated effort to bolster the Navy’s culture of continuous learning and performance improvement, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) hosted a two-day Problem-Solving Practitioner course May 19-20 in Philadelphia.

Sponsored by the Navy Office of Warfighting Advantage, the resident course brought together personnel from across multiple NAVSUP WSS codes, as well as a command career counselor from the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21). The training aligns directly with the Navy’s "Get Real, Get Better" (GRGB) framework and the recently released CNOte #8, “Continuous Improvement as Warfighting Advantage.”

By bridging these strategic mandates, the course equips participants with the skills necessary to systematically identify root causes, apply data-driven methodologies, and support leadership on critical performance improvement initiatives. Ultimately, this integration empowers lower-level leaders to remove institutional barriers, fostering a self-assessing and self-correcting culture that directly translates into increased warfighting readiness.

Building upon the foundational GRGB 101 training delivered at WSS in December 2024/January 2025, the PSP course delivers a structured, practitioner-level approach to everyday process improvement.

“The curriculum is a critical step in furthering our continuous process improvement and Get Real, Get Better culture,” said Sean FitzPatrick, a NAVSUP WSS program analyst and one of the course instructors. “This initiative acts as a force multiplier by equipping a distributed network of problem-solvers to tackle complex challenges and accelerate readiness initiatives across the Navy.”

Expert instruction was provided by a team of Continuous Process Improvement practitioners, including NAVSUP WSS’s FitzPatrick and Kristy Johnston, alongside Henry Jansen, a Master Black Belt from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in Lakehurst, New Jersey. This collaborative teaching team utilized a hands-on approach to translate complex concepts into actionable, real-world strategies.

“PSP was one of the best courses I’ve taken in a while,” said Erin Paulino, NAVSUP WSS functional training manager. “The course content along with the engaging exercises truly helped us all learn the DMAIC [Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control] system the VCNO wants us all to be using.”

Participants appreciated the departure from traditional, passive learning formats.

“This was a really engaging course, hands-on problem-solving issues and learning ways to implement process improvements,” said Joe Palmadessa, NAVSUP WSS accountant. “If only all training was this engaging. What an upgrade from ‘Press the forward arrow to continue.’”

Data-driven decision-making, a core tenet of the Office of Warfighting Advantage's Performance to Plan methodology, was a central theme throughout the two days. Reflecting on this concept, Mike Fox, NAVSUP WSS Foreign Military Sales data visualization lead, summarized his main takeaway: “Explore the why. Why, why, why, why. Trust in God. Everything else, bring data.”

Ultimately, the training will positively impact daily operations.

“The PSP course helped me develop a stronger understanding of process management and showed me how to approach it in a more productive and efficient way,” said Chuck Ingram, a NAVSUP WSS product lead. “The instructors provided clear, real-life examples that made the concepts easy to relate to and apply in practical situations. This allowed for a learning experience that was both engaging and effective.”

By equipping personnel with practical, data-driven tools, the PSP course turns strategic goals into daily action. Moving forward, these trained problem-solvers are prepared to tackle challenges directly, helping NAVSUP WSS streamline operations and support the Navy's warfighting readiness.

NAVSUP WSS provides the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and allied forces the program and supply support for the weapon systems that keep naval forces mission ready. With locations in Norfolk, Philadelphia, Mechanicsburg, and Tucson, NAVSUP WSS manages operational readiness for almost 300 deployable ships, 92 submarines, and 3,700 aircraft worldwide.