1 Improving White-Collar Productivity at the National Weather Service Randa L. Shehab, Ph.D., Craig M. Harvey, Ph.D., P.E., Byeong-cheol Hwang, John Eichman, Robert E. Schlegel, Ph.D., P.E. School of Industrial Engineering University of Oklahoma Norman, OK, 73019-1022 Abstract Researchers from the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering (IE) are currently working with the National Weather Service (NWS) Operational Support Facility (OSF) to improve OSF operations dedicated to supporting the NEXRAD radars and keeping them operational. Business process reengineering (BPR) is emerging as an important managerial strategy for improving white-collar productivity. BPR principles were used to guide the evaluation of the OSF business processes. IE researchers mapped OSF’s baseline processes and the relationships among those processes in order to simplify the processes, minimize redundancies, and eliminate non value-added elements in the OSF business. Keywords business process reengineering, white-collar productivity, National Weather Service, Operational Support Facility 1. Introduction The Operational Support Facility (OSF) is the branch of the National Weather Service (NWS) dedicated to providing life-cycle support for the NEXRAD radar. This guiding mission of the OSF requires supporting functions such as radar maintenance, training, engineering and design, system support, and forecasting science development. As with any white-collar operation, performing business efficiently and effectively is necessary in the competitive marketplace. OSF personnel were interested in streamlining operations and contracted the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering (IE) to examine their business processes. BPR has recently become an important managerial strategy for improving white-collar productivity in many organizations [1, 2]. Concepts found in BPR were applied to evaluating and improving OSF operations. 2. The Operational Support Facility The Operational Support Facility is directed by the NWS but governed and financed by three federal agencies: the NWS within the Department of Commerce, the FAA within the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense. Five branches support the day-to-day operations within the OSF, each with a unique role in supporting the mission of OSF. The Applications Branch provides a long-range view in support of OSF objectives by developing and improving algorithms for the NEXRAD radar. The Operations Branch maintains the radar units and supports all field sites. In addition, this branch is responsible for validating all system modifications prior to field installation. The Operations Training Branch develops and delivers