Evaluating USAF Vehicle Maintenance Productivity Over Time: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis

In response to increasing costs and reductions in manpower, the Tactical Air Command (TAC) of the USAF experimented with a specialized productivity measurement model known as data envelopment analysis (DEA). A medium-sized application of DEA was employed by TAC to evaluate the productivity of its seventeen subordinate vehicle maintenance sections over a four-year period. The application reports gains in productivity and the reactions of the field managers to the use of DEA.