EXCHANGING PERSPECTIVES


EYE ON THE PRIZE Greene said the Army expects TWI offi- cers to go to their companies with their acquisition backgrounds, learn as much as possible, contribute and cooperate as full team members at the companies, making TWI “hopefully one of their best assign- ments.” Ten, he said, they are expected to bring some best practices back to the Army—not just for themselves but also for their leadership, peers and subordinates.


“Tey’re putting on their own acquisi- tion hat and looking at how their [TWI] company does business in a different way, possibly more efficient, more effective— maybe not—and then taking a step back and looking at acquisition and how we can do things differently.”


INSIDE INDUSTRY


TWI fellows meet Feb. 12 at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, VA, at the midpoint of their assignments to discuss progress, experiences, lessons learned and possible program improve- ments for future fellows. The fellows also took a tour of the center, which Microsoft, one of 10 companies involved in TWI, uses to provide customers with state-of-the-art business and technology solutions. (U.S. Army photo by Tara Clements)


Te Army’s deputy director for acqui- sition career management approves the selections.


“THIS EXPOSURE BENEFITS THE ARMY AS OFFICERS INCORPORATE INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES INTO DOD PROCESSES AND THE COMPANIES GAIN CUSTOMER INSIGHT AND VALUABLE ADVICE ON THE DOD ACQUISITION PROCESS.”


130 Army AL&T Magazine


According to Scott Greene, chief of the Acquisition Education and Training Branch at the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC), there’s more “rigor” and a more challenging board process than in the past. “Two years ago, our selection rates were at 80-90 percent. Last year, they were at 50 percent. We expect this year to be in the 30-40 percent range, which is good. Tat means more people are applying for the positions, and it means that there’s more competition—and it means that the best officers are getting accepted.”


July–September 2014


Greene said that the TWI participant’s focus should be on immersion in the company’s culture and business prac- tices. Participants should also dedicate themselves completely to their assigned projects. An officer considering the TWI assignment as a “break” from normal duties has the wrong attitude, he said. “If you’re coming into it with the mindset that it’s a relief and you’re [going] to have more free time or knock out a bunch of training, that’s not the intent. Tis is sup- posed to be not only your best assignment, but it’s supposed to be a very challenging one, too,” Greene said.


INDUSTRY LEADERS Companies that partner with the Army in TWI


are developers of


innovative,


cutting-edge technologies as well as established leaders in their respective fields. Tose currently participating are Amazon, Boeing Co., Cisco Systems Inc., Coca-Cola, CSC, Airbus Group Inc., General Dynamics, Intel, Lockheed Martin Corp., and Microsoft Corp. Te acquisition officers get a wide range of experience in their respective companies,


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