ENABLING MODERNIZATION
important.” She would focus on removing unnecessary regu- lations and redundancies, as well as streamlining the review process.
But she’s not waiting around for a crown—she’s forging ahead with that goal in her day-to-day. “As an example, here at PM CCS, we recently reintroduced the 'signing party' concept for staffing key acquisition documents, such as the acquisition plan and justification and approval documents. Our team at PM-CCS pioneered an approach to accomplish this virtually as a result of COVID-19. Tis ensured that the documents were thoroughly reviewed by senior leaders, and reduced staffing time by over one month per document. Te 'signing party' process is extremely effective at reducing review time and should be considered a mandatory requirement for certain contract awards."
THE STANDOFF
It goes boom, but it all started with a contract. The Standoff Activated Volcano Obstacle program is one of the Army’s first approved Middle Tier Acquisition rapid prototyping and rapid fielding efforts. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Richard Frost, Joint Multinational Readiness Center)
If she were queen of acquisition for a day, she said would bring some soccer skills to the fore, and teach acquisition to sprint toward the goal. "In my opinion, it takes too long to award contracts due to all the rules, regulations, restraints and the number of reviews involved for acquisition documents. I under- stand that certain regulations are needed, but the process should be more streamlined when possible—getting our warfighters new technologies to keep us ahead of our adversaries is critically
Koch has learned many lessons during her time at Picatinny Arsenal, but she said there are two that stand out. First is the importance of honesty. “Troughout my career, I have given advice to junior acquisition personnel. I have told them that it’s important to be honest with yourself and others. You will make mistakes along the way, and the key to mistakes is to learn from them and use them as lessons for future work.” She said it’s important to develop and maintain respect between employees and their supervisors, and that team members should always feel comfortable asking questions. “Keep the lines of communication open. Always inform your supervisor of how you're progressing and ask for regular feedback on your performance.” Te second lesson she shares with others is about efficient communication. “Without effective and efficient communication, the organiza- tion will not operate at an optimal level because mistakes will take longer to be fixed and bottlenecks will take longer to get cleared. Communication is something that I underestimated in the beginning of my career; however, now I realize it’s critical for any functioning relationship, whether professional or personal.”
When it’s right, it’s just right. And Koch knows she has found her professional home, as an Army civilian. “For me, the most satisfying part of being an Army acquisition employee is simply knowing that I’m part of the process that delivers world-class, close-combat military technology into our Soldiers’ hands,” she said. Being part of that larger mission, providing that compet- itive edge on the battlefield, Koch aims to “help bring Soldiers home safely and protect our great country, ensuring all of the freedoms that Americans enjoy today.”
—ELLEN SUMMEY
https://asc.ar my.mil
59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
