COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Product Director for Army Watercraft Systems, Project Manager for Transportation Systems (PM TS), Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS & CSS)
TITLE: Assistant product manager, Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), Landing Craft Mechanized-8 and Research, Development, Test and Evaluation
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 29
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level III in program management, life cycle logistics, and business – financial management
EDUCATION: M.S. in logistics management administration and master of public administration, Georgia College and State University; B.A. in chemistry and business management, Mary Baldwin University
AWARDS: Achievement Medal for Civilian Service (4); Army Superior Unit Award; Detroit Federal Executive Board Employee Recognition as part of PEO CS & CSS; PM TS Employee of the Quarter
A dogged pursuit of acquisition success
By SUSAN L. FOLLETT
Here’s something that Margaret Balanowski has learned over the course of her three-decade federal career: Being an Army product manager is a lot like leading a dog through an obstacle course.
Balanowski has been with the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS) for the past 15 years and has been involved with dog agility, dog shows and similar activities for about 12 years. “There are so many areas where my work and dog agility overlap. First, teamwork: learning what your teammates need. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and different ways of communicating. The challenge is to figure out how to work together toward a common goal.”
In agility events, dogs must complete a series of obstacles, led by a handler who navigates the dog through the course. “Every course is different, and the handler has seven minutes to walk the course and decide the best strategy to get their dog to complete the course within time and without any faults,” Balanowski explained. “At work, we have an end goal and we must figure out the steps to achieve that.”
Dog agility requires tackling one obstacle at a time, she added, and that focus is essential in acquisition as well. “Sometimes at work we tend to start worrying about obstacle No. 12, and we aren’t there yet. Also, because there’s more than one way to run a course, being flexible is important, too.”
Balanowski is the assistant product manager (APM) for the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)) and the Landing Craft Mechanized-8, and oversees research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) for the product director for army watercraft systems. One area of her management of RDT&E projects is ensuring that the Army’s legacy and future watercraft fleet remains compliant with statutory environmental requirements, an effort involving close collaboration with Navy engineers.
“As an APM, I touch all aspects of a program—from funding and engineering to testing and logistics—and I’m able to see the complete picture. In the end, the most rewarding part is hearing from a Soldier that the piece of equipment you manage does what it is supposed to do and keeps them safe.” Over the course of her time at PEO CS&CSS, she has worked in different capacities on different products, and her career outside of the PEO included assignments with the U.S. Air Force and the Defense Logistics Agency. “I’ve worked backward through the life cycle: I started on end-of-life turn-in procedures and logistics, worked as a program analyst, a logistician and a systems acquisition manager, and I’ve been working on the MSV(L) from the material decision document to where we are now: source selection for contract award and obtaining milestone B approval.”
MSV(L) is a new-start program designed to improve the Army’s ability to maneuver from the sea with current combat platforms. It is intended to access austere entry points, degraded ports and beaches without on-shore support, to facilitate land maneuver support or sustainment operations, and it will be capable of operating in rivers, shallow coastal waters and narrow inland waterways. Balanowski has played a role in getting the program from early development through successful release of the request for proposal.
MSV(L) is an ACAT III program that’s entering into milestone B. “Army Watercraft has not had a new program in more than 15 years and never had a program entering at milestone B,” Balanowski said. “So, we don’t have a roadmap for what milestone B paperwork should look like. We’ve been working with examples of documentation from several other program offices such as Joint Light Tactical Vehicle [JLTV] Program, using their program’s documentation as a guide, but the JLTV is a vehicle and the MSV(L) is a vessel, so there are some differences.”
Balanowski grew up in a military family and worked for a large defense contractor after graduating from college. “Something was missing from my job, and it took me nearly three years to realize that what I really wanted to do was work for the government, specifically DOD.” Of the positions she has held, Army acquisition is her favorite. “To take user requirements and transform them into equipment that allows Soldiers to complete their missions is very rewarding.”
The best thing for people seeking a similar career is to get uncomfortable, she said. “Be willing to step outside your comfort zone. Take opportunities for special projects or assignments, and expand your experience. Having experience in more than one area of a program management office allows you to excel in the long term.” She knows from whence she speaks. She took part in a PEO CS&CSS shadowing program in 2015, spending two weeks traveling and attending meetings with Program Executive Officer Scott Davis. “That experience allowed me to gain insight on the span of systems within our PEO, the issues and concerns that are discussed at that level and the magnitude of responsibility that the PEO has. I am not sure I could keep up the same pace for 365 days a year.”
As the APM for the Vehicle Mounted Mine Detection System, more commonly known as the Husky, she spent 17 days at five forward operating bases in 2011, meeting the Soldiers operating the system. “That trip gave me the chance to understand things from the Soldier’s point of view. I learned what was working, what needed improvement and how they felt about the vehicle in enabling them to complete their mission. When a 19-year-old Solider—who could be your child—tells you that they love the Husky and feel safe in it, you know that what you do day to day is working—something that’s especially meaningful since route clearance is dangerous and demanding work.”
This article is published in the July-September 2017 issue of Army AL&T Magazine.
“Faces of the Force” is an online series highlighting members of the Army Acquisition Workforce through the power of individual stories. Profiles are produced by the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center Communication and Support Branch, working closely with public affairs officers to feature Soldiers and civilians serving in various AL&T disciplines. For more information, or to nominate someone, please contact 703-664-5635.
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