Courtesy Photo | In examining the backgrounds of the six primaries selected as GS-14 product managers,...... read more read more
April turned out to be a record-breaking month for the Army Acquisition Corps. One civilian was selected as primary for project manager and six as primaries for product managers—the highest number of civilians ever selected in the competitive centralized selection board.
The announcement marked a significant milestone for civilians, whose names increasingly are listed among military counterparts who traditionally dominated these positions. Of the more than 36,000 Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW) professionals, civilians represent over 94 percent of the population, while those in the military (both commissioned and noncommissioned officers) make up just a little over 5 percent.
And while the number of civilians selected may not seem that large, a closer look at the results is telling. Eighty-two civilians applied for FY17 project or product manager positions, and the quality of applications greatly improved from previous years, according to the Army Director for Acquisition Career Management (DACM) Office.
Here’s the breakdown: 31 civilians competed to be the best qualified for 14 positions in the GS-15/colonel project manager board. While the board selected one civilian as a primary, 12 were selected as alternates—making up 39 percent of the alternate list. In the case of the GS-14/lieutenant colonel product manager board, 51 civilians competed for 34 positions, resulting in six primaries and 27 alternates, or 35 percent of the alternate list.
So why now? What’s changed for the civilian workforce?
The Army DACM Office, an element of the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC), set out to answer those questions, analyzing the data and identifying trends associated with the Army’s newest project and product managers. For those who have ever wondered what tipped the scales to determine why someone was selected, this analysis may lend some insight and help future candidates develop stronger, more competitive applications.
Some of the success can be attributed to several administrative changes that the Army DACM Office made to the application process this year, resulting in noticeable differences for the board from previous years.
“We streamlined several processes this year, really allowing the best applications to shine through,” said Scott Greene, the Army DACM Leader Development Branch chief, who led the centralized selection list (CSL) application process. To make sure all of the applications were consistent and comparable, he reduced the number of required documents, standardized the application template and provided detailed feedback to every applicant, providing the opportunity to revise and resubmit the application before it went forward.
Civilian applications have to be manually converted into the DA format, causing a variety of format issues in previous years. John Kelly, Army DACM Office acquisition data management specialist, spent hours ensuring that the civilian files transferred without any quality degradation, allowing the review board to see clean civilian application documents. In earlier years, files went straight to the board without review, and some were illegible or completely blacked out. Greene changed that so that the Army DACM Office can identify formatting errors and get them fixed in advance.
But a key contributor to the quality of applicants this year comes straight from the top. As the Army DACM, Lt. Gen. Michael E. Williamson has made talent management one of his key priorities for the AAW since 2014, and he has implemented several initiatives to help leaders identify and develop talent. They seem to be working. Not only is Williamson focusing on increasing the acumen and competitiveness of the civilian population, one of his initiatives specifically calls for leaders to encourage talented professionals to apply for CSL positions. “My goal is to create a pool of the right people with the right skills for the right jobs,” he said in a video outlining his talent management priorities for the AAW.
WHAT’S TRENDING
An analysis of the six primaries selected as GS-14 product managers highlighted significant trends in four key areas: education, evaluations, experience and leader development.
In education, all six selected primaries are Level III certified in program management, four have two Level III certifications and all but one have master’s degrees.
Greene, who not only reviewed each application but also observed the board process, noted that when it came to evaluations, the Senior Rater Potential Evaluation (SRPE) carries the most weight. “The higher the senior rater, the better,” said Greene. “Some applicants had an NH-03 [GS-13/14 equivalent] senior rater, but they should really have a GO [general officer] or SES [Senior Executive Service member] to be more competitive.”
The primaries averaged three completed SRPEs in their application. Greene noted that while not a requirement, multiple SRPEs with an exceptional rating stand out more than someone who doesn’t have an SRPE history. Collectively, all of the SRPEs were exceptional and specified contributions, including direct comments such as “select now for ... ” Greene added: “Senior raters need to quantify or enumerate where the person is in relation to others to demonstrate the applicant’s potential to a board.”
When it comes to experience, Greene said that the board is looking for leadership potential and consistent demonstrated past performance through a diversity of experience. A review of the primaries selected revealed an average of nine years of supervisory experience and time in a program executive office (PEO) or program manager (PM) shop for each primary. Two of the primaries did not have prior military experience, countering a common perception among the workforce that only those with prior service are competitive. Half of them have over five years of contracting experience, one previously served in a CSL assignment and no one had any significant time working at HQDA.
As for leader development, two of the selectees completed the Defense Acquisition University Senior Service College Fellowship. According to Greene, here’s why that’s
important: If a civilian has Senior Service College under their belt, it provides a competitive edge for a GS-14 over the lieutenant colonel counterparts because military applicants don’t have a chance to attend until they are a colonel.
ON THE HORIZON: FY18 APPLICATION SEASON
Greene plans to keep improving the process for the FY18 CSL application. “For the upcoming application, we’ll provide an updated resume template and a more user-friendly regional preference form with only available locations listed. We’ll also have the 1-N list of positions included in the application this year as well.”
As for other tips from Greene on how to increase the strength of an application, he stressed the importance of three key items:
Make sure your resume and Acquisition Career Record Brief match.
Focus your resume succinctly on cost, schedule and performance. Don’t make the board members hunt for it!
Have a mentor or your senior rater go over your entire CSL application with you prior to submitting. The Army DACM Office is available to give you a sanity check, too; however, you should always engage a second set of eyes before submitting.
CONCLUSION
For those who have been on the receiving end of the “unfortunately, you were not selected” notices, how your application stacked up against others isn’t always clear—but understanding the trends associated with those who were selected can be helpful. And while the Army DACM Office isn’t promising a recipe for success, these trends and tips demonstrate what’s been working for others, and likely things for future applicants to keep in mind.
The GS-14 CSL announcement is set to open Aug. 1 and the GS-15 on Aug. 15. For additional information, go to the CSL page on the USAASC website at http://asc.army.mil/web/centralized-selection-list/.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2017 16:45 |
| Story ID: | 224230 |
| Location: | FORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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