Depot sees impressive results from Toby 2028 strategic plan

Photo By Danielle Weinschenk | Just one year in, Tobyhanna Army Depot’s long-range strategic plan has delivered big results for the organization – long before its intended completion in 2028.  

UNITED STATES

09.22.2020

Story by Danielle Weinschenk 

Tobyhanna Army Depot

Just one year in, Tobyhanna Army Depot’s long-range strategic plan has delivered big results for the organization – long before its intended completion in 2028.
The plan, called “Toby 2028,” aligns with the depot's four strategic focus areas, called lines of effort (LOEs): Invest in Our People, C5ISR Readiness, Shape the Future and Strategic Communications.
Heather Fiedler, the depot’s organizational development specialist and overall Toby 2028 lead, says the effort exceeded expectations.
“We achieved a great deal under the Toby 2028 umbrella in just 12 months,” she said. “In the past year, we planned and began nearly $200M of workspace renovations, utilized an enhanced scheduling process that increased key performance metrics by 25%, improved our strategic communications to the workforce, and made great strides towards developing stronger, more emotionally intelligent leaders.” Depot Commander COL John McDonald agreed.
“I am proud of what Team Tobyhanna has accomplished in fiscal year 20 (FY20),” he said. “Not only did we develop great initiatives for a better tomorrow, we were able to keep our workforce safe and ensured warfighter readiness – all during a worldwide pandemic.”
A key leadership development initiative was the launch of a mandatory New Supervisor’s Orientation course, which provided new leaders a comprehensive overview of depot management processes and resources. The course was the brainchild of the Invest in our People LOE. Recent attendees gave the training rave reviews.
“This course was an excellent summary of what new supervisors need to know. During the training, I got to meet other new supervisors, giving me a network of peers who are dealing with the same challenges. This network has proven to be a valuable resource,” said Robert Kovitch, chief of the Field Support Project Management Branch, Production Management Directorate.
The initiative’s Shape the Future LOE also places a high value on networking, according to Kristyn Smith, chief of the Depot’s Sustainment Planning Division and the LOE lead.
“This year, our Toby 2028 efforts were all about building deeper relationships with our potential customer base,” she said. “One example is our increased engagement with the Army Futures Command Cross-Functional Teams, allowing us to get involved in new opportunities for C5ISR hardware and software workload.”
Smith says that although COVID-19 presented unique challenges, the pandemic’s restrictions didn’t throttle her team’s ability to shape the future, despite the cancellation of major trade shows and symposiums.
“Although we had to find other ways to connect with our customers virtually, we are still out there promoting Tobyhanna’s capabilities and the mission of the organic industrial base. The framework of Toby 2028 helped ensure our strategic efforts were able to go on with minimal interruption.”
Looking ahead, Fiedler says there are a number of promising Toby 2028 initiatives on the horizon.
“I am particularly excited about the upcoming reciprocal shadowing pilot, which will allow team members to ‘walk a mile in each other’s shoes’ for eight hours. We believe this will create meaningful connections across our organizational silos and help foster a culture of understanding and acceptance.” Fielder also noted many new workloads that would be added to the depot’s already expansive portfolio as a result of Toby 2028 efforts, such as the Bridge Supplemental Set fabrication effort, new capabilities in support of the Persistent Surveillance Systems-Tethered, and the AN/TPQ-53 radar workload. All are expected to commence work in the coming year.
COL McDonald says the future looks bright, all thanks to Toby 2028.
“I am extremely confident that the depot will remain the Department of Defense’s premier C5ISR readiness provider, thanks in no small part to the aggressive strategic planning efforts of Toby 2028.”
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.
About 4,000 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.

• Date Taken: 09.22.2020
• Date Posted: 09.22.2020 15:51
• Story ID: 378401
• Location: US