Defense acquisition program management

The aspects of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling within the program structure are examined. Provides an advanced understanding of the underlying concepts, fundamentals and philosophies of the systems acquisition process and the practical application of program management methods within this process.

Management characteristics and competencies, control policies and techniques, systems analysis methods, and functional area concerns are examined. Techniques for interpersonal relationships are demonstrated in working group exercises. Topics include the evolution and current state of systems acquisition management; the system acquisition life cycle; user-producer acquisition management disciplines and activities; and program planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling.

Provides an advanced understanding of major systems management control processes and tools, application of program management control systems; and the use of computer-based management information systems with emphasis on real world, practical systems for performance, cost and schedule control. Case studies involving program management problem solving and decision making in the defense acquisition environment are used.

Save the document to your computer for completion and submission with the DD FY16 Certification and course changes May 19, How to apply as Acquisition. How to apply as non-Acq. How to Cancel a Class. How to submit an Out of Cycle Request. There are two ways to access the help ticket system: 1. You may click on the short course link to take you to the course catalog for more detailed course descriptions and required prerequisites. The designation of a senior procurement executive for space acquisition programs is a significant step for the service, which was required to create the position as part of the Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act.

From July to October , he was the Principal Deputy Director of the NRO, where he provided overall day-to-day management of the organization and oversaw a large portfolio of space activities that included satellite and ground system acquisition, systems engineering, and satellite mission operations. Whether it's to launch our satellites into space or supplement our military communication satellites with commercial communication satellites, DoD will purchase that capability as a service instead of procuring the rockets or satellites.

This effort could lead to yet another capability being procured as a service. Please note that you should expect to receive a response from our team, regarding your inquiry, within 2 business days.

Get the App. The problem lies in the effectiveness and durability of the glue that attaches the tiling to the hull. The glue may give way under environmental conditions, including large temperature swings, pressures at 1, feet below the surface, and the friction of moving under water.

The weak link is Australia, although its proximity to China ensures its participation. Australia lacks the knowledge, skills, and behaviors in nuclear engineering to lead in designing, building, integrating, testing, evaluating, and operating a nuclear-propelled submarine fleet focused on stealth and sustainability.

The planned month study is unlikely to remedy the situation. A seasoned software engineering manager, technologist, and independent consultant, he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Reproduction or reposting of articles from Defense Acquisition magazine should credit the author and the magazine. Acquisition teams must deal with advanced technologies, challenging operational environments, frequent policy changes, fiscal uncertainty, evolving threats, and changing requirements.

Stakeholders demand we go faster and deliver high quality systems that are supportable and easy to maintain. Unfortunately, program progress often will deviate from the program plan, necessitating adjustments to stay on track. Duct tape seems to be one of the more popular workaround tools to fix everything from a hole in a garden hose to a broken snow shovel.

The workaround may be a temporary fix until we can employ a more suitable or enduring solution. Given the many unexpected events in defense acquisition, effective workarounds can help program teams avoid costly work stoppages and maintain progress. However, the temporary fix can be critical in allowing the effort or task to continue, even if it is not an optimal solution. The unexpected aspect is important because it suggests we do not have the luxury of planning well in advance.

Unlike risk mitigation plans that anticipate negative events, the need for a workaround is difficult to forecast. During the first Gulf War in , distributing the Air Tasking Order ATO to the execution organizations was challenging due to communications and interoperability issues. The ATO disseminates a comprehensive listing of air missions for a hour cycle and includes the aircraft, call signs, times, and other mission information needed for coordinated air operations.

This workaround kept a major program moving forward, enabling deployment of a critical capability on schedule and within budget. The program was a command-and-control aircraft upgrade to the mission system, sensors, and communications. As background, the initial estimates for software required to perform the mission system functions were an order of magnitude lower than what was needed late in development.

Unfortunately, due to technical, budget, and schedule constraints and the original software load estimates, the mission computing design could not be upgraded during development, leaving a critical system deficiency unresolved. The possibility of delaying the program until implementation of this major design change would threaten support for the program, even to the point of a possible termination.

We knew that some of the tests were successful so some mission scenarios must have prevented excessive stress. After detailed analysis, we believed the system could function without crashing if the users followed prescribed procedures to limit processing demand. The workaround simply involved running fewer applications on the mission system.

While not an optimal solution, it enabled operational use and subsequent fielding of an initial capability. This collaborative effort involved multiple stakeholders, including senior acquisition decision makers, contractors, program offices, testers, resource sponsors, and users.

It resulted in a path forward for the program to deploy on schedule with a release contingent on implementing the design change. A notional process model illustrates these steps Figure 1. Tailoring these steps, including skipping and conducting steps concurrently, is appropriate based on the situation. Part of this overall problem analysis includes Steps 2 and 3.

Note the feedback loop as more information becomes available. Constraints e. As highlighted in the previous example, leveraging existing data to analyze both the cause of the problem and potential mitigating steps can help identify alternatives.

Models and other program evaluation tools can help accelerate this step. A thorough job of problem analysis will help facilitate this step. Initial testing may involve simulations and data analysis rather than live testing in an operational environment. Initial implementation may also involve testing and data gathering to verify the workaround works as expected.

A feedback loop is depicted that represents the additional data collected after the workaround is implemented. This data helps to refine the workaround and helps inform requirements and design features for the long-term fix.

We attempt to optimize the long-term solution with the data and user feedback associated with the workaround. As the Einstein quote suggests, we should prioritize time for analyzing the problem versus analyzing solutions.