Series: Acquisition Research Symposium
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When Should You Terminate Your Own Program? Bad Business: The JASORS Debacle
The Project Manager (PM) is typically the advocate for his program. He is the champion for his team of government and industry players, the spokesman to higher headquarters for progress in achieving the various parameters of cost, schedule and performance, and the steward of taxpayer funds''on a constant quest for best value.
Measuring Uncertainty in Earned Value
The Department of Defense is transforming its logistics and business systems to become agile, global-in-reach, and readily adaptable to evolving threats''all with significantly reduced Total Ownership Costs. However, the scope and complexity of these systems pose significant technical and programmatic challenges, successful management of which requires accurate engineering, planning, and cost estimation data. Because these programs and systems are information intensive, the costs of data acquisition are governed by the efficiency of communication, coordination and control activities. Likewise, they govern the capability of tools such as Earned Value Management (EVM). Unfortunately, much of the information essential to formulating accurate Planned Value (PV) estimates is not available until after a program is well underway. The key to information/data accuracy lies in the rate and extent to which uncertainty surrounding estimates is eliminated.
Public-Private Partnership Improves Aircraft Readiness
The mission of the Cherry Point Naval Air Depot is to provide maintenance, engineering and logistics support for a wide variety of Navy and Marine aircraft. One of the depot''s primary tasks is the maintenance, overhaul, and testing of aircraft engines. Depot engineers and logistics personnel are also responsible for a wide range of logistics management, research, and engineering issues.
Managing Tipping Point Dynamics in Single Development Projects
Previous system dynamics work models the tipping of a series of product development projects into fire-fighting mode in which rework overwhelms progress. Similar dynamics also threaten the performance of individual development projects. The current work extends previous tipping point dynamics research to single projects and demonstrates how a simple, common feed-back structure can cause complex tipping point dynamics, trap projects in deteriorating modes of behavior, and cause projects to fail. Basic tipping point dynamics in single projects are described, analyzed, and demonstrated with the model. Previous researchers have recommended dynamic resource allocation policies to improve project performance threatened by tipping point dynamics. Several strategies for managing projects near tipping points were tested. Policies that were successful in preventing tipping point-based project failure include forecasting demand-based resource policies, policies that provided flexible resource adjustments, and policies that adjusted project deadlines based upon project performance.
Business Case Analysis and Contractor vs. Organic Support: A First-Principles View / May 2005
The Business Case Analysis (BCA) is regarded as a highly-useful management tool. BCAs are mandatory, among other things, for formulating Product Support Strategies (PSSs) in the development of major systems. While defense managers appear to have sufficient guidance regarding BCA documentation, a comparable level of guidance regarding analytical methods is not evident. In fact, there is extant OSD guidance which leaves analytical methods as a task for the services. Accordingly, this essay addresses theoretical foundations useful for BCAs, and practical foundations for analysis in the defense arena''with special attention to the choice of contractor vs. organic support in the formulation of Product Support Strategies (PSSs). The report concludes with a proposed partnership involving the Navy with the defense academic and analytical communities. It also offers words of advice based on current state-of-the-art for Program Managers doing BCAs assessing contractor vs. organic support.