Making Acquisition Measurable

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Authors
Buck, Kevin
Hanf, Diane
Subjects
Information Technology
Information Technology, Acquisition Performance, Acquisition Outcomes, User Engagement Principle
Advisors
Date of Issue
2011-04-30
Date
30-Apr-11
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
The ultimate objective of our investigations was to establish a foundation for improving how acquisition performance is managed. Our project looked broadly across the four principles highlighted in NDAA Section 804 and subsequently focused on the challenges that program managers might face in measuring adoption and impact of the user engagement principle. We discovered that the principles are interrelated and that an understanding of how acquisition success will be measured is critical to understanding the principles'' contribution to successful acquisition outcomes. Our research focused most extensively on the challenges that Government program offices face in ensuring early and continual involvement of the user, measuring/monitoring user engagement in achieving program/system objectives, and determining the impact of user involvement. Based on direct interaction with users of Government systems and program capabilities, our research resulted in the identification of essential elements for an effective user engagement program, codification of key user types and characteristics, candidate high-priority user engagement metrics, lessons learned in deriving metrics, relevance of performance management principles for measuring user engagement, and insights from users for improving how program offices can more effectively and efficiently engage users in the process of delivering required capabilities.
Type
Technical Report
Description
Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program)
Department
Acquisition Management
Other Research Faculty
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
NPS-AM-11-C8P04R02-029
Sponsors
Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program
Funder
Format
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.