The application of reengineering to the acquisition planning process for a major weapon system: a case for information technology

Abstract

Effective and timely acquisition planning is vital to the successful procurement of a major weapon system. However, the underlying process may not be well understood or defined, is labor intensive and heavily bureaucratic. Efforts to improve the planning function for a major weapon system traditionally focus on the people and organizational aspects without showing any real reductions in time or increases in productivity. New approaches, such as business process reengineering, now show considerable promise in dramatically reducing cycle times, especially when combined with information technology as an enabler. This paper explores the use of information technology in the development of an acquisition plan at a major systems command and suggests that process innovations of 50% or more may be possible. To accomplish this improvement, the process of developing an acquisition plan is redesigned using database and workflow systems as enablers to the process