Pre-Milestone A and Early-Phase Systems Engineering A Retrospective Review and Benefits for Future Air Force Systems Acquisition (2008) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction and Overview
1 Introduction and Overview
Pages 14-25
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There has been about a threefold increase in delivery time for most major systems. Table 1-1 summarizes some well-known examples comparing historical program accomplishments with those of more recent programs.
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Aerial Common Sensor 45 24 85 Future Combat System 48 48 78 Joint Strike Fighter 30 23 60 Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle 61 48 49 C-130 Avionics Modernization 122 Delays anticipated Undetermined Global Hawk (RQ-4B) 166 Delays anticipated Undetermined aCost growth is expressed as the percentage change in program development cost estimates in 2005 base-year dollars.
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From page 16... ...
have expressed continuing concern about program cost and schedule growth problems, even under the revised policies being promulgated by the DOD. As the GAO stated in 2006: Changes made in DoD's acquisition policy over the past 5 years have not elimi nated cost and schedule problems for major weapons development programs.
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program (DSP follow-on) has experienced numerous cost and schedule overruns (see Government Accountability Office, 2006, Major Weapon Systems Continue to Experience Cost and Schedule Problems Under DOD's Revised Policy, GAO-06-368, April.
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The post-World War II creation of more complex systems -- for example, ballistic missiles and communication systems -- led to the formalization of SE as an engineering discipline. The development teams, especially for large weapons systems, employed thousands of engineers and required the use of formal methods to integrate subsystems into useful and reliable systems.
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Forsberg and H Mooz, 1992, "The Relationship of Systems Engineering to the Project Life Cycle," Engineering Management Journal 4(3)
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Pre-Milestone A, systems A B C Concept Technology System Development Production & Operations Refinement Development & Demonstration Deployment & Support System Life Cycle Acquisition Process Combat Developer Materiel Developer PM -- Total Life Cycle System Manager Air Force Materiel Command Acquisition Framework High Less Ability to Ability to Influence LCC Influence (85% of Cost LCC Decisions Little Ability to (70-75% Made) Influence LCC (90-95% of Cost of Cost Decisions Minimum Ability to Influence LCC (95% of Cost Decisions (10%-15%)
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The use of formal systems engineering practices throughout the life cycle of an acquisition program is critical to fielding the required system on time and within budget. Importantly, Figure 1-2 shows that about three-quarters of the total system life cycle costs are influenced by decisions made before the end of the concept refinement phase at Milestone A, while about three-quarters of life cycle funds are not actually spent until after Milestone C
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. This role of the acquisition command headquarters also provided a sort of standards and evaluation of the processes and tools used by the various development planning organizations.
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changes to enable and ensure the Air Force conducts a dequate pre-Milestone A and early-phase systems engineering and the means for seamless transition from concept development through the genesis of a program office. gram phases and, conversely, program failure post-Milestone A is not necessarily attributable to poor pre-Milestone A or early-phase systems engineering; and (3)
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From page 24... ...
The committee quickly determined the near impossibility of quantitatively isolating, testing, and proving direct causal links between pre-Milestone A and early-phase SE and later program cost, schedule, and performance outcomes. Many studies have searched for and proposed actions to address the root causes of the cost, schedule, and performance problems that seemingly have become the norm for current defense acquisition programs.
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From page 25... ...
Associated with most checklist items are brief statements of the benefits that are expected to accrue throughout the program life cycle as a result of properly executing that item, as required in statement of task item D The discussion of issues associated with the systems engineering workforce and training, required under statement of task item E, is taken up in Chapter 3.
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