Is the DOD too aggressive in dodging the acquisition process?
A program has to achieve 40 milestone requirements just to pass Milestone A into the second major phase of a program, the Technology Maturation & Risk Reduction […]
Management
The SDA accountable, but not responsible, for space architecture
In August, 2018, the department put forward this report to Congress[that] … laid out these eight capabilities. … The Space Development Agency was set up […]
Real costs are defensive effort, risk aversion, lack of initiative, and failed partnernships
Opportunism, the pursuit of self-interest by means of duplicity and guile, is a key concept in neo-institutional economics (Williamson, 1967, 1985). It manifests itself in […]
Agile is NOT compatible with current DOD mgmt systems (EVMS)
The Agile EVMS Desk Guide sounds like an oxymoron. EVMS [earned value management system] by its nature follows the waterfall methodology. Agile is inherently iterative. […]
Analytics cannot save the DOD, the data problem is deep
The July 24 Defense News article, “David Norquist has one word for you: Analytics,” refers to Mr. Norquist’s emphasis on analytics at the Office of […]
Will Space Corps/Force will have its own acquisition executive?
The Senate NDAA would break up the office of the top Air Force acquisition executive and create a new position of principal assistant to the […]
Information is not transformation
Here are excerpts from Allen Schick’s excellent study on the performance budget (PB), also known as the program budget or the Planning-Programming-Budgeting (PPB) system. Remember, […]
The rapid prototyping fund is dead before it even got started
Do you remember Section 828 of the FY 2016 NDAA? It’s OK, most people don’t. Here’s a refresher: For each fiscal year beginning with fiscal […]
Is the PPBE process the root cause of test & eval failures?
Again and again in briefings and conferences I am asked: “What are the major problems in T&E [Test & Evaluation]?” I think there is really […]
The average defense program takes 10+ years to enter operations
Technology and threats are both evolving very rapidly. Our own acquisition system too often undermines our ability to get the warfighter what he or she […]
We should never have a spec detailed enough to take 5 years to execute
Milo Medin [VP Wireless Services, Google]: Impact is the big thing everyone wants from their life. And that’s true for software professionals as well. If […]
The complexity of squeezing data out of the Army
While the Army has mountains of relevant data, it is not always readily accessible, verified or authoritative. Compounding the matter even further, data is frequently […]
The last thing software will eat: project selection
Tyler: What’s the last thing software will eat? Marc: I think its fundamentally — the term that you used was project selection — and […]
Opportunities and challenges for the program manager
For bringing innovative solutions to the Department of Defense, the contract mechanism is an important tool. But contracts are more than a tool for stating […]
Does budget reform comply with the 10 rules for good reform?
Here is the insightful Peter Levine providing us 10 rules for reforming the Department of Defense: I’ve watched as every secretary of defense has sought […]