Report on Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS)
Abstract
The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) in the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has come under increasing scrutiny over the past decade, with a particular focus on its latencies. Since a validated requirement is needed before an acquisition program can begin, delays in the JCIDS process were perceived by Congress as adding months or even years to the acquisition cycle. In support of the DoDs response to Congressional concerns, the Acquisition Innovation Research Center (AIRC) was asked to assess how it can improve the efficiency of developing and approving capability requirements and to develop a model to show the effects of proposed alternatives. In preparing this assessment, we worked closely with the JCIDS process facilitators (called Gatekeepers) in the Joint Staff and Military Services. The Gatekeepers' role is to ensure quality in documentation and adherence to current JCIDS policies. The Gatekeepers provided a limited set of data on actual time consumed to staff and approve 20 Navy sponsored validated requirement documents. We treated the data as representative of an average document but had no insight into classified document content or complexity. We modeled the current JCIDS process using the data provided and found that the current JCIDS process for preparing and validating an Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) followed by a Capabilities Development Document (CDD) was an average of 852 days. We examined potential improvements at three levels based on the available (limited) data and other ideal timelines. Hence, we identified potential levels of schedule improvements to reduce the time to validate a requirement. To ascertain whether the magnitudes of improvements are achievable, more in-depth analysis would be required to "walk the process" with discussions of key participants in each step to collect detailed data estimates such as those recommended by the McManus (2005) Value Stream Mapping and Data Collection Sheet.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1180239
Entities
People
- Dinesh Verma
- Donald Schlomer
- Michael Mcgrath
- Mo Mansouri
- Philip S. Anton
Organizations
- Stevens Institute of Technology