Performance Specification Methodology: Introduction and Application to Displays
Abstract
Acquisition reform is based on the notion that DoD must rely on the commercial marketplace insofar as possible rather than solely looking inward to a military marketplace to meet its needs. This reform forces a fundamental change in the way DoD conducts business, including a heavy reliance on private sector models of change. The key to more reliance on the commercial marketplace is the performance specification (PS). This paper introduces some PS concepts and a PS classification principal to help bring some structure to the analysis of risk (cost, schedule, capability) in weapons system development and the management of opportunities for affordable ownership (maintain/increase capability via technology insertion, reduce cost) in this new paradigm. The DoD shift toward commercial components is nowhere better exemplified than in displays. Displays are the quintessential dual-use technology and are used herein to exemplify these PS concepts and principal. The advent of flat panel displays as a successful technology is setting off an epochal shift in cockpits and other military applications. Displays are installed in every DoD weapon system, and are, thus, representative of a range of technologies where issues and concerns throughout industry and government have been raised regarding the increased DoD reliance on the commercial marketplace. Performance specifications require metrics: the overall metrics of "information-thrust" with units of Mb/s and "specific info-thrust" with units of Mb/s/kg are introduced to analyze value of a display to the warfighter and affordability to the taxpayer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA430157
Entities
People
- Darrel G. Hopper
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory