Acquisition Management for Systems-of-Systems: Exploratory Model Development and Experimentation
Abstract
In recent years, the Department of Defense (DoD) has placed a growing emphasis on the pursuit of agile capabilities via net-enabled operations. In this setting, systems are increasingly required to interoperate along several dimensions. Yet, the manner in which components of these "system-of-systems" (SoS) are acquired (designed, developed, tested, and fielded) has not kept pace with the shifts in operational doctrine. Acquisition programs have struggled with complexities in both program management and engineering design. We have developed a conceptual model for pre-acquisition and acquisition strategy in an SoS environment and have implemented it in an exploratory, dynamic model. The model allows acquisition professionals to develop intuition for procuring and deploying system-of-systems by providing a venue for experimentation through which they can develop insights that will underpin successful acquisition of SoS-oriented defense capabilities. This paper presents example studies that demonstrate the capabilities of the dynamic model and highlight the importance of project characteristics. Specifically, we investigate the impact of SoS attributes -- requirement interdependency, project risk, and span-of-control of SoS managers and engineers -- on the completion time of SoS projects. The overarching goal of our research is to understand the types of complexities present in acquisition management for SoS, and then to develop approaches that can increase the success of an acquisition process in the SoS setting. We aim to do the following: (1) Identify the complexities in the acquisition of SoS based on historical trends of "failures," especially in the context of the DoD; (2) Develop a conceptual model of a generic acquisition process that is customizable to different SoS applications; and (3) Develop a computational model based on the conceptual model and, through simulation, provide insight on and answer questions about process modifications. (26 briefing charts)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 22, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA528037
Entities
People
- Daniel Delaurentis
- Muharrem Mane
Organizations
- Purdue University