Cost Implications of Design/Build Concurrency
Abstract
Typically, defense programs experience some level of concurrency; that is, production of the weapon system happens while some portions of the design are still being completed. Many people within the defense acquisition community argue that high levels of design/ build concurrency ultimately lead to cost growth, as it implicitly creates a greater level of risk. For example, a memorandum from the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN-RDA) identified the high degree of concurrency in the Littoral Combat Ship as being a large contributor to the program's overall cost growth (DoD, 2006). In a zero-risk world, the requirements, concept of operations, and substantial prior development would be completed before the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design phase. In addition, 100 percent of the design would be complete before the release of the production RFP; and all the initial material/components would always be procured and available before production started. Moreover, requirements would not change once design started, design would not change once production started, and production would flow smoothly without delays caused by late software or hardware. Thus, in a zero-risk world we would say programs have zero overlap, or concurrency, and virtually no production risk.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA546310
Entities
People
- Donald Birchler
- Eric Groo
- Gary Christle
Organizations
- Center for Naval Analyses