Pay Me a Little Now or a Lot Later: Test and Evaluation Concepts to Assist in Managing Affordable Weapon Systems Programs
Abstract
As the acquisition workforce embraces the challenge from senior defense officials to do more without more, all aspects of managing programs must be reviewed for efficiencies. In many development programs, the cost of testing to confirm performance is a significant expense. Most important, the results from the test programs are used to determine if the product's performance will meet the warfighters' needs and are worth buying in production quantities. Well-thought- out test strategies developed in concert with other acquisition management strategies early in the program's life cycle help programs remain affordable in development and throughout their life cycle. While developmental testing is planned to be a "period of discovery," operational testing should be a "period of confirmation." Too often, operational testing has become a second discovery period. This occurs when there is inadequate time for developmental testing, a misunderstanding of operational concepts, or changes to the baseline configuration without full understanding of their impacts. If done properly, there are significant benefits to integrated testing. Simply stated, integrated testing is a collaborative effort by the entire T&E community to develop a strategy for test events with data that can be shared by all members of the test and program team for independent analysis, evaluation, and reporting. Efficient integrated testing should include all types of T&E: contractor developmental testing, government developmental testing, live-fire T&E, and operational testing. Integrated testing is a wonderful strategy to assist weapons programs in developing and executing affordable programs. Another alternative to improve affordability is a concept called design of experiments (DOE). DOE is an outstanding T&E concept that may allow a program to reduce the number of test events yet obtain the same insight into a weapon system's operational effectiveness and suitability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA564081
Entities
People
- Mike Bohn
Organizations
- Defense Acquisition University