IT Acquisition: Expediting the Process to Deliver Business Capabilities to the DoD Enterprise. Revised Edition
Abstract
Information technology (IT) offers inestimable capability and has been leveraged extensively by the Department of Defense (DoD) to build national security systems, business systems, and virtually all of today's weapon systems. As the DoD continues to transform its forces and business systems to meet the challenges of the 21st century, it will continue to rely on the increased functionality that IT delivers. The DoD's goal is to acquire IT systems quickly and cost effectively. However, this goal is rarely achieved because the deliberate process through which the DoD acquires IT systems does not -- and cannot -- keep pace with the rapid development that is occurring in today's information age. The DoD relies upon a singular, one-size-fits-all process to acquire its systems and services. As a result, IT systems are subject to excessive risk-reduction strategies, suboptimal test and evaluation protocols, and inflexible requirements. Improving the acquisition process for IT is critical if the DoD is to reduce costs and improve the effectiveness of its systems. Our proposed process is specifically tailored to the unique, desired attributes of modern defense business systems. The process incentivizes the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, encourages the development of enterprise solutions, and emphasizes technology-neutral approaches. Its conceptual goal is to complete one development cycle (360 degrees) in one year. Hence, it was named IT 360. Embedded within IT 360 are a series of initiatives that will allow the DoD to enhance the speed and efficiency with which it acquires its defense business systems. These initiatives include spiral development; smaller, quicker to deliver, useful sets of capabilities; rapid delivery; the greater use of COTS products; the aggressive use of prototypes and demonstrations; continuous and integrated testing; decentralized execution; the inclusion of end users; and enhanced competition.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA568385
Entities
People
- Jacques Gansler
- William Lucyshyn
Organizations
- University of Maryland