Initial Capabilities Documents: A 10-Year Retrospective of Tools, Methodologies, and Best Practices

Abstract

The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) is 10 years old and ripe for review. A central output document of the JCIDS process is an Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) used by the Department of Defense to define gaps in a functional capability area and define new capabilities required. The research team analyzed 10 years of ICDs to identify methods and trends. The team found that several methodologies were favored and a convergence emerged in format and necessary content. Additionally, potential shortfalls in current best practices of interest to implementers and decision makers are identified. Guidelines and best practices are presented to create more effective, concise, and complete ICDs. It may come as a surprise to many acquisition practitioners that the historically unstable, formal written procedures and processes that embody the Defense Acquisition System and Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) are now over 10 years old. During this time, the Department of Defense (DoD) has published significant revisions and updates to the JCIDS-related documents, including Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 5000.02 entitled, Operation of the Defense Acquisition System and the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System Manual (DoD, 2013; Joint Requirements Oversight Council [JROC], 2012). The current system s longevity may be partially attributable to its utilization of modern management approaches, further enabled by a slow convergence of the Joint Strategic Planning System set in motion by the Goldwater-Nichols Act (Goldwater-Nichols, 1986). With its focus on Joint development and deconfliction of capabilities, JCIDS uses a portfolio management approach and streamlined documentation to elevate user requirements relatively quickly and vet them against current capabilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA608956

Entities

People

  • Bryan D. Main
  • Darin A. Ladd
  • Joshua M. Shearer
  • Michael P. Kretser

Organizations

  • Defense Acquisition University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Best Practices
  • Business Administration
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electronic Mail
  • Knowledge Management
  • Logistics
  • Management Personnel
  • Materials Science
  • Military Acquisition
  • Organizational Structure
  • Resource Management
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Systems Engineering
  • Training

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.