Time as an Independent Variable: A Tool to Drive Cost Out of and Efficiency Into Major Acquisition Programs

Abstract

With few exceptions, studies on improving the acquisition of weapon systems and services within the DoD observe that the process takes too long. A 2010 report of a study led by former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Stephen Hadley entitled The QDR in Perspective: Meeting America's National Security Needs in the 21st Century: The Final Report of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel supported this point of view, asserting that no defense program should exceed seven years. In a September 14, 2010, memorandum, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics called for the DoD acquisition community to set shorter program timelines and manage to them. But what is the right timeline for a given defense program? The author offers a methodology for making that determination through a process using time as an independent variable (TAIV��) in a way similar to using cost as an independent variable (CAIV). Using TAIV�� establishes a credible way of reconciling cost, capability, and the time required to field a needed capability.