Engineering the Business of Defense Acquisition: An Analysis of Program Office Processes

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing discussion on defense acquisition reform by addressing acquisition reform at the project level where projects are actually managed. Defense acquisition program management is designed to provide sustained, intensified, and integrated management of the complex technological development. It consists of applying resources to achieve a specific technical objective; managing and coordinating interdependent technical and social activities; and balancing severe constraints in cost, schedule, and performance. Defense acquisition reform must start at the project level, as it is here that resources are translated into results via work processes. The intent of this effort is to focus on the business process level of project management. Specifically, this research develops a system model of defense program management office (PMO) functions with the goal in later research to use the model to examine defense acquisition business processes. This research is the first part of a three-phase longitudinal study of program office processes and organizational interaction that affect the basic decision-making and outcomes for defense programs.