Positioning the Reserve Headquarters Support (RHS) System for Multi-Layered Enterprise Use

Abstract

Investments in technology have the potential to improve lives and organizations and can be force multipliers for an organization; however, federal information technology (IT) projects too often experience cost overruns, schedule slippages, and performance shortfalls. Specific to the Coast Guard, there are currently four IT Level 1 acquisitions programs, which are outlined in the Major Systems Acquisition Manual as having life-cycle cost estimates equal to or greater than $1 billion. Many of these projects are over budget, and as a result, many of the desired capabilities will not make it to the end user. Since the passage of the first acquisition act and in every acquisition mandate since, the federal government has struggled to deliver capabilities that meet the requirements of the end user while staying within budget, on schedule, and within cost. To alleviate this, adding more mandates and oversight has become the go-to play. However, these mandates might be having the opposite effect on desired outcomes. This thesis describes alternative system development methodologies that could assist the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense in maximizing the delivery of capabilities to the end user while staying on schedule and within budget.