Research on Defense Acquisition Management for System-of-Systems

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DoD) has placed a growing emphasis on the pursuit of agilecapabilities via net-centric operations. The breadth of technological advancements in communication and sensing has generated exciting opportunities for battlefield systems to exploit collaboration to multiple effects. In this setting, systems able to interoperate along several dimensions increase the efficiency of the overall system-of-systems (SoS) manifold. However, the manner in which these system-of-systems are acquired (designed, developed, tested and fielded) hasn't completely kept pace with the shift in operational doctrine. In our current project, we have attempted to unravel the layers of complexities in an SoS acquisition program, outline an acquisition strategy better suited for such programs and develop an exploratory analysis tool to provide insights into the acquisition process. The conceptual model for acquisition strategy proposed in our project is based on the 16 technical management and technical system-engineering processes outlines in the Defense Acquisition Guidebook (DAG), often referred to as the 5000-series guide. However, an SoS environment changes the way these processes are applied. The 2007 System-of-Systems System Engineering (SoS-SE) Guide addresses these considerations by modifying (or in some cases revamping) some of the 16 processes in accord with an SoS environment. Our conceptual model for acquisition is centered on the revised processes and depicted in a hierarchy to show the flow of control between the processes throughout the acquisition lifecycle. The purpose of developing a computational model (based on the conceptual model) was to expose the complexities in the SoS acquisition process and to allow acquisition professionals to develop intuition for procuring and deploying system-of-systems. The specific complexities targeted are related to the heterogeneity of the component systems of the SoS, the evolutionary development of the SoS and the span-of-control possessed by the SoS managers and engineers. The tool uses parameters like project risk and span-of-control to i implement scenarios representing complex acquisition programs with heterogeneous component systems in different phases of development that are vulnerable to disruptions at the system and requirement level. The tool allows scenarios such as requirements creep, a phenomenon common to large, high-risk acquisition programs, and illustrates the corresponding trends in exponential time-delays and cost overruns. It also captures the influence of span-of-control of an SoS manager or engineer on the timely completion of the program given the explicit and implicit dependencies between the various components of the SoS.