Embracing Uncertainty in DoD Acquisition

Abstract

Uncertainty is an inherent, unavoidable aspect of life that has a significant impact on program or project management, and acquisition in general. The treatment of risk management within the Department of Defense (DoD) as a formal element of acquisition is a topic discussed extensively in the acquisition profession. DoD fares no better than industry in the number of projects or programs that fail to meet cost, schedule, or performance baselines. This article suggests that, overall, the DoD approach to uncertainty is flawed, and that we need substantive changes to the structure and policies of acquisition to become more effective in the discipline of program management.