Studying the Formulation of Incremental Development Approaches

Abstract

The research surveys acquisition professionals for a recommended acquisition strategy for a typical acquisition program facing a milestone approval. This work provides insights into the importance of typical programmatic decision inputs (requirements, technology maturity, risk, urgency, and funding) to the formulation of an acquisition strategy. The research uses the Joint Common Missile (JCM) program and the subsequent Joint Air Ground Missile (JAGM) program as the basis. A questionnaire asks acquisition professionals to develop an acquisition strategy for the JCM program based on approved requirements, a technology risk assessment, and planned funding. The recommended strategies are compared to the actual strategy implemented in the JAGM program. The work highlights that once the program’s cost and schedule parameters are planned, the program’s only risk mitigation strategy is to delay desired capability to later increments. This research suggests that acquisition policy should require development programs to establish firm targets for cost and schedule and allow the services the ability to fit only what is affordable from a performance (requirements) perspective into the first increment of the program of record by delaying the achievement of some requirements to subsequent increments to allow more time for technology maturation.