Experience Catalysts: Understanding How They Can Help Fill the Acquisition Experience Gap for the Department of Defense?

Abstract

This paper addresses the issues of experience and professional certification, and explores the following questions: Can experience be accelerated to bolster certification effects across the range of professions? Are there any innovative methodologies that can appreciably accelerate experience and shrink the time it takes to achieve it? If so, many professionals, including Defense Acquisition Workforce personnel, could be the beneficiaries since their certification levels rely heavily on experience (in addition to education and training). The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act of 1990 became law 21 years ago, but experience shortfalls are still surfacing. If left alone, these experience shortcomings could result in acquisition limitations and delay the fielding of essential systems that warfighters need. It is time to take another look at the experience variables that are extremely important in the acquisition workplace performance equation. What matters and what does not?