Analysis of Rapid Prototyping within the DoD

Abstract

Within the Department of Defense (DoD) Adaptive Acquisition Framework (AAF), there are several pathways, which a program can take to deliver their acquisition solution. The Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) pathway focuses on rapidly prototyping and fielding capabilities to meet technical maturation and production quantities within 5 years. The rapid prototyping path can be used to mature a capability prior to entering different AAF pathways or to develop fieldable prototypes, which would fill emergent defense needs. Analyzing project health data provides insight into rapid prototyping management and results in recommendation for improvement.