Acquisition Software Management Planning (SMP) is Critical to Mission Success

Abstract

Today’s systems are increasingly software intensive, complex, and reliant on third-party technology. We live in a world of systems of systems linked by software that connects services and hardware and essentially removes many previous human and geographic restrictions. Unfortunately, acquisition practices have not kept pace with these changes. Leadership is still primarily monitoring cost and schedule. Today’s systems can be assembled faster and cheaper because software is rarely built for its intended use. Instead, much of it is reused, sourced from third parties (and increasingly from open source sites), but with increased risk. All software contains potential vulnerabilities that increase the risk of experiencing successful cyber attacks. It is critical to ensure that system requirements are met without extraneous behaviors that would jeopardize the mission. This paper explains why effective software management is critical to the acquisition of today’s systems, which are primarily software intensive. It also shares lessons learned in current efforts underway to build and implement a Software Management Plan (SMP) in major Department of War (DoW) acquisitions and describes the research underway to improve how software is monitored and managed.