11/19/11: EVM acquisition reform is needed to require Government contractors to integrate technical performance with cost and schedule performance. So far, the NDIA has not upgraded ANSI-748 to bring it up to par with international project management and systems engineering standards or to meet the needs of the Government ANSI/EIA-748 Refresh . Until FAR and DFARS are revised to close the EVMS Quality Gap, DoD can take remedial action by revising DoDI 5000.02, Operation of the Defense Acquisition System. The recommended revisions to DoDI 5000.02, below, would require contractors to align the PMB with the technical (or product) baseline and make linkage of earned value to technical performance mandatory, not optional. These objectives can be accomplished by revising DODI 5000.02 to incorporate, as instructions, guidance that is already in the Guide for Integrating Systems Engineering into DoD Acquisition Contracts (SE), the Defense Acquisition Program Support Methodology (DAPS), and the Defense Acquisition Guidebook (DAG). DODI 5000.02 should be concurrently revised to ensure that the corresponding requirements get into the RFPs, SOWs, and contracts.
The implementation of the recommended changes to DoDI 5000.02 will not aid the other Federal agencies. A revision to the FAR OMB policy, FAR, DFARS or an adequate fix to ANSI-748 will help them.
The relationships of Measures of Effectiveness (MOE), Measures of Performance(MOP), Technical Performance Measures (TPM), the technical baselines, and major technical events are shown below:
The excerpts from SE, DAPS, and DAG follow. The SE excerpts include recommended enhancements, in Italics, that are not currently in that Guide.
SE
Paragraph 1.1, Contracting Process, includes pertinent contracting activities
Table 11 Summary of Contracting Activities and SE and PM Roles
Typical Contract Related Activities | System Engineer and PM Roles |
4. Prepare a Purchase Request, including product descriptions; Key Performance Parameters (KPP added) , Priorities, Allocations, and Allotments; architecture; Governmentfurnished property or equipment (or Governmentoffthe shelf (GOTS); Governmentfurnished information; information assurance and security considerations; and required delivery schedules. | PM and Lead SE (LSE) ensure the specific programmatic and technical needs are defined clearly. |
7. Establish contract cost, schedule, and technical (“technical’ added) performance reporting requirements. Determine an incentive strategy and appropriate mechanism (e.g., Award Fee Plan and criteria). | LSE provides technical resource estimates. LSE supports development of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) structure based on preliminary system specifications; determines eventdriven criteria for key technical reviews; and determines what technical artifacts are baselined. The PM and LSE advise the CO in developing the metrics/criteria for an incentive mechanism. |
9. Identify data requirements, including MOEs, MOPs, and TPMs. ( MOEs, MOPs, and TPMs added.) | LSE identifies all technical Contractor Data Requirements List (CDRL) and technical performance expectations. |
14, Monitor and control (M&C) contract execution for compliance with all requirements. | PM, LSE and program team perform programmatic and technical M&C functions as defined in the contract. They also assist the Earned Value Management (EVM) implementation by defining the criteria for completion of technical activity/delivered products and selection of TPMs to be used as base measures of earned value. (and selection of TPMs to be used as base measures of earned value added).. |
DAPS
Pertinent excerpts from DAPS follow:
DAG:
Technical Baseline
4.2.3.1.6.2. Establishment of Configuration Baselines
Configuration baselines are established for specific events. At a minimum, to mature the technical baseline, the following configuration baselines should be established:
Definition and characteristics of these baselines and success criteria for major technical events (SFR, PDR, CDR) are at Technical Baseline .
TPM
DAG 4.5.6.1 already states that TPMs should be a contract deliverable.
DAG excerpts follow:
The government program office will need a set of TPMs that provide visibility into the technical performance of key elements of the work breakdown structure and the highest areas of cost, schedule, or technical risk. The TPMs selected for delivery to the government are expected to be traceable to the needs of the operational user and to the set of key performance parameters, key system attributes, and CTPs.
The contractor will generally track more items than are reported to the government, as the contractor needs information at a more detailed level than does the government program office. TPM reporting to the government is a contractual issue, and those TPMs on which the government receives reports are defined as contract deliverables in the contract data requirements list.