Achieving Effective Acquisition of Information Technology in the Department of Defense

In the military, information technology (IT) has enabled profound advances in weapons systems and the management and operation of the defense enterprise. A significant portion of the Department of Defense (DOD) budget is spent on capabilities acquired as commercial IT commodities, developmental IT systems that support a broad range of warfighting and functional applications, and IT components embedded in weapons systems. The ability of the DOD and its industrial partners to harness and apply IT for warfighting, command and control and communications, logistics, and transportation has contributed enormously to fielding the world's best defense force. However, despite the DOD's decades of success in leveraging IT across the defense enterprise, the acquisition of IT systems continues to be burdened with serious problems. To address these issues, the National Research Council assembled a group of IT systems acquisition and T&E experts, commercial software developers, software engineers, computer scientists and other academic researchers. The group evaluated applicable legislative requirements, examined the processes and capabilities of the commercial IT sector, analyzed DOD's concepts for systems engineering and testing in virtual environments, and examined the DOD acquisition environment. The present volume summarizes this analysis and also includes recommendations on how to improve the acquisition, systems engineering, and T&E processes to achieve the DOD's network-centric goals. AND RECOMMENDATIONS -- 1. Introduction -- Definitions of the Term "IT System," -- Effective Approaches to Information Technology in the Commercial Sector -- The Defense Acquisition System -- Results of Current Acquisition Processes and Practices for Information Technology Systems -- Scope and Context of This Report -- 2. The Acquisition Process and Culture -- Introduction -- Differences Between Information Technology Systems and Weapons Systems Are Not Reflected in Current Process -- Requirements Process Impedes Use of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Solutions -- Overly Large Information Technology Programs Increase Risk -- Funding Process Impedes Flexibility -- Excessive Oversight, Yet Insufficient Program Accountability -- Cultural Impediments Take Precedence over Rapid Development -- Inadequate Information Technology Acquisition Workforce -- Legislative Impediments -- Measures of Success -- 3. Systems and Software Engineering in Defense Information Technology Acquisition Programs -- The Evolution of Department of Defense Policy and Practice for Software Development -- Iterative, Incremental Development -- Platforms and Virtualization: Key Underpinnings for Information Technology Systems -- A Recommended Acquisition Management Approach for Information Technology Programs -- Proposed Acquisition Management for SDCI Programs -- Proposed Acquisition Management for CHSS Programs -- 4. Acceptance and Testing -- Introduction -- Shortcomings of Present Defense Test and Evaluation -- "Big-R" Requirements and "Small-r" Requirements -- Incorporating the Voice of the User -- Toward Continuous Operational Assessment -- Acceptance Teams -- Evaluation Through Operational Use Metrics -- Incorporating Common Services Definitions -- Virtual Information Technology Test Environments -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- APPENDIXES -- A. Brief Overview of the Defense Acquisition System for Information Technology -- B. Program Phases and Decision Milestones for SDCI Programs -- C. Program Phases and Decision Milestones for CHSS Programs -- D. Programs That Succeeded with Nontraditional Oversight -- E. Briefings to the Committee -- F. Biosketches of Committee and Staff -- G. Acronyms "In the military, information technology (IT) has enabled profound advances in weapons systems and the management and operation of the defense enterprise. A significant portion of the Department of Defense (DOD) budget is spent on capabilities acquired as commercial IT commodities, developmental IT systems that support a broad range of warfighting and functional applications, and IT components embedded in weapons systems. The ability of the DOD and its industrial partners to harness and apply IT for warfighting, command and control and communications, logistics, and transportation has contributed enormously to fielding the world's best defense force. However, despite the DOD's decades of success in leveraging IT across the defense enterprise, the acquisition of IT systems continues to be burdened with serious problems. To address these issues, the National Research Council assembled a group of IT systems acquisition and T & E experts, commercial software developers, software engineers, computer scientists and other academic researchers. The group evaluated applicable legislative requirements, examined the processes and capabilities of the commercial IT sector, analyzed DOD's concepts for systems engineering and testing in virtual environments, and examined the DOD acquisition environment. The present volume summarizes this analysis and also includes recommendations on how to improve the acquisition, systems engineering, and T & E processes to achieve the DOD's network-centric goals."--Publisher's description