Best Practices Better Matching Of Needs And Resources Will Lead To Better Weapon System Outcomes

Best practices : better matching of needs and resources will lead to better weapon system outcomes

Although the Department of Defense's (DOD) annual weapon system investment has been increased from about $90 billion 3 years ago to almost $100 billion for fiscal year 2001, DOD's buying power will be weakened if weapons continue to cost significantly more and take much longer to develop than planned. DOD would like to get the most out of this investment and has set goals to develop new weapons in half the traditional time and within budget. It has a long way to go; long-standing problems that work against delivering new weapons within estimates have proven resistant to reform. When one program encounters such problems and needs more money than planned, it comes at the expense of delaying or canceling other program. This means less overall modernization and a lower, unpredictable return on investment. The ability to execute a program more predictably within cost and schedule estimates would lessen the need to offset cost increases by disrupting other programs.

Best practices better support of weapon system program managers needed to improve outcomes : report to the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senate.

Best Practices

Compares quality mgmt. practices used by the DoD & its contractors to those used by leading commercial co¿s. & made suggestions for improvement. The report: determined the impact of quality problems on selected weapon systems & prime contractor practices that contributed to the problems; identified commercial practices that can be used to improve DoD weapon systems; identified problems that DoD must overcome; & identified recent DoD initiatives that could improve quality. The author examined 11 DoD weapon systems with known quality problems & met with quality officials from DoD, defense prime contractors, & 5 leading commercial co¿s. that produce complex products &/or are recognized for quality products. Illus.