Program Management is the art of integratedtechnical management of complex and diverse high technology systems for the everincreasing demand for tomorrow’s improved performance at reduced life cycle cost. Theevolving process in use in the United States for both small and large systems is a complexintegration of systems engineering, innovative management techniques, new management toolsand technologies and complex planning and execution based on risk management at the systemlevel. The acquisition of ever-more advanced technology, embedded software and increasedcommunications networking of dissimilar systems has required the evolution of proactivemanagement processes.
The tutorial’s prime objective is to demonstrate the integrationof functional disciplines into the dynamic process used to manage such complex enterprisesand families of systems to achieve a successful system within life cycle cost objectives.Emerging initiatives currently gaining acceptance will be reviewed; including, SimulationBased Acquisition, integrated user/developer management, performance based contracting,open systems architecture, utilization of commercial manufacturing processes, virtualintegrated teams and others.
The second objective is to become more effective in using science,technology and systems engineering processes and procedures throughout a system’slife cycle. The common tools of systems planning, research, development, and engineeringare described through the use of case summaries of innovative programs which demonstrateadvances in implemented program and systems engineering management and how they’reachieving accelerated schedules, total ownership cost reduction and improved systemquality.
This evolving practice has been in use in the defense industry fordecades, and is being adopted by the US FAA, FBI, NOAA, NASA, Coast Guard and some alliedcountries as the model for complex system development.
The Defense Systems Management College (DSMC) has been the premiercenter for acquisition management within the US Department of Defense (USDoD) for 30years. By Congressional mandate, all US military program managers must complete advancedprogram management courses prior to assuming responsibility for an acquisition program.From a body of 75 different acquisition courses, all individuals involved in USDoDacquisition activities must complete a specific series of courses relevant to their careerpath. The path for senior technical members within a program office must take the seriesof Systems Engineering and Program Management Courses. DSMC has industry participants inalmost every course to review the government’s perspective while providing valuableindustry perspective within the classes. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney,Northrop-Grumman, TRW, Litton Industries, Raytheon, allied nations and other companiessend their systems engineers and acquisition managers to DSMC courses every month.
A focused summary of key program management activities and emerginginitiatives will be covered in the tutorial, as described in the detailed outline above.It will be drawn from the advanced systems engineering curriculum, and will addresssmaller enterprises as well as the larger program examples.
US unique policies and technical language and acronyms will be minimized; to focus onthe processes and techniques of interest to an international audience expected atINCOSE’s first symposium outside North America.
Individuals interested in the integrated technical program management of advancedsystem development in use throughout the US Defense Industry.
Class Size: Limited to 50 participants.
Instructor:Randy Zittel is currently a Professor of SystemsEngineering at DSMC since 1992. Previously, he was a senior engineer and program managerfor 9 years, within 20 years of military service, for the acquisition of NATO and USnational C4I and hardware systems while living in Europe. He is the director of theadvanced systems engineering and program management course for the US defense acquisitionworkforce, a full time systems engineering instructor and the lead for modeling,simulation and environmental curricula. Additionally, he is an INCOSE member of theEIA-632 working group drafting the 1998 release of the commercial standard,"Processes for Engineering a System". He has consulted on systems engineeringfor numerous US development programs, the Australian Department of Defence and theBulgarian Ministry of Defense. He holds degrees from Clarkson University (Physics), theUniversity of Southern California (Systems Management) and the Pennsylvania StateUniversity (Nuclear Engineering).
The Acquisition Life Cycle Process
– discussion of the evolutionarydevelopment from new science and technology to concept development, detailed design andproduction leading to installation, operation, support and retirement.Acquisition Customer (User) – Developer Relationship
– The emerging roleof joint user-developer team management operations within a contractual relationshipyields a win-win scenario for both.Design/Build or Integrated Product and Process Development
– The personnelmanagement processes where responsible activities and organizations provide team membersof diverse but specific disciplines in order to achieve improved up front and earlyplanning of all life cycle issues.Systems Engineering Management
– The structured decision methodology,utilizing specific techniques which address the eight primary functions of a life cycle,utilizing technical performance measures, trade-off analyses, configuration, data andinterface management, technical design reviews, technology forecasting, work breakdownstructures and program-specific design specifications.Systems Engineering Process
– The decision process for complex systems, asdescribed in various commercial standards on Systems Engineering, such as EIA InterimStandard 632 and IEEE Standard 1220. The tutorial will utilize the best practices in usein the US DoD captured in the EIA and IEEE standards, the INCOSE SE Handbook, and the 1997ISO standard and soon to be released 1998 EIA SE standard.Program Risk Management
– the practice and techniques of centering the overallprogram management activities around a central basis of effective and proactive process ofrisk assessment and control, which has emerged as a best practice in keeping withinbudget, on schedule and with the necessary performance. This incorporates the new conceptof Cost As a Performance Constraint to manage cost more effectively againstoperational criteria.Software Management & Integration
– Most advanced system requirements arebeing achieved through the increased use of embedded and networked software. This requiresoperational, technical and system architectures be developed and managed as an effectivepart of the larger program. This is one of the most common areas a program of any sizeexperiences trouble, and has received significant effort in the US to mold back into theconcept of integrated hardware-software systems.Performance Based Contracting
- The process of defining the top level requirementsand providing the objectives through the contractual process, so the developer has maximumfreedom to choose the technology and processes best suited for the program’sconstraints. This includes significantly reduced Statements of Work (SOW) and extremelyabbreviated 1-2 page Statements of Objectives (SOO), along with Performance-based ProgramSpecifications. Open System Architecture is the concept of managing interfaces and usingcommon and commercial standards wherever possible to counteract technology obsolescenceand spare parts availability.Commercial Parts and Manufacturing Processes
– Special emphasis to allowmanufacturers the ability to promote single processes in their facilities to use the mostrecent technology available, less duplicative processes, which allow for reduced workforcetraining, operations and multiple facilities.Modeling & Simulation
– One of the fastest emerging tools for use by aprogram in all aspects of management, planning, testing, design and evaluation, which hasshown astonishing return on investment. Automobile, aerospace and commercial marketsectors show a total revolution in the use of advanced computing capabilities to achievereduced live testing and improved capability.Simulation Based Acquisition
– The synthesis of the emerging best practicesand advanced computer simulation to integrate models, simulations, simulators, acquisitionplanning and forecasting into a seamless process, which is expected to achieve evengreater return than captured so far. This is a major US initiative intended to capture themomentum and opportunity of industry’s race to use these capabilities, and the rightplanning benefits the program manager directly in information, communication, integrationand operations.