Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program) ; The Project Manager (PM) is typically the advocate for his program. He is the champion for his team of government and industry players, the spokesman to higher headquarters for progress in achieving the various parameters of cost, schedule and performance, and the steward of taxpayer funds''on a constant quest for best value. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program
This study of retired workers and those nearing retirement in a university setting revealed similarities in perceived life satisfaction but found significant differences among employment categories.
Working Paper (for Acquisition Research Program) ; The Project Manager (PM) is typically the advocate for his program. He is the champion for his team of government and industry players, the spokesman to higher headquarters for progress in achieving the various parameters of cost, schedule and performance, and the steward of taxpayer funds -- on a constant quest for best value. He must keep the leadership '' and sponsors '' honestly informed in a timely manner, especially when things don''t go as planned. He must continually assess risk, and the resources need to complete the project effort, so that he can marshal the appropriate forces against the challenges that invariably arise during the course of execution. The ultimate goal of a project being to advance warfighting capability, there is little accolade for lesser achievement. It is then perhaps easy for the manager''s zeal for success and personal self-worth to become associated with the project. This can allow optimism to reign -- and cloud judgment, by unintentionally filtering and distorting information. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program
This article discusses some of the unique career behavior characteristics of Blacks as they relate to extant career development theories and social factors. Traditional theories assume that the individual has the opportunity to make realistic career choices and to gain occupational entry without consideration of the many situational factors involved. Dillard discusses situational factors as uniquely related to career choice behavior of Blacks (socioeconomic background, work ethic, career values, aspirations, expectations).
Acquisition research (Graduate School of Business & Public Policy) ; Military acquisition relies upon industry for new product development, but market organizational control is not recommended for knowledge-intensive work. Unfortunately, increasing hierarchy-control mechanisms, such as formalization, could reduce trust. What is the appropriate balance of control mechanisms and trust for an IPT in the DoD acquisition realm? We conducted interview and surveys in a major military acquisition program office employing IPTs, Alpha Contracting and collocation. We found that the relationship between formalization and trust was different between government and contractor team members. Acquisition managers must understand the relationships between control mechanisms and trust within and between organizations to increase collaboration between government and contract personnel. ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Second Annual Acquisition Research Symposium ; The DoD is a large, bureaucratic, rule-intensive organization that may not be suited well for its environment. Building upon prior research of acquisition centralization and knowledge dynamics, we employ computational methods to assess the behavior and performance of different organizational designs in varying environments. Our results reinforce Contingency Theory and suggest particular characteristics of different acquisition environments make one organizational form relatively more or less appropriate than another. Practically, answers to our research questions have direct and immediate application to acquisition leaders and policy makers. Theoretically, we generalize to broad classes of organizations and prescribe a novel set of organizational design guides.;The following article is taken as an excerpt from the proceedings of the annual Acquisition Research Program. This annual event showcases the research projects funded through the Acquisition Research Program at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. Featuring keynote speakers, plenary panels, multiple panel sessions, a student research poster show and social events, the Annual Acquisition Research Symposium offers a candid environment where high-ranking Department of Defense (DoD) officials, industry officials, accomplished faculty and military students are encouraged to collaborate on finding applicable solutions to the challenges facing acquisition policies and processes within the DoD today. By jointly and publicly questioning the norms of industry and academia, the resulting research benefits from myriad perspectives and collaborations which can identify better solutions and practices in acquisition, contract, financial, logistics and program management. For further information regarding the Acquisition Research Program, electronic copies of additional research, or to learn more about becoming a sponsor, please visit our program website at: www.acquisitionresearch.org. For further information on or to register for the next Acquisition Research Symposium during the third week of May, please visit our conference website at: www.researchsymposium.org. ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Second Annual Acquisition Research Symposium ; Military acquisition relies upon industry for new product development, but market organizational control is not recommended for knowledge-intensive work. Unfortunately, increasing hierarchy-control mechanisms, such as formalization, could reduce trust. What is the appropriate balance of control mechanisms and trust for an IPT in the DoD acquisition realm? We conducted interview and surveys in a major military acquisition program office employing IPTs, Alpha Contracting and collocation. We found that the relationship between formalization and trust was different between government and contractor team members. Acquisition managers must understand the relationships between control mechanisms and trust within and between organizations to increase collaboration between government and contract personnel.;The following article is taken as an excerpt from the proceedings of the annual Acquisition Research Program. This annual event showcases the research projects funded through the Acquisition Research Program at the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy at the Naval Postgraduate School. Featuring keynote speakers, plenary panels, multiple panel sessions, a student research poster show and social events, the Annual Acquisition Research Symposium offers a candid environment where high-ranking Department of Defense (DoD) officials, industry officials, accomplished faculty and military students are encouraged to collaborate on finding applicable solutions to the challenges facing acquisition policies and processes within the DoD today. By jointly and publicly questioning the norms of industry and academia, the resulting research benefits from myriad perspectives and collaborations which can identify better solutions and practices in acquisition, contract, financial, logistics and program management. ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Tenth Annual Acquisition Research Symposium Acquisition Management ; Disclaimer: The views represented in this report are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy position of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the federal government. ; Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Acquisition Research Symposium Acquisition Management ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Prepared for the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program) ; Providing system interoperability and evolving technologies in major DoD systems are two important acquisition challenges in preparing the military to meet current and future demands. The Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion (ARCI) program successfully addressed many of the associated challenges. That program was studied as the basis for modeling the planned Rapid Capability Insertion Process (RCIP) approach for continuous, reduced-cost upgrading of assets. ARCI used atypical methods in the face of atypical program requirements and conditions. A previously developed acquisition program model was adapted to reflect ARCI and used for model validation. This model was then changed to reflect the basic conditions expected to be faced by RCIP programs. The model demonstrated the potential of RCIP to significantly improve program performance. However, implementation risks are identified that may degrade potential performance, including increased oversight, the use of more new development, and the resulting integration scope and risk. When incorporated into the model, these risks were shown to significantly decrease RCIP performance. Means for successfully managing the RCIP design based on the ACRI program and RCIP operations are suggested for use in addressing the identified implementation risks. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program) ; This study examines defense acquisition through the new lens of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). TCE is an emergent field in economics that has multiple applications to defense acquisition practices. TCE''s original focus was to guide ''make-or-buy?'' decisions that define the boundaries of a firm. This study reviews insights afforded by TCE that impact government outsourcing (''buy'' decisions), paying special attention to defense procurement. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
This exploratory investigation found significant variations in career values among adults of Puerto Rican, Black, and Anglo ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but no distinct differences in career aspirations.
Acquisition Research Case Study ; Three different technologies were considered in the technology development phase of the Javelin anti-tank missile system: a laser-beam riding system, a fiberoptic system, and a forward looking infrared system. The Army awarded three "Proof of Principle" contracts to three competing contractor teams to develop and conduct a "fly-off" technology competition. The current work analyzed the three alternatives using measures of effectiveness (MOE) to combine performance across nine acquisition objectives. These MOEs were compared with development and procurement cost estimates. No alternative dominated. Marginal benefits analysis was next used to define the trade–off space among the alternatives. Differences in the likelihood of successful development of the alternatives were evaluated, resulting in one technology appearing to dominate. However, the acquisition approach created a real option for the best alternative that could differentially add value to the alternatives. A real options model was used to analyze the value provided by investing in this competitive option. Results indicate the Army paid less than the total value of the three options, but could have increased net savings by paying different amounts to test each alternative. The analysis method provides a logical and defendable approach to the analysis of alternatives during technology development uncertainty. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Proceedings Paper (for Acquisition Research Program) ; Effective and efficient DoD acquisition programs require the analysis of a wide range of materiel alternatives. Alternative diversity, difficulties in selecting metrics and measuring performance, and other factors make the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) difficult. The benefits of alternatives should be included in AoA, but cost estimates predominate most AoA processes. Incorporating benefits into AoA is particularly difficult because of the intangible nature of many important benefits. The current work addresses the need to improve the use of benefits in AoA by building a system dynamics model of a military operation and integrating it with the Knowledge Value Added (KVA) methodology. The synergies may be able to significantly improve the accuracy of KVA estimates in the AoA process. A notional mobile weapon system was modeled and calibrated to reflect four weaponized Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Modeling a hypothetical AoA for upgrading one of the UAV indicated that there were potentially significant synergies that can increase the number of alternatives that could be analyzed, establishing common units of benefit estimates for an AoA, improved reliability of an AoA, and improved justification of AoA results. These can improve alternative selection, thereby improving final materiel effectiveness, thereby improving DoD acquisition processes. ; Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Program ; Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
