Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS): Doing It Right

In the twenty-first century, the United States will likely encounter a wide-range of threats, such as those posed by terrorists, rogue states and other non-state actors—all of whom are taking full advantage of globally available, high-tech commercial systems (e.g., from night vision devices, through secure cell phones, to satellite photos). At the same time, technology is changing more rapidly than ever before, and the DoD must learn to embrace the fact that it no longer holds a monopoly on all military-relevant technology (many of the information-intensive innovations result from commercial activities). Furthermore, the rising costs of domestic commitments, such as Social Security and Medicare, coupled with the growing budget deficits, will create an inevitable downward pressure on the DoD budget. These changes have created an urgency for transformation within the defense establishment. We believe this necessary defense transformation will be heavily dependent upon the development of net-centric systems-of-systems; the determination to achieve lower costs, faster fielding and better performance; and a realization of the potential benefits of globalization and use of commercial technology. Greater use of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) systems and components is one strategy that can enable achieving the required DoD transformation, and help to ensure American military success in the twenty-first century. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) is a term for software or hardware that is commercially made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public and that requires little or no unique government modifications to meet the needs of the procuring agency. Because of their rapid availability, lower costs, and low risk, COTS products must be considered as alternatives to in-house, government-funded developments.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research ProgramThis research was partially sponsored by a grant from The Naval Postgraduate Schoo

An analysis of the return on investment of Navy Enterprise Resource Planning as implemented Navy-wide FY04-FY15

MBA Professional ReportSince 2003, the United States Navy has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Program. ERP evolved from four pilot programs into a single solution. Furthermore, the Navy has invested approximately 2 billion dollars for ERP implementation and developed several programs to streamline the financial reporting practices. This thesis project analyzes the evolution and development of ERP, identifies the Navy's projections for ERP, and calculates the cost and benefits of executing ERP between FY04 and FY15. We compare the return on investment (ROI) on Navy ERP to the ROI from ERP implementation in the private sector. Our objective is to understand the ROI for the Navy ERP compared to the ROI for the private sector.http://archive.org/details/annalysisofretur1094510758US Navy (USN) author

Joining the Department of Defense Enterprise Resource Planning Team: The Air Force\u27s Role in the Enterprise

Over time, the Air Force (AF) built customized legacy logistics data and information systems, which have evolved into an inflexible network of obsolete systems that are costly to maintain and upgrade, and struggle to share data in a timely and coherent manner. The Department of Defense (DoD), to include the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the US AF, the US Army, and the US Navy, have all recognized the need to modernize and integrate their legacy systems to improve warfighter support. The DLA, the US Army, and the US Navy all see Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology as a commercial best practice, and consequently as the best way to replace their legacy systems. They are all in the process of implementing ERP pilot tests. The AF has adopted a watch and learn\u27 position on ERP, while continuing to upgrade its legacy systems piecemeal

Estimating the ROI on an ERP for Naval aviation operations using market comparables

U.S. Navy aviation squadrons conduct a variety of flight operations in peace and wartime environments. At the heart of these operations is the flight scheduling that occurs to command and control the squadron's assets to ensure the actors and processes carry out the squadron's operations seamlessly and meet the squadron's mission requirements. This research and case study demonstrates how the Knowledge Value Added Methodology (KVA) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) can be applied to these processes to analyze the performance and effectiveness of a Navy squadron's operations and maintenance departments. By analyzing the outputs of the sub processes involved at the squadron level in common units of change, a price per unit of output can be generated to allocate both cost and revenue at the sub process level. With this level of financial detail, a return on investment (ROI) analysis can be conducted for each process and the changes that occur to the processes when reengineering. A determination can then be made as to what level of reengineering if any should occur to the system to maximize ROI and what types of reengineering such as reducing costs, increasing value or implementing IT resources into the processes.http://archive.org/details/estimatingroionn109452556Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) : a case study of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego's Project Cabrillo

This thesis examines the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) pilot implementation conducted at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SSC-SD), the first of four Department of the Navy (DON) pilot implementations. Specifically, comparisons are drawn between both successful and unsuccessful ERP implementations within private sector organizations and that of SSC-SD. Any commonalities in implementation challenges could be applied to future ERP implementations in both the DON and Department of Defense (DOD). The findings are based in part upon interviews and data collected. From the comparison, commonalities exist in ERP implementation challenges between private sector organizations and SSC-SD. Additionally the management techniques used to mitigate those challenges are similar. Finally, due to SSC-SD's financial management structure and appropriated funding constraints, unique obstacles were identified during the implementation. These unique obstacles will be encountered by other Working Capital Funded (WCF) organizations planning to implement ERP on the same scale as SSC-SD. This thesis supports that the implementation of ERP at SSC-SD was a success based on industry comparisons, the goals of Project Cabrillo's business case analysis (BCA), and its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Act compliancy assessment, January 2002.http://archive.org/details/enterpriseresour109454714Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyCaptain, United States ArmyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Evolution and Reengineering of NASA's Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF)

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Flight Dynamics Facility (FDF) is a multimission support facility that performs ground navigation and spacecraft trajectory design services for a wide range of scientific satellites. The FDF also supports the NASA Space Network by providing orbit determination and tracking data evaluation services for the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). The FDF traces its history to early NASA missions in the 1960's, including navigation support to the Apollo lunar missions. Over its 40 year history, the FDF has undergone many changes in its architecture, services offered, missions supported, management approach, and business operation. As a fully reimbursable facility (users now pay 100% of all costs for FDF operations and sustaining engineering activities), the FDF has faced significant challenges in recent years in providing mission critical products and services at minimal cost while defining and implementing upgrades necessary to meet future mission demands. This paper traces the history of the FDF and discusses significant events in the past that impacted the FDF infrastructure and/or business model, and the events today that are shaping the plans for the FDF in the next decade. Today's drivers for change include new mission requirements, the availability of new technology for spacecraft navigation, and continued pressures for cost reduction from FDF users. Recently, the FDF completed an architecture study based on these drivers that defines significant changes planned for the facility. This paper discusses the results of this study and a proposed implementation plan. As a case study in how flight dynamics operations have evolved and will continue to evolve, this paper focuses on two periods of time (1992 and the present) in order to contrast the dramatic changes that have taken place in the FDF. This paper offers observations and plans for the evolution of the FDF over the next ten years. Finally, this paper defines the mission model of the future for the FDF based on NASA's current mission list and planning for the Constellation Program. As part of this discussion the following are addressed: the relevance and benefits of a multi-mission facility for NASA's navigation operations in the future; anticipated technologies affecting ground orbit determination; continued incorporation of Commercial Off-the-shelf (COTS) software into the FDF; challenges of a business model that relies entirely on user fees to fund facility upgrades; anticipated changes in flight dynamics services required; and considerations for defining architecture upgrades given a set of cost drivers

Beyond A-76: How to Achieve the Goals without the Pain

The Department of Defense has determined that Outsourcing and Privatization is key to reducing operating costs and subsequently providing the fiscal dollars necessary to modernize the U.S. Armed Forces. In an effort to achieve this goal, the DoD has mandated that the Air Force study at least 5% of its manning positions for possible conversion to contract. This mandate effects over 200,000 positions throughout the department. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular, Number A-76, Performance Of Commercial Activities dictates the process used to study the appropriateness of these conversions. This thesis explores the usefulness and applicability of this process, commonly referred to as A-76. More specifically, this researcher\u27s goal is to determine if the current process is the most effective and efficient way to accomplish the goals of reducing the Department of Defense operating costs. This thesis explores recent A-76 studies and other strategic and competitive sourcing issues to determine how to drive down cost most effectively

E-Procurement Success

The Air Force currently funds projects chartered with studying and developing e-Procurement systems. Through review and analysis of various e-Procurement projects, factors attributing to successful implementation of e-Procurement systems will be deduced and provided as a useful guide for federal agencies initiating e-Procurement projects. By identifying critical success factors this research should: 1) improve preimplementation planning, 2) improve spend decisions, and 3) decrease implementation time by eliminating unnecessary steps. This research utilized the current literature to identify specific factors important in the e-Procurement implementation process. Once the factors were determined, a survey was developed to measure the factors in organizations with an e-Procurement system. All fifty state governments were contacted to determine if they had implemented e-Procurement systems and, if they responded affirmatively, were surveyed regarding what they have identified as the factors most instrumental in their e-Procurement implementation. The survey looked specifically at six key areas of e-Procurement implementation: 1) technology, 2) management, 3) processes, 4) suppliers, 5) budget, and 6) benefits. Each organization\u27s tangible and intangible benefits were assessed to further substantiate the value organizations should be getting from e-Procurement

A Big Bang versus a Small Bang Approach: A Case Study of the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS) and the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul Initiative (MROi)

In 2003, the United States Air Force embarked on one of the largest and most comprehensive logistical transformation to delineate the logistics community’s strategy for supporting the warfighter. A key aspect of this campaign plan was to leverage information technology through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution called the Expeditionary Combat Support System (ECSS), a “big-bang” approach. In early 2012, the ECSS program was cancelled mainly due to uncontrollable increases in costs and schedule overruns. In late 2012, the Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) launched the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul initiative (MROi), a “small-bang” approach, to increase enterprise visibility and efficiency across all three Air Logistics Complexes and Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group. Additionally, MROi should fill some of the gaps deferred by ECSS. MROi is a means to salvage, correct, and continue the work started during the ECSS project. AFSC attempts to transform itself into a more capable organization thru MROi while providing savings to the taxpayers from resulting improvements in efficiencies. The MROi team attempts not to ignore lessons learned from ECSS; however, MROi is delayed by acquisition category determination, system implementation source selection, and network architecture evaluation, which are out of their control. Critical success factors, antecedents, and theories were discovered that can help develop a framework that may be of great importance to the government

JIEDDO Test Board operational interactions and enduser analysis of the information flow process

Improvised Explosive Devices continue to harass, maim, and kill innocent men, women, and children, as well as numerous coalition and U.S. forces. To combat this terror, the U.S. government has employed significant resources across a diverse range of dedicated researchers and testers. The urgency of their task cannot be overemphasized. However, in working so diligently to test the separate components of a defeat system, it is hypothesized that opportunities are being missed which could effectively utilize all of the information available across the test enterprise. The purpose of this thesis is to identify the organizations and activities involved, the information shared, and the processes employed by organizations within the JIEDDO Test Board (JTB). The objective is to provide an accurate representation of the process, and where the main decision points and bottlenecks occur. The conclusions achieved by this research are provided to enhance the JIEDDO test process system. The goal of this study of the JIEDDO process is to contribute to improving information sharing and knowledge management among stakeholders involved in the JIEDDO Test Board Enterprise.http://archive.org/details/jieddotestboardo109455694Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited