Developing Standard EMD Cost Factors For Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) Platforms

This research involves the creation of standard factors that more accurately reflect observed outcomes in the development stages of major programs. Traditionally, estimation techniques such as analogy, parametric, engineering build-up, and factors are utilized to develop budgets and serve as the baseline for measuring project progress. This effort accomplishes the development and creation of 443 new standard cost factors that are delineated by five categories: commodity type, contract type, contractor type, development type, and service. The factors are developed for those elements that are common in a wide array of projects such as program management, systems engineering, data, training or site activation. This research conducts statistical analysis of factor values at the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) element level, as well as the subcategories of the five identified categories. Statistical differences between subcategories were identified only 34.38% of the time, likely due to the high Coefficient of Variation (CV) values across the dataset. In refined subsets of the dataset, the CV generally decreased, indicating that the average percent estimating error improved when more detailed information was available. Thus, the outcome of this research is that cost estimators must employ both statistical and practical analysis in the creation of cost estimates. Furthermore, analysts will have a reference tool made up of 443 unique factors from which to begin analysis for creating estimates and conducting the iterative process of refining cost estimates

Use of Factors in Development Estimates: Improving the Cost Analysis Toolkit

Factor Estimating is a technique commonly used by defense acquisition analysts to develop cost estimations. However, previous studies developing factors for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase of the life cycle are limited. This research expands the current toolkit for cost analysts by developing cost factors in previously unexplored areas. More specifically, over 400 cost reports are utilized to create new standard cost factors that are delineated by five categories: commodity type, contract type, contractor type, development type, and Service. The factors are developed for those elements that are common in a wide array of projects such as program management, systems engineering, data, or training. This new factor dataset provides cost analysts with the information necessary to appropriately identify and select the most relevant factors to use when developing future cost estimates. Through statistical analysis, the research also helps identify those elements in which more analysts’ time and energy should be allocated when developing their estimates

Can Skills Training Prevent Relationship Problems in At-Risk Couples? Four-Year Effects of a Behavioral Relationship Education Program

Eighty-three couples were stratified into groups at high and low risk for relationship distress and randomized to either the Self-Regulatory Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (Self-PREP) or a control condition. As predicted, there were differential effects of Self-PREP on high-risk and low-risk couples. Because of low statistical power, results must be interpreted cautiously, but at 1-year follow-up high-risk couples in Self-PREP showed trends toward better communication than control couples. However, there was no difference in the communication of Self-PREP and control low-risk couples. High-risk couples receiving Self-PREP exhibited higher relationship satisfaction at 4 years than control couples, but in low-risk couples relationship satisfaction was higher in the control condition. High-risk couples seemed to benefit from skills-based relationship education, but low-risk couples did not

Research objectives and general considerations for pragmatic clinical trials of pain treatments: IMMPACT statement

Many questions regarding the clinical management of people experiencing pain and related health policy decision-making may best be answered by pragmatic controlled trials. To generate clinically relevant and widely applicable findings, such trials aim to reproduce elements of routine clinical care or are embedded within clinical workflows. In contrast with traditional efficacy trials, pragmatic trials are intended to address a broader set of external validity questions critical for stakeholders (clinicians, healthcare leaders, policymakers, insurers, and patients) in considering the adoption and use of evidence-based treatments in daily clinical care. This article summarizes methodological considerations for pragmatic trials, mainly concerning methods of fundamental importance to the internal validity of trials. The relationship between these methods and common pragmatic trials methods and goals is considered, recognizing that the resulting trial designs are highly dependent on the specific research question under investigation. The basis of this statement was an Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) systematic review of methods and a consensus meeting. The meeting was organized by the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) public-private partnership. The consensus process was informed by expert presentations, panel and consensus discussions, and a preparatory systematic review. In the context of pragmatic trials of pain treatments, we present fundamental considerations for the planning phase of pragmatic trials, including the specification of trial objectives, the selection of adequate designs, and methods to enhance internal validity while maintaining the ability to answer pragmatic research questions

Developing Standard EMD Cost Factors For Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP) Platforms

This paper creates standard cost factors that more accurately reflect observed outcomes in the development stages of major programs. Specifically, this effort creates 443 new cost factors that are delineated by five categories: commodity type, contract type, contractor type, development type, and service. The factors are developed for those elements that are “common” in a wide array of projects such as program management, systems engineering, data, or training. This paper establishes factor values at the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) element level for each subcategory of the five identified categories. Coefficient of Variation (CV) values were found to be high (71.86% to 179.87%) in each subcategory. In a refined subset of the dataset, the CV decreased, indicating that the average percent estimating error improved when more detailed information was available. The outcome of this research is that cost estimators will have a reference tool of 443 unique factors for creating estimates and conducting the iterative process of refining cost estimates.Naval Postgraduate School Acquisition Research Progra

Prevention of Marital Distress: Current Issues in programming and Research

Marital dissatisfaction is the most common presenting problem in adults seeking psychological services and is rated as the second most severe stress adults can experience after a death in the family. Almost every married couple is, at some time, at risk for marital distress, conflict, separation, and divorce and for the resulting stress on themselves and their children. Traditionally, theory and practice have focused on tertiary prevention of marital distress (i.e., marital therapies). However, marital therapy has limited efficacy and accesses only limited numbers of couples. Poor communication and dissatisfaction with interactions, assessed premaritally, are strong predictors of marital distress. Several marital distress prevention programs have been developed which generally or specifically target communication behaviour of pre- and early married couples. Outcome evaluations suggest such programs can lead to improved communication and problem- solving skills, improved relationship satisfaction, lower levels of marital violence, and diminished probability of marital dissolution. Suggestions for future research include a more fine- grained analysis of situation- specific cognition, affect, and psychophysiological responses during communication, incorporation of a self- regulatory model within prevention work, and the use of longitudinal research designs