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Top 50 Checklist Tool Guide for RAM Planning System Readiness Accountability Direct Programme Decisions

1/24/2018

2 Comments

 


Site Visit Executive must formulate comprehensive reliability availability and maintainability RAM programme using appropriate readiness growth strategy to improve RAM performance until requirements are satisfied.Programme must consist of engineering activities including: RAM allocations, block diagrams and predictions; failure definitions and scoring criteria; failure mode, effects and criticality assessment.
Any efforts to improve state of readiness must include maintainability and built-in test demonstrations; reliability growth testing at the system and subsystem level; and a failure reporting and corrective action system maintained through design, development, production, and sustainment. The RAM programme is an integral part of the systems engineering process.

Site Visit Executive must prepare preliminary RAM Cost Rationale Report in support of Acquisition Milestone decision points. This report provides a quantitative basis for RAM requirements and improves cost estimates and programme planning, and must be attached to the Systems Engineering Plan to be updated in support key Acquisition milestone decisions.

Technology Development Strategies at key milestones must specify how sustainment characteristics of materiel solutions resulting from assessment of alternatives and Capability Development to make sure sustainment key performance parameter thresholds have been translated into RAM design requirements and contract specifications.

Strategies must also include the tasks and processes to be stated in the request for proposal contractor is required to employ to demonstrate achievement of RAM design requirements. The Test/Evaluation Strategy must specify how RAM will be tested and evaluated during the associated acquisition phase.

Metrics are used to illustrate, and report reliability growth to be included/updated in acquisition phases and must be stated in series of intermediate goals and tracked through fully integrated, system-level test/evaluation events until RAM threshold is achieved. If single metric is not adequate to describe overall system RAM, metrics must be provided for critical subsystems with rationale for their selection.

Site Visit Executive must assess RAM growth required for system to achieve its RAM threshold during initial operational test/evaluation and report results of that assessment to acquisition Milestone Decision Authorities.

RAM growth must be monitored and reported throughout the acquisition process. Site Visit Executive must report status of RAM objectives and/or thresholds as part of the formal design review process, during Programme Support Reviews, and during systems engineering technical reviews:

1. Implement the reliability activities described within Request for Proposal with appropriate methods, tools,
and best practices, in order to accomplish the following four objectives: 1) understand the DoD requirements, 2) design product/system for reliability, 3) produce reliable products/systems, 4) monitor and assess user reliability?

2. Include procedures for verifying that planned reliability activities are implemented?

3. Manage risks due to new technologies?

4. Include decision-making criteria and plans for intensifying reliability-improvement efforts?

5. Require periodic updates coordinated with the customer/user?

6. Routinely update the model as failure definitions are updated, failure modes are identified, operational load estimates are updated, and design or manufacturing changes are made?

7. Include detailed component stress and damage models?

8. Update allocations, reliability and identify single points of failure?

9. Identify critical reliability items and the need for additional design or testing activities?

10. Integrate reliability activities with the systems engineering process throughout service life?

11. Incorporate reliability improvement actions routinely during design, production, and in the field?

12. Monitor and evaluate the reliability impact of design changes and supplier change notices throughout service life?

13. Control design rules that affect item reliability?

14. Develop and periodically update load estimates throughout the service life?

15.. Verify estimates on instrumented systems/products with operationally realistic conditions applied in time
for reliability verification?

16. Use system engineering estimates in reliability modeling, assessment, and verification?

17. Develop and periodically update these load estimates based on operational condition loads applied at system level?

18. Verify load estimates on instrumented systems/products/assemblies with operationally realistic conditions applied?

19. . Flow down estimates and updates to designers; integrators of suppliers?

20. Use estimates to identify failure modes and mechanisms and in assessments and verification?

21. Begin to identify failure modes and mechanisms as soon as development begins using realistic service life operational loads in conjunction with engineering models?

22. Ensure that teams developing assemblies, subassemblies, and components for the system identify and confirm failure modes and distributions with assess,  test, or accelerated test?

23. Ensure that teams selecting/integrating assemblies, subassemblies, and components for the system identify
and confirm failure modes and distributions with analysis, test, or accelerated test?

24. Identify and confirm failure modes induced by manufacturing variation and errors?

25. Identify and confirm test and field failure modes induced by user or maintainer errors?

26. Map to customer-specified failure definitions and scoring criteria for all failure modes to formulate corrective actions throughout service life?

27. Aggressively mitigate failure modes until reliability requirements are met?

28. Employ mechanism for monitoring and communicating the implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions that is accessible by the customer?

29. Include failure modes that may occur during service life in system reliability model?

30. Assess feasibility of reliability requirements using the system reliability model in conjunction with expert judgment?

31. Allocate reliability requirements to lower indenture levels and flow them to subcontractors/suppliers?

32. Periodically assess reliability of the system throughout service life using the reliability model, operational load estimates, and customer specs?

33. Include reliability values to be achieved at various points in the programme?

34. Track reliability assessments from field test as a function of time and compare them with allocations and customer reliability requirements?

35. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of corrective actions as well as other changes to the design or manufacture of the systems/product that may impact reliability?

36. Develop and periodically refine reliability requirements verification strategy/plan as integral part of the systems engineering verification and is coordinated and integrated across all phases?

37. Include a strategy to ensure that reliability requirements will be verified during design and will not degrade during production or in the field?

38. Include in a reliability growth plan the reliability values to be achieved at various points during development?

39. Base verification on testing, or a mixture, and ensure that the verification is operationally realistic?

40. Verify system-level operational service life loads will be used?

41. Include any customer-specific requirements?

42. Design to avoid failures due to user or maintainer errors?

43. Ensure proposal specifies how and when technical reviews will be conducted throughout service life?

44. Conduct periodic interchanges with the customer/user that promote understanding of operational conditions?

45. Schedule and conduct technical reviews to 1) ensure progress toward achieving reliability requirements, 2) verify planned reliability activities are implemented, and 3) compare status and outcomes of reliability activities?

46. Conduct and participate in reviews with customer/user that address identification, classification and mitigation of failure modes?

47. Implement reliability activities with methods and tools from the request for proposal?

48. Obtain customer approval for changes in methods, tools, or best practices and include in proposal?

49. Ensure continuous customer access to output updates from all reliability activities?

50. Schedule and update outputs in reliability case?

2 Comments

Top 100 Conduct Acquisition Programme Process Reviews Evaluate System Prototype Performance Quality

1/17/2018

6 Comments

 
Navy is building new rapid acquisition office to ‘short-circuit’ traditional DoD acquisition system with mission to translate new technologies into actual weapons systems much more quickly than the Navy and Marine Corps can do today. The new organisation primary purpose will be to better connect the science and technology research that’s already being done in Navy research facilities with the short-term, real-world equipping needs of sailors and marines.

Navy has a very strong technical base. but must better leverage it and line it up more tightly with the fleet and the Marine Corps to short-circuit the long process that involves everything currently tasked now, from requirements definition to the budgeting process to ultimately get something into a programme of record.

Navy take on a rapid acquisition office is tasked to incorporate promising technologies from across DoD and its industrial base contracts primarily focused on delivering new capabilities to the service combat fighters and aircraft.

The Navy approach will look for ways to prototype new technologies that might have applications across any
mission areas.

Navy is going to bring the best technical experts to tackle the highest priority current requirements by launching now into experimentation and prototyping that matters to a given threat or technology, and do it at the same time the machinery is starting up to define budgets and requirements.

By the time traditional budget cycle starts there will be firm understanding of the technical possibilities, and much greater awareness of the contract costs to point the industrial base toward the solution. Progress can be made in the interim while developing the technology and then reduce the amount of time it takes on the back-end to field the ultimate solution.

Navy budget proposal will include a request to allow more testing and prototyping of new technologies within the funding lines that pay for large programmes of record such as ships and airplanes, similar to the flexibilities the Navy already has within the research and development accounts that fund research and other science and technology-heavy organisations.

Funding flexibility is common theme since under the current process, it takes DoD a full year to prepare a budget, another year to present the merits of spending plan and another year to actually expend the money once funds are appropriated into extremely rigid buckets.

That’s a challenge. imagine moving through the process to buy a combat vehicle or a tactical truck. If industry or DoD applied research comes up with a new transmission that can reduce fuel consumption it will be another year before Navy can flex that programme to incorporate the new technology because of the way funding lines are identified. With some flexibility, what is already happening through open systems architecture can at least start the process to plug that new transmission in now.

Once DoD releases its formal budget proposal it plans to follow up with a series of informal briefings to appropriating committees explaining how it plans to use prototyping to integrate new technologies onto major weapons systems.

Part of the message will be that many prototypes will fail, but that DoD needs more latitude to fail early instead of building large programmess of record which rely on promised but yet-unproven technologies.

The challenge in conducting more prototyping will be convincing Congress that DoD is not squandering money in the process and put out approach in terms of how to increase the amount of funding allocated to experimentation and prototyping.

Military also needs more freedom to spend on technologies even when they don’t have an obvious connection to the major programmes of record that make up the bulk of DoD acquisition funding.

The notion of risk becomes really important when you look at technologies that are hard to integrate right away or that aren’t mature enough, and all too often the budget process forces DoD to walk away from those.

Unless those technologies are mature enough to plug in right away, it’s hard to defend the funding both internally and across the department and with Congress. Battery technologies are an example. The load that dismounted soldiers carry on their backs is a huge issue, and it’s growing as we put more and more
electronics on them. So it is imperative to invest in power technologies.

It is difficult to trace that investment to every programme that will use it, but there will be a number of programmes that will leverage the efficiencies that are discovered. Navy needs ability to experiment in those areas and then as contract processes get more definition, be able to apply it directly to a programme right away.

Best practice concerning weapons system programmes and contracts is to schedule regular reviews with your key stakeholders and contractors. Your communication plan must reflect the schedule for these reviews. Good communication is absolutely essential so you must schedule regular review.

Status updtes with stakeholder contacts provides an opportunity to discuss current performance with everyone involved in the programme. It also offers a chance to gain insight on projected changes that might require a change to the current contract. Being proactive is better than the best reactive strategy.

As performance periods advance, the acquisition team must assess the effectiveness of the strategy that was originally created to see if it is still achieving the required mission results.

What should be changed or modified during the next acquisition cycle to improve mission results? Keep a record of what improvements could be made the next time because before you know it, it will be time to start the acquisition process all over again.

Weapons systems programme contracts many times have performance periods lasting several years. Continuous improvement must be a primary goal for the acquisition team . For example, plan on regular meetings with the contractor to identify actions both parties can take to improve efficiency.

Programme progress from project initiation all the way to fielded product must include the identification of significant cost drivers allong with other important objectives and what improvement actions could be taken to identify more effective and efficient ways to measure and track the performance results over the life of the contract.

1. Build the Team to Assign Workload

2. Vision statement/charter

3. Develop rules of conduct

4. Create/update preliminary project plan/projected timeline

5. Document/Update key tasks

6. Identify schedule constraints

7. Tap multi-disciplinary expertise

8. Define roles and responsibilities

9. Identify gaps between workload and resources

10. Obtain contractor support to assist sourcing team

11. Identify/Estimate key industry cost drivers

12. Obtain approval and funding

13. Identify length of time required for support

14. Develop a solicitation or a task order

15. Identify stakeholders and build consensus

16. Identify interests, objectives, and possible objections

17. Develop communication plans

18. Plan and schedule topical risk/source teams

19. Identify current initiatives/contracts

20. Review and document current performance risks, ie cost, quality, schedule

21. Document current metrics

22. Detail user requirements, acquisition process, service steps, supplier functions

23. Understand the impact of contingency operations

24. Understand local command funding authority

25. Understand effects of bundling and/or consolidation

26. Review lessons learned from previous acquisitions

27. Determine availability, serviceability status

28. Determine disposition planned for current and future

29. Determine replacement costs, life cycle expectations, repair costs

30. Interviews determine current and projected requirements forecast

31. Review performance results with major users and suppliers

32. Contact vendors to gain staff level perspective of operational process

33. Define process if used in contingency environment

34. Develop a standardised interview guide

35. Conduct market research to include both providers and consumers

36. Look for opportunities for strategic sourcing with other Services

37. Identify capabilities

38. Address quality assurance

39. Assess recent innovations in technology and/or process

40. Determine abilities and dependability

41. Identify innovative approaches in delivering the service

42. Identify labour costs for services

43. Assess market trends for emerging suppliers and services

44. Conduct performance risk reviews

45. Mitigate internal/external threats to stability

46. Conduct a requirements assessment

47. Review mission objectives and vision

48. Define desired outcome/results

49. Review/ incorporate commercial quality standards

50. Consider type interaction with supplier ie, strategic vs. tactical vs. transactional

51. Build Requirements Roadmap

52. Define required high level objectives and performance tasks

53. Define required performance standards/measures

54. Determine acceptable levels for performance thresholds

55. Rely on commercial quality standards

56. Determine method and means of Inspection

57. Determine the source/method of performance measurement

58. Identify team to inspect/check

59. Determine availability of info and potential cost vs. benefit of inspection

60. Standardise requirements where possible to leverage market influence

61. Create Performance Work Statement

62. Identify the constraints

63. Summarise any key background/restrictions

64. Develop preliminary Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

65. Assess projected funding against demand forecast

66. Determine spend projections

67. Identify organisational, systemic resistance to strategy

68. Establish review cycles for ensuring strategy is realized

69. Develop business and preliminary acquisition strategy

70. Review market research for suitable existing contract

71. Determine if existing contract can be used or new contract is required

72. Identify meaningful measures to judge strategic success

73. Validate preliminary business case and acquisition strategy with stakeholders

74. Apply contract-type order of precedence to best achieve performance results

75. Consider other incentive tools

76. Recognise the power of profit as motivator

77. Allocate team workload ensure you have the resources required

78. Communicate workload responsibilities based on the new strategy

79. Develop Source Selection Plan

80. Identify key evaluation factors and standards in Technical Evaluation Plan

81. Emphasise past performance in evaluation

82. Issue request for proposal

83. Conduct source selection

84. Review proposals and award the contract

85. Compete the solution use best-value evaluation and source selection

86. Finalise Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan

87. Agree on metrics with contractor to include quality assurance plan

88. Finalise Performance Measures/baselines

89. Communicate implementation/transition strategy and business rules

90. Conduct required training/education

91. Educate customers and any new contract administration team

92. Conduct implementation kickoff meetings

93. Monitor and manage contract transition

94. Assign accountability for managing contract performance

95. Develop process for overall management of task/delivery orders

96. Verify implementation/compliance

97. Update communications plan for meetings with suppliers/stakeholders

98. Monitor task order or delivery order performance

99. Submit Contractor Performance Assessment Reports

100. Monitor performance against supplier scorecard metrics targets

6 Comments

Top 50 Translate System Task Performance Metrics Impact Product Support Actions Consider Design Characteristics

1/9/2018

4 Comments

 
DoD can keep chugging along, reporting short-term operational success, while simultaneously short changing interests of Field-level Troops by not applying adequate resources towards product quality/innovation & sustainment requirements. Capacity for applications described in this report currently consider only subset of missions and focuses on equipment-specific planning factors.

Future work will expand application to include other missions and will include additions or process advance of existing features—for example, the addition of a consistency test for relative task importance selection.

In accounting for multiple missions, we face two significant challenges:

The first challenge is how to deal with common tasks when considering multiple missions. It may be the case that a single command centre is all that is required to accommodate multiple missions, but the equipment needed to support each mission may differ in some way. In other words, although the task is “common,” there may be unique, mission-specific requirements for accomplishing it.

Second challenge concerns sequencing tasks and assigning relative importance at the task level versus the mission level. A typical example might be transport of equipment to new staging area. If mission A is designated more important than mission B, does that mean that all tasks associated with mission A have absolute priority? If not, how do we provide the user with the ability to designate exceptions at the task level?

1. Consider reliable/available factors emphisise modularity; for example, ease and speed of replacement by user, built-in fault isolation, and design or selection of operational modules and parts

2. Design or produce embedded diagnostic, prognostic, and maintenance information systems

3. Acquire all logistics metrics relevant to the materiel system and associated support items for use in maintenance planning process.

4. Plan and participate in logistics demonstration and applicable developmental tests to confirm adequacy of materiel system maintenance concept and plan.

5. Establish activities to perform functions/tasks to develop and sustain adequate maintenance support for new materiel or fielded material across service life

6. Participate in test /evaluation integrated product team and provide requirements to test planners

7. Prepare and execute maintenance requirements/constraints during materiel acquisition contract package; conduct and sponsor research programmes to improve performance of engineering operations.

8. Generate maintenance workforce performance metrics on fielded systems from all levels of maintenance, including depot level, for use in establish service life estimates to support develop/application of new weapons/equipment

9. Identify areas requiring maintenance/engineering actions and provide appropriate input to budget; conduct pilot industrial base maintenance programs.

10. Update technical criteria to prescribe scope, depth, and frequency of inspection and maintenance operations performed on materiel systems.


Top 10 Activities Evaluate Options for Mission Requirements Solution Measure Progress Update Design Decisions

1. Trade-off studies among requirements, design options and other cost, schedule and performance factors

2. Risk mitigation during design process to identify/evaluate sources of utilised tech, design, manufacturing, test/support processes

3. Configuration control for system products, processes and related updates include verify function/physical characteristics of item design

4. Assess capture/control baseline track tech match/trace serve as ready reference for systems engineering effort.

5. Establish performance metrics provide measures of tech develop/design quality meet system cost/schedule requirements

6. Create update medium controls ensure all internal/external interface requirement changes communicated to configuration items.

7. Structured programme review demonstrate/confirm completion of established results and plan exit criteria

8. Determine reliable/maintain O&S costs estimate and design system component operate potential

9. Make available/accurate readiness measures for logistics support resource required to perform update assess

10. Predict potential design impact include support perform estimate, cost/readiness improvement and programme risk reduce efforts


Top 10 Measure Contractor Logistics Product Support Performance Metrics Utilised Demo Task Schedule

Here we present metrics programme offices use to assess Contractor Logistics Support performance. DoD must measure only what the contractor can control and reward behaviours it wants to encourage.

Since Contractor Logistics Support contracts for different programmes buy different services, the metrics vary by mission. When the contractor provides total logistics support and assumed responsibility for total system performance, broad metrics of weapon system availability, such as mission capable rate, are used.

But most weapon systems do not rely completely on Contractor Logistics Support instead utilising some mixture of in-house and contractor support so it is important to select metrics that measure only what is under the control of the contractor.

1. Capable Supply:

Percentage of time an aircraft can fly at least one but not all of its missions for reasons attributed to supply

2. Issue Effectiveness:

Percentage of customer requests filled by items in the inventory; include fulfillment of any request, not just requests for items the supply is authorised

3. Mission Incapable Awaiting Parts:

Percentage of time aircraft is unable to perform its assigned mission because of a lack of parts

4. Mean time between repairs:

Flying hours divided by repair actions

5. Mean time between failure:

Measure of reliability for reparable items; the average amount of time that all parts of an item perform within their specified limits

6. Repair turnaround:

Measure of the length of time to repair an item and return it to the stock system

7. Break rates:

Number of breaks, defined as landings with write-ups requiring major maintenance that ground the aircraft, per sortie

8. Mean time to repair:

Basic measure of maintainability: the total maintenance time divided by total number of failures

9. Availability:

Capable hours divided by total possessed hours

10. Mission-capable Rate:

Percentage of all possessed aircraft capable of fulfilling at least one of their assigned missions.


Top 10 Tasks Milestone Schedule Tools Present Monitor/Control Ability for Product Support Activities

Repair Site Self-assessment evaluations did not produce the desired effect, which was to ensure repair personnel took action to address immediate problems and prevent reoccurring deficiencies. In addition, because repair personnel did not include required repair supporting documentation that identified the dates items were shipped, whether the repair occurred, the dates of the repair, and who verified the repair, Repair Services Administration did not have reasonable assurance that contractors repaired the equipment.

1. Simple to prepare and update format info

2. Determine preparation expense

3. Prepare using application tools

4. Relate activities and calendar dates

5. Useful first step for prep complex type schedules

6. Reliable estimates of repetitive work

7. Estimate effects of early/ late activity start

8. Represent dependencies of activity schedule tech

9. Reflect activity plan duration or event date uncertainty

10. Quick/easy list consequences of other actions


Top 10 Format Questions Set Out Process Steps for Meeting Product Support Team Project Schedule/Budget Goals

If you’re having a hard time deciding what steps in a process will work for you, work your way through these questions and scenarios:

1. What are intended goals/outcome of your project, and how will you and your client determine if the project is successful in generating satisfactory returns?

2. Is it product you’ll create for your client? An experience? A specific deliverable?

3. Who will participate in the project based on your goals and do they have requisite skill sets to produce results?

4. How are the teams you’d like to assign to the project structured to work?

5. Does the Client Subscribe to good way of working and certified to established business practices?

6. Are you aware of how client budgets are in play and how will fiscal constraints impact your team?

7. Are there any outside factors you need to take into account when planning like dependencies, project or client values, etc.?

8. What is already working for your team? What is working for your clients? Also, what isn’t working?

9. Is there technology involved? If yes, what is the technology? Does your client employ anyone with tech expertise?

10. What is the timeline for the project, and will your client require your services after your work is complete?

4 Comments

Top 10 "Best in Class" Logistics Organisation Practices Achieve Supplier Contribution to High Readiness Rates

1/3/2018

2 Comments

 
Readiness is the state of preparedness of forces or weapon system or systems to meet a mission, based on adequate and trained personnel, materiel condition, supplies/reserves of support system and ammunition, numbers of units available,
etc.

Deficits in Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability [RAM] will cause readiness to fall below needed levels or increase the cost of achieving them. Effective diagnostics helps assure both system/mission readiness and efficient repair/return to ready status.

The primary objective of Department of Defense acquisition is to acquire quality products/systems that satisfy user needs with measurable improvements to mission capability and operational support in a timely manner.

This guide supports that objective. It addresses RAM as essential elements of mission capability. It focuses on what can be done to achieve satisfactory levels of RAM and how to assess RAM. This Backround Brief introduced RAM, what it is, why it is important, current RAM problems in the DoD, and activities appropriate to achieving satisfactory levels.

RAM refers to three related characteristics of a system and its operational support: reliability, availability, and maintainability.

Reliability is the probability of an item to perform a required function under stated conditions for a specified period of time. Reliability is further divided into mission reliability and logistics reliability.

Availability is a measure of the degree to which an item is in an operable state and can be committed at the start of a mission when the mission is called for at an unknown/random point in time. Availability as measured by the user is a function of how often failures occur and corrective maintenance is required, how often preventative maintenance is performed, how quickly indicated failures can be isolated and repaired, how quickly preventive maintenance tasks can be performed, and how long logistics supply line support delays contribute to down time.

Maintainability is the ability of an item to be retained in, or restored to, a specified condition when maintenance is performed by troops having specified skill levels, using prescribed procedures and resources, at each prescribed level of maintenance and repair.

Many factors are important to RAM: system design; manufacturing quality; the supply line characteristics of system is transpor, handled, stored, and operated; the design and development of the support system; the level of training and skills of troops operating and maintaining the system; the availability of materiel supply required to repair the system; and diagnosis tools. available .

All these factors must be understood to achieve a system with a desired level of RAM. During pre-systems acquisition, the most important activity is to understand the users’ needs and constraints.

During system development, the most important RAM activity is to identify potential failure mechanisms and to make design changes to remove them. During production, the most important RAM activity is to ensure quality in manufacturing so that the inherent RAM qualities of the design are not degraded.

In Operations/support phase, the most important RAM activity is to monitor performance in order to facilitate retention of RAM capability, to enable improvements in design iff there is to be a new design increment, or of the support system to included support concept, spare parts supply, etc.

Although significant improvements have been made in increasing the reliability of basic components, these have not always been accompanied by corresponding gains in the reliability of equipment or systems. In some cases, equipment and system complexity and functionality have progressed so rapidly that they negate, in part, the increased reliability expected from use of the higher reliability basic component.

In other cases, the basic components have been misapplied or overstressed so that their potentially high reliability is not realised. In still other cases, past Site Visit Executives have been reluctant or unable, due to programme budget shortfalls or highly aggressive schedules, to devote the time and attention necessary to ensure that the potentially high reliability is achieved.

However, in many areas of the commercial sector, increased system complexity has not negated system reliability. In fact, often products with increased system complexity are provided with increased system reliability. This is an area the defense sector must also strive to improve.
Achieving specified levels of RAM for a system is important for many reasons, specifically the affect RAM has on readiness, mission success, and logistics footprint.

Top achieve top readiness for the fleet DoD must realise doing what you've always done—even if you think you do it very well—is no longer acceptable. Under pressure to contain costs and produce results despite challenging circumstances, your equipment supply line administration must achieve transformation, not simply improving your operation. That means adopting structured processes to make your organisation "best in class."

What makes a supply line organisation best in class? The answer will vary for each DoD component, but there are some practices that many leading organisations are adopting now. Here we outline key practices to function across functional locations.

There are not precise roadmaps for achieving the desired level of supply line readiness for your organisation. The sequence of practices does not indicate priority or suggest a higher or lower importance ranking. It does, however, offer a systematic approach for measuring your effectiveness in building a best-in-class supply line organisation.

Some of these practices are simple, straightforward, and familiar. Others may be new to your Service Division so you must work toward implementation to build strong foundation for excellence in executing supply line practices to achieve high levels of readiness.

1. Establish Administrative Supply Line Teams to Achieve Readiness

Purpose of building Readiness Teams is to give direction and help align supply line strategy direction with yours overall strategy to include regularly scheduled meetings. But even if it doesn't, it will serve to indicate endorsement and commitment of senior leadership.

We often see supply line organisations struggle in establishing recognition of Readiness objectives and strategies differ from their companies' stated objectives and strategies by providing constant, consistent validation that the supply line strategy directly correlates with DoD strategy.

Readiness team must serve to remove existing barriers to success like individuals or organisations that don't see or accept the value that well-built supply line structure provides. By addressing these barriers, you can ensure supply line team is given the opportunity to perform up to its potential. When it is clear that the executive leadership is fully embracing the supply chain organisation, it is likely that key business-unit stakeholders will be more willing to work with and support supply line efforts and initiatives and provide effective forum for cross-functional communication.

2. Properly Align Supply Line Organisation with Readiness Objectives

It can be difficult to organise the supply line function in so effective readiness levels are maximised and bring commensurate benefits to DoD. Some Service components will be best served by embedding proficient supply lines teams within business units. For others, a more centralised operation is most effective. Many readiness teams we have worked with, however, have adopted a hybrid approach that combines a centralised strategy to gain consensus with decentralised execution to improve service.

Another emerging trend we have seen involves placing procurement, logistics, contract management, and forecasting/demand planning and similar functions under direction of Site Visit Executive This approach is not always appropriate for all DoD divisions but it does give us an idea of current about supply line reporting structure.

Whatever structure you adopt, building effective readiness teams is vital to success. Elevating individual skills sets for team members is always a priority, of course. But sometimes top leadership focuses more on strategy and is less concerned about transactional ability and teams must be built with ability to think strategically, and a focus on value creation.

3. Make Technology Work to Improve Readiness.

Too many DoD leaders hope new technology will make them more efficient, and they structure their workflows and processes around that chosen technology. Instead, DoD must first review the processes that need improvement, and only then select the technology that best satisfies those process needs. This may seem self-evident, sometimes DoD buys first and figures things out later.

Perhaps that is why many supply line teams seem to be "feeding the system" such as an enterprise resource planning system with information, and they have difficulty retrieving the type of readiness info they need for making sound strategy and business decisions.

Top become best-in-class organisation, DoD must understand that "the system" should help them better manage their supply lines. They find a way to use technology to produce beneficial information without having to perform various "work-arounds" to extract and view Readiness indications. They recognise the importance of an efficient purchase-to-pay process and have adopted strategies and mechanisms to get the greatest benefits from technology.

4. Establish Contacts with Suppliers Critical to System Readiness

Must work closely with suppliers long after a deal has been established, and not just with one-way communication telling the supplier how to do it. Two-way communication, which requires both buyer and seller to jointly build the relationship, is more effective. Contacts with representatives from both parties working together to enhance the buyer/supplier relationship is key to establishing high Readiness levels.

Primary objectives of an effective contact programme with key suppliers include providing mechanism to ensure that the relationship stays current and vibrant and create platform for problem resolution. Continuous improvement goals with the objective of achieving value for both parties must be established to ensure performance measurement objectives are achieved

With a sound supplier contracts programme in place, you will be equipped to use the talents of your supply base to create sustained value while constantly seeking improvement. Smart implementation of these recommendations will provide you with strong foundation for supply line excellence.

5. Readiness Teams must Engage in Collaborative Strategic Sourcing.

Strategic sourcing is a cornerstone of successful supply line operations. But a collaborative strategic sourcing initiative produces even better results. DoD must not consider strategic sourcing as just a matter for the purchasing teams, best-in-class organisations get internal "customers" actively involved in the decision-making process.

More importantly, they solicit feedback and information regarding their objectives and strategies from those customers, which may include functional areas such as cost tracking engineering, operations, maintenance and quality assurance—any internal business unit or function that will contribute to success of Readiness initiatives. This approach not only ensures availability of supplies but also results in lower total cost, streamlined processes, and increased responsiveness to changing needs of customers.

6. Focus on Total Cost of Ownership to Maintaining Readiness

One benefit of strategic sourcing is shifting the focus from looking only at the purchase price to understanding the total cost of owning or consuming a product or service. For significant spend areas, new procurement teams must abandon outmoded practice of receiving multiple bids and selecting a supplier simply on price.

Instead, they consider many other factors that affect the total cost of ownership since acquisition costs do not even account for at third of the total cost for most products and services. The balance of the total comprises operating, training, maintenance, quality, and transportation costs as well as the cost to salvage product value later on.

Identifying the total cost of ownership requires looking at the entire process of procuring and consuming the product or service, something that can only happen with cooperation and input from both the buyer and the seller. DoD must not stop there, must also ask suppliers and internal stakeholders the following important question: "How can we work together to reduce the total cost of ownership?"

Establishing a "total cost of ownership" mindset is a goal that DoD supply line teams must embrace and perpetuate throughout the entire enterprise. But it is not always easy to convince leadership to truly prioritise value over price.

7. Put Readiness Contracts Under Supply Line Function

Purchasing and procurement teams often negotiate significant potential savings during the sourcing process but never fully realise those savings. The reasons for this vary, but they often include a failure to communicate contract terms to the affected organisations and a failure to monitor contract compliance.

All too often, in fact, the executed contract is filed away in some drawer and forgotten. This is no exaggeration; when we asked DoD supply line teams "How do you build Readiness contracts?" their answers were startling. Most stated, "We can't even find the contracts, much less shape them."

DoD must move responsibility for contract management to the supply line organisation, not leave it in purchasing or operations. One benefit of this shift is that it ensures the contracts are collected and maintained in a central repository, to effectively leverage DoD spend, particularly in the area of services, where there is a great opportunity for cost reduction and risk mitigation.

8. Optimise DoD-owned Readiness Inventory

The negative effects of bad practices for fiscal teams must be constantly looking for new ways to improve the bottom line and reduce working capital. Supply line organisations must therefore constantly review their inventory quantities and strive to keep them at optimal levels.

It's no surprise that best-in-class organisations are paying attention to inventory at the highest levels. The "real" cost of holding inventory often is higher than generally assumed. In fact, we have found inventory holding costs could represent a majority of item cost.

Poor planning and forecasting are direct causes of inventories that are out of balance with DoD Requirements. Accordingly, DoD must also placing more emphasis on demand planning and forecasting as an additional means of ensuring optimal inventory levels.

9. Establish Control Levels to Minimise Risks to Readiness

Supply Line policies and procedures must follow an appropriate sequence and structure, and it is important to review them constantly so they are always up to date.. Keeping Readiness goals realistic and easy to understand and follow will help to ensure compliance.

It is certainly possible to go too far in establishing policies and procedures, however. That is why you must periodically review policies and controls to ensure that they are not creating bottlenecks. Their objective is to streamline them without sacrificing the ability of those controls to deter risks to Readiness.

Risk mitigation goes hand-in-hand with policies and controls, and DoD must integrate risk-mitigation focus into sourcing decision process. This is a complicated subject, but in short, best in class organisations are adopting sound processes to identifying all risk elements, determine probability of the risk event occurring assess the dollar impact on the sourcing decision if the risk event actually takes place, and prioritising risks for monitoring and prevention.

10. Establish Roadmap for High Levels of Readiness

The best practices described above do not represent a complete list of every action that top-tier supply line organisations are engaging in now. This list does, however, provide some ideas and perhaps a roadmap for a DoD to constantly strive to be viewed as valued by Funding Stakeholders. Even if you already have implemented many of these practices, the insights and examples offered here will serve to validate your current strategy. And if you aren't taking all of these steps, then adding the remaining ones to your lineup will help you complete your transformation to a best-in-class supply line organisation.
2 Comments

Top 50 Service Division Survey Build Actionable Systems Project Schedule Accurate Performance Indicators

1/3/2018

2 Comments

 
Everyone--clients and teams--walks away from projects that are done on time and within budget with a smile on their faces. They’re also happy when they’re communicating well.

Guess who helps to make all of that happen? Having Site Visit Executive direct project teams means that you’ve got a person dedicated to making sure that work is done on time and at the right time.

Site Visit Executive is also looking to make sure team exercises run smoothly, and if they are not, they will be corrected through constructive discussion. This is the kind of thing that makes teams happier, because they can focus on working hard and producing successful products.

Review project plan regularly to monitor progress in terms of schedule and budget. Update project plan regularly with the completed work to have a clear visibility on the task that needs to be done. Determine remaining work to be completed with the team to identify how it will impact your budget.

Whether you build heavy equipment systems installed at remote sites or produce materials as project services organisation, you face daily challenges for keeping project costs and schedules under control and balancing the flow of products.

Must ensure you can efficiently and cost-effectively administer projects that involve complex work order changes and custom requirements.

These processes serve as stable, rich foundation for traditional project functions. Mission-specific functionality integrates seamlessly with the system to provide advanced quote-to-service capabilities designed to be flexible in meeting changing operational requirements.

1. Get project scope clearly defined in module, function & work type

2. Input screen/user interface, dockets & reports

3. Get scope signed by all users, module & client-side modules

4. Get roll out plan by setting the scope priorities on scope list.

5. Deterrnine advantages and disadvantages of Project Planning

6. Make sure everyone is clear on what/when milestones

7. Ensure everyone is aware of dependencies

8. Determine what other work is happening when

9. Make sure you are able to clearly track progress

10. You are unlikely to miss major roadblocks by having forward plans

11. Too much time can be spent adjust charts

12. Get all project objectives lined up

13. Too long of plan takes too much time to update

14. Project sponsors must not assume every task is set in concrete

15. Watch out for too little flexibility to change deliverables order around

16. Ensure you are still able to meet end date

17. Don't get bogged down in details of plan

18. Make sure you don't lose sight of big picture

19. Watch out for decisions leading to Increase in risk

20. Don't spend too much time on plan you loose site of people

21. Have right processes & tools

22. Arrive at right level of details critical to project planning

23. Define the realistic project goals

24. Establish sales team to bring in orders

25. Make business process records accurate as possible

26. Quantify requirements to make scope definition more specific

27. Design scope and business process with minimum differences

28. Break down each requirement as clear activities

29. Capture each requirement as separate point.

30. Capture each process gaps

31. Clearly categorise fit workaround gap

32. Important to not give solutions in the requirement records stage

33. Judge activities subject to time lines as realistic as possible

34. Have clear discussions with team leaders at each stage

35. Once design draft is ready and project timelines fit follow through with monitor/control

36. Mitigate dependence on too many internal/external factors or control too early

37. Capture all stages in tandem with full project team

38. Build competitive/profitable margins from start

39. Gain insights to keep up with all levels of work breakdown structure.

40. Balance hours, materials and expense margins across entire work breakdown structure

41. Record/Reuse Metrics to improve project quality

42. Have quick/accurate response to tender or request for quote

43. Reuse previous quotes, apply templates & leverage past results to build quotes

44. Simplify costs, plans & execution factors

45. Tailor flow of materials for your project so you minimise roadblocks to logistics streams

46. Avoid stoppages affecting planning, costs & delivery promises

47. Save time and effort for multi-level production/purchase orders

48. Integrate current information adjust to project requirements

49. Balance materials resource project plans

50. Make sure right products/components available for tasks driven by schedules
2 Comments

Top 100 Dispatcher Tasks Assigned for Accurate Work Order Change Process Period Track Determine

1/3/2018

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1. Complete Work Order within period of receipt of request provided to contractor and updated as changes occur.

2. Accept deferred maintenance requests for correction of non-deadline equipment faults only upon the customer's request...

3. Notify contracting officer when initial inspection of equipment or items indicate that maintenance expenditure limits are exceeded

4. Verify inspections shall be completed soon after receipt of request

5. Collect and input metrics on periodic basis, and as otherwise required by the contracting officer

6. Receive, establish, and maintain valid work order on file for each authorised customer

7. Provide a listing by the operations start date of authorised customer

8. Return expired status updates to units except for work requests that the contracting officer has approved.

9. Establish and maintain Maintenance Request Registers or an work order processing Equipment system

10. Accept only forms completed in accordance with critera cited and process all forms through appropriate maintenance channels.

11. Allow customers to pick up equipment only upon sign the Maintenance Register when the item is picked up.

12. Retain work order received from the unit commander for established period

13. Minimise the turnaround time of equipment repaired for supported units

14. Change priorities on work order upon receipt of the unit commander request.

15. Report to the contracting officer any production stoppage

16. Request assistance on zero-balance items that have established long lead times.

17. Edit, code, and enter information from maintenance forms and other records and correct mistakes

18. Attend scheduled and unscheduled materiel maintenance and workload meetings, provide current status and Estimated Completion

19. Provide a current end-item list of point assets for distribution as directed

20. Provide the current status and availability of Operational Readiness Float items as directed

21. Provide customer assistance for Job order status, requisition numbers and simulated completion status/survey

22. Preclude work stoppages caused by the unavailability of repair parts or items not mission-capable

23. Initiate appropriate action to obtain repair parts include submit production-line messages to Inventory Control Point

24. Screen point assets in accordance with the section on transfer reuse Point operation.

25. Coordinate transfer use materiel and controlled exchange

26. Prepare and distribute instructions when repair parts that affect combat readiness are not available

27. Provide information for Selected assemblies Report to the contracting officer.

28. Provide periodic working copy of General Support Repair of Selected Assemblies Report

29. Prepare an explanation for selected assemblies and submit to contracting officer

30. Collect details of operational Readiness deploy Status and Utilisation report

31. Submit status updates for selected, work intensive assemblies

32. Establish system where daily results are is submitted and checked for errors This should be accomplished by entering corrections

33. Schedule all work in accordance to description of Work, Materiel Maintenance Requirements

34. Maintain all completed work request in accordance with info for all maintenance performance

35. Submit Maintenance Production Backlog Report to

36. Notify and identify problem areas to originator of incorrect source status updates

37. Provide repair parts and related support to contractor. operated maintenance activities

38. Carry out Tasks include requisitioning, receiving, locating, storing, and issuing parts/supplies

39. Complete Maintenance Shop Supply operations using Automated Retail Outlet subsystem

40. Provide various status inquiries for special reports to include input/output interface device must allow required outputs to be generated.

41. Operate a demand-supported shop stock, programmed stock, bench stock, and other stock specified include force modernisation, and upgrade programs

42. Identify parts required to meet turnaround times for mission-essential parts; submit the requisition to establish stock/reorder point levels higher than supported by demands

43. Conduct follow-up procedures on requisitions to determine status of due-in parts, and request assistance from the contractor if problems occur

44. Edit all parts requisitions, using Wholesale Supply System

45. Load information into system to establish cross-referenced part number to determine if valid info

46. Requisition commercial repair parts that cannot be cross-referenced to an tag or coded local parts store purchase

47. Establish a unit of consumption for issue to the customer.

48. Verify items received are the item quantity requisitioned and item receipt is authorised substitute.

49. Submit Item Discrepancy for shipment shortages, overages

50. Identify any items received that have original status updates missing

51. Unload, open, unpack, warehouse, and issue supplies

52. Operate any equipment required to offload, transport, or position supplies for issue or storage

53. Assign to warehouse items of supply for all jobs to ensure speedy location and retrieval of items

54. Receive and record modification but do not open Work Order kits on same day received

55. Issue items of supply only upon receipt of a valid written request as directed by the contracting officer

56. Issue items listed to requesting units if items are not available at Installation Supply Division

57. Issue parts on an emergency basis when supply record is audited alongside physical inventory assets

58. Annotate all overages and shortages for issue or turn-in on the Inventory Adjustment Report

59. Perform status update inquiry to determine causes of overages and/or shortages

60. Establish and administer suspense file on recoverable/ non-expendable items to include Automatic Return Items

61. Create accurate, complete supply and maintenance work order copies.

62. Limit entries into systems as to be made not later period following the event requiring the entry.

63. Identify unpacked, verified, and warehouse items received quickly after following receipt.

64. Resubmit corrected requisitions for all canceled or rejected requisitions quickly after notification of cancellation

65. Notify the contracting officer of the type and number of work order kits received

66. Deliver work order kits to appropriate location quickly after direction issued

67. Pick up and distribute excess kits recover and return unserviceable inventory items to Installation Supply Division

68. Identify and deliver all excess or directed items of supply to Installation Supply Division after reaching expenditure limits

69. Complete verification inspections quickly with in timeframe of request receipt

70. Plan, schedule and expedite maintenance requests through shop work centers and automated system

71. Design internal automated system to include input and output devices that can interface/ allow required outputs to be generated.

72. Put together and input periodic inquiries to includes, but not limited to status and labour distribution cards

73. Return expired work ourder authorisation cards to the units and refuse service until new cards are received

74. Verify priorities on the work orders, submitted by the units agree with numbering processing system for work orders.

75. Accept only properly completed status updates and process through appropriate maintenance channels.

76. Allow customers to pick up equipment only with disposition from unit stating original hand receipt has been lost.

77. Require customer to update status of Maintenance Register when the item is picked up.

78. Minimise the turnaround time of equipment repaired for supported units in accordance with direction

79. Change status update priorities upon receipt of request and report any production stoppage quickly

80. Request assistance from headquarters on zero-balance items with established long lead times

81. Attend scheduled and unscheduled materiel maintenance and workload meetings

82. Provide current status update with and Estimated Completion Date on work items using Technical Exhibit format

83. Provide a current end-item list of point asset status updates for distribution provide the current status and readiness availability

84. Initiate action obtaining repair parts to preclude work stoppages caused by the unavailability of repair parts or nonmission-capable items

85. Submit production-line messages to appropriate Inventory Control Point for action.

86. Initiate appropriate actions when repair parts impact combat readiness are not available with standard delivery time

87. Provide information for, prep of General Support Repair of Selected Assemblies Report

88. Provide revised informal working version of Support Repair of Selected Assemblies Report

89. Prepare Maintenance Production/Backlog Report and explanation to accompany

90. Collect input for Operational equipment deploy Status and Utilisation report

91. Submit status of selected assemblies and items as required

92. Submit Maintenance Production Backlog Report

93. Describe tasks and standards required in the operation of Maintenance Shop Supply to provide repair parts and related support

94. Design an internal automated system to include input and output devices to allow for generation of required outputs to be
generated

95. Operate demand-supported shop stock, programmed stock, bench stock, and other stock to include force modernisation, and upgrade programs

96. Identify mission-essential parts required to meet turnaround times and submit the requisition for approval to establish stock/reorder point levels

97. Conduct follow-up procedures on requisitions determine status of due-in parts, and request assistance from the contractor if problems occur

98. Verify items received are the items requisitioned, that the quantity received is the quantity requisitioned, and that an item is an authorised substitute

99. Issue items listed in status update to requesting units if items are not available at Installation Supply Division Division Materiel Directorate

100. Perform other Special Duties as Assigned

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    Site Visit Executive

    Provides Periodic Updates Operation Status

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