Best Practices: Stronger Practices Needed to Improve DOD Technology Transition Processes

The Air Force has developed the Technology Development and Transition Strategy Guidebook to provide best practices for technology development and transition to its program managers and science and technology officials. The guidebook identifies 4 stage gates, along with tasks that should be completed for each stage and exit criteria that serve as "go/no go" decisions. The guidebook is available on the Defense Acquisition University's web site. The Navy continues to use its Future Naval Capabilities program as a primary tool for transitioning technology. The process used to oversee technology development and transition, as well as the criteria used to support continued funding, is very similar to the approach used at the time of our review. The Army is awaiting the release of the new modified DODI 5000.2, which will include criteria for specific gates.

In July 2010, DOD issued the Manufacturing Readiness Level Deskbook, as a resource for program officials to use to increase the capability and reliability of weapons systems. The Deskbook states that consideration should be given to manufacturing risks and issues early in technology development and intensify as technologies mature so that manufacturing maturity is sufficient at the time of transition. The Deskbook encourages technology project managers to work with transition customers to identify target manufacturing readiness levels for transition and to include this in a technology transition agreement.

The Manufacturing Readiness Level Deskbook, issued July 2010, calls for including manufacturing readiness level target in technology transition agreements. Furthermore. the Air Force is developing criteria for assessing technology maturity, including technical performance, manufacturing readiness, integrability, testability, and supportability that can be used to assess and mitigate the risk of problems related to immature technology. It has also identified questions to augment existing technology readiness assessment criteria, identified lessons learned from past assessments, and defined an initial training strategy. The Navy's technology transition agreements have evolved to now include exit criteria, integration strategy, risk mitigation, and estimates of the technology readiness level at transition. When appropriate, a cost target is also included. The Army's agreements include specific technical performance metrics agreed to between the S&T provider and the acquisition program manager.

The Air Force has developed a Technology Development and Transition Strategy Guidebook that highlights the best practices program managers and science and technology officials should use to develop and transition technologies to weapons programs. One of those practices is the use of a team of subject-matter experts to collaborate across the development time frame to ensure that activities do not fall through the cracks, and that technologies are eventually transitioned onto an acquisition program. The guidebook points out that an integrated process team consisting of the program manager, technology manager, and additional representatives from acquisition, lab, logistics, contracting, and other communities should be established to collaborate on technology transition efforts. The Navy is continuing to use its science and technology program officers and acquisition program managers to maintain open lines of communication for the majority of its technology projects. Navy officials believe most transition failures result from reprioritization of acquisition funds rather than a breakdown in communications. The Navy has however established a set of deal brokers for its Rapid Technology Transition and Technology Insertion Program for Savings programs. In March 2008 the Army implemented a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project on technology transition to further increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these processes.

The Air Force has 3 metrics to evaluate how well it is transition technologies: percentage of technology transition plans that are signed within 6 months of initiation; percentage of completed or ongoing advanced technology demonstrations against all that were initiated, and percentage of advanced technology demonstrations that transitioned or are in transition to the end user. The Navy has been tracking process-oriented metrics since fiscal year 2005 for its Future Naval Capabilities program. After fiscal year 2006, the Navy had an independent body review the status of successful S&T transitions from previous years,which a Navy official said addressed our recommendation for more process oriented metrics. The Army has initiated a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt project to establish transition metrics and identify an appropriate frequency of review.

The Air Force has developed a Technology Development and Transition Strategy Guidebook that highlights the best practices program managers and science and technology officials should use to develop and transition technologies to weapons programs. The guidebook identifies 4 stage gates for technology development, including gates for proof of concept, refinement breadboard, development brassboard, and prototype in relevant environment. It also includes the tasks necessary to complete each stage. The guidebook is available on the Defense Acquisition University website is implementing a gated process for developing and transitioning technologies that will provide stakeholders a common, consistent, and repeatable technology transition process. This includes using scheduled decision point events to assess technology maturity throughout the entire life cycle process of a weapon system. The Navy continues to use its Future Naval Capabilities program as a primary tool for transitioning technology. The process used to oversee technology development and transition is very similar to the approach used at the time of our review. The Army is awaiting the release of the new modified DODI 5000. which is establishing a gated process for developing and transitioning technologies with specific criteria and activities that take place during the transition phases.