THE WEIGHT THING
We went into “gram management mode” to monitor
the
technical performance measurement of the weight in each sub- component. (Yes, there are 454 of those little grams in a single pound.) We spent millions of dollars in component redesign.
Our little Javelin project slipped 50 percent in its advanced-development schedule and more than doubled its advanced-development costs—in large part because of weight- reduction redesigns throughout the entire system (though we did indeed have other technical challenges to contend with). (See Figure 2.) Naturally, that threw off all of the funding allo- cations tied to the program objective memorandum- and future years defense program schedule funding, and necessitated for- mal program re-baselining with congressional assistance to “re-color” the money.
Eventually, redesigned components arrived for assembly. So along the way, as development moved to completion, we had a mixed bag of about seven different Javelin configurations with substantial differences among them—a complication for testing and evaluation, reliability analysis and scoring, etc. Tese all settled down to one final configuration by the time operational testing rolled around. We used the extra schedule to fully test these subcomponents as they came in, to be sure we hadn’t sacri- ficed other important properties when we shaved off the weight. As a result, system-level testing went off without a hitch. And we came in just under the 49.5-pound threshold.
WHAT – AGAIN … ? Later, as product manager of the Joint Advanced Special Opera- tions Radio System, I inherited a radio program that also had weight as a KPP. And I once again found it to be a challenge.
During the technology maturation phase, while receiving a briefing on a completed and functional 21-pound multiband transceiver prototype that was
supposed to get down to 10
pounds in coming months, our prime contractor indicated that it was going to lose weight by making things more compact inside.
+ HOW TO TACKLE A WEIGHTY ISSUE
By keeping an eye on weight requirements early in a program, acquisition professionals can ensure that Soldier load remains bearable and program requirements stay on track, financially and schedule-wise. (Image courtesy of the author)
Te radio largely consisted of five densely populated Standard Electronic Module, Format E cards with a planned reduc- tion to only two. Having the benefit of the Javelin experience behind me, I knew what question to ask: “How much do the three cards being eliminated weigh?” Te answer was 2 pounds each—not at all adding up to the 11 pounds we had to lose—and eyes in the audience began to widen. “Great, now how are we going to lose the other 5 pounds?” I asked. For a moment—just a very brief one—I was the smartest soul in the
138
Army AL&T Magazine
April-June 2018
SOLDIER’S LOAD
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