BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
FIGURE 3 Manufacturing Readiness Levels
(as listed in the MRL Deskbook v2.2.1, October 2012)
MRL 1: Basic manufacturing implications identified. MRL 2: Manufacturing concepts identified. MRL 3: Manufacturing proof of concept developed.
MRL 4: Capability to produce the technology in a laboratory environment.
MRL 5: Capability to produce prototype compo- nents in a production-relevant environment.
MRL 6: Capability to produce a prototype system or subsystem in a production-relevant environment.
MRL 7: Capability to produce systems, subsystems or components in a production-representative environment.
MRL 8: Pilot line capability demonstrated; ready to begin low-rate initial production.
MRL 9: Low-rate production demonstrated; capabil- ity in place to begin full-rate production.
MRL 10: Full-rate production demonstrated and lean production practices in place.
MANAGING MANUFACTURING RISK
As these manufacturing readiness levels show, moving from an idea to a product in a Soldier’s hand is a long and multifaceted process. Managers must steer the development of new technologies and navigate the risks associated with manufacturing those technologies, all while keeping tabs on the budget and schedule. (SOURCE: OSD Manufacturing Technology Program in collaboration with the Joint Service/Industry MRL Working Group)
THE HOPEFUL Acknowledging that many acquisition programs have struggled during their development, much progress has been made, par- ticularly over the past 20 years, to help PMs successfully man- age their programs. Certain established practices will help PMs and their teams understand programs more clearly and manage them more effectively. Here are four acquisition best practices and resources that are not new but can make a big difference for those who apply them conscientiously and with discipline. I offer no statistical data to support them, although some of these references contain supporting statistics.
Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) Guidance, April 2011 (updated). Since 2001, DOD has used technology readi- ness levels (TRLs)—developed by NASA in the 1980s and then adapted by the Air Force Research Laboratory—in major pro- grams, as GAO had long encouraged. Currently, DOD Instruc- tion (DODI) 5000.02, Operation of the Defense Acquisition System, requires TRAs for major defense acquisition programs at the release of a developmental request for proposal (RFP), milestone B and milestone C.
DOD uses nine TRLs to describe the developmental prog- ress of emerging systems as they pass through their prescribed milestones and phases. (See Figure 2, Page 141.) Tis common framework for technology development and common language to describe the waypoints are enormously useful to acquisition managers. Before the introduction of standardized TRLs, our understanding of the progress of developmental programs was significantly less clear; to characterize our progress, we used ter- minology that meant different things to different people. Today, the use of TRLs reduces the likelihood of misunderstanding whether a developing system has progressed to a specific inter- mediate milestone.
about half of the software development cost expended before the program’s milestone B, as described in the 2007 research report “Software Architecture: Managing Design for Achieving Warfighting Capability,” by Brad Naegle of NPS. It also sug- gests that software may be the pacing activity within hardware and software program developments—a fact reflected in many of the developmental programs in GAO’s 2015 “Defense Acqui- sitions” annual report.
142
Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Deskbook, Version 2.4, August 2015. Te manufacturing readiness levels closely parallel the TRLs. Ten MRLs describe and guide progress in preparation for the manufacture of emerging warfighting sys- tems as programs pass through their prescribed milestones and phases. (See Figure 3.)
Tese manufacturing readiness metrics overlay the milestones and phases of the Defense Acquisition System, providing con- crete measures of preparation and activity that culminate in full-rate production. Besides the 10 levels, the MRL Deskbook identifies nine areas of manufacturing risk that call for tracking through each of the MRLs. Tese risk areas, or threads and sub-
Army AL&T Magazine
January-March 2017
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