missile defense and counter-unmanned aerial vehicle systems. So the system really program at a time and saying do we have enough in any one particular program, it allowed us to look at the threat, the capa- bility required, and the systems coming up against it, and to rebalance our port-
Q. What would you say the critical les- sons learned are?
A. Gather the team, gather the metrics, the studies,
and the programmatic infor-
mation on the various programs in the portfolio, and then participate in the pro- cess with that information. And don’t be defensive. We sometimes have a tendency to go into forums in the Building worried about our program. And to some extent, PEOs and PMs coming into this process
We’re trying to do the right thing for the Army, for the Department of Defense, for the Nation, and get the most bang for the buck. So don’t be defensive, because your program may not be favorably impacted by what goes on there, but it’s to do the best thing for our Nation.
The other thing I do is view the CPR as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to look at our portfolio and identify areas for savings that we can turn into better buying power.
And third, I would use it as an opportu- nity to really sharpen our understanding of
the operational requirements—how
they’re met and how the various systems thing that’s put upon us, but this is really an opportunity to work together with the community to get the best result possible.
Q. What kind of lead time is required for this sort of preparation?
A. Well, we have the schedule for the CPRs out for the year. It always changes. I would suggest that the PEOs and the PMs need to be preparing with their counterparts in the G-3, the G-8, and then ASAALT two to three months in advance to start gathering the materials and be ready for the Council of Colonels. And then that will lead to the one- and two-star and obviously to the four-star and equivalent engagement.
Q. Is there any sort of guide to preparing for a CPR? Is there any place where these lessons learned have been integrated or
A. I’m not aware of it, but we are working at ASAALT to develop a repository for acquisition lessons learned. (See related article on Page 92.)
Q. Do you have any closing words of advice for PEOs in preparing for CPRs?
A. My No. 1 piece of advice for the PEOs is to understand our boss. Ms. Shyu is an engineer by trade, and she is very inter- ested in the analytics that underpin the trade space between the various programs and options. My
recommendation to
PEOs would be to dust off the analytics and understand clearly the analytics that underpin your systems and the trades that they enable, because that’s really what she’s looking for. She’s looking to bring an engineer’s view to these deliberations, and really focusing on the underlying analytics so we can make smart trades.
CPR’s really got to be talked about in feeds other processes: It feeds CSBs, it feeds milestone decisions, it feeds POM
deliberations. And you know, Ms. Shyu, with Tom Mullins [Thomas E. Mullins, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Plans, Programs, and Resources] as Executive Agent, is one of the co-leads for the EE and the SS peg, the equipping peg and the sustainment peg. And those pegs and their deliberations are both informed by what goes on in a CPR in the trades. The decision’s made there on what capabilities to pursue and in what quantities.
There is a method to the madness, if you step back and you look at it from the perspective of the senior leaders. I know why we’re going through the drill. But when you look at it from the top down, it makes sense. You may not always like - tive because you’re very—you know, we have a tendency to take ownership in our products, and we should take ownership and be proud. But we can’t let that get to the point that we miss the forest for the trees. It’s not about our program. It’s about equipping our Soldier with the best kit we can for the dollars we have.
And there are always going to be trades, because we can’t afford everything, all the time, everywhere. And what the CPR process and the CSB processes and the PPBE [planning, programming, budget- ing, and execution] processes and the trade-offs do is allow us, in an informed way, to make those trades. …
You really have to step back and say, it’s not about my program. It’s about ser- vice to the Nation and about giving the capability to the great Soldiers we put out at it from that perspective, it makes a lot more sense.
ASC.ARMY.MIL
13
ACQUISITION
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