QUALIFICATION AND HIGHER STANDARDS WILL ENSURE MENTORSHIP AND PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT IN OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND WILL MAINTAIN A GOLD STANDARD IN OUR MILITARY TRAINING FOR MISSION AREAS THAT TRANSLATES WELL TO OUR GOALS OF RECOGNIZING OUR WORKFORCE AS PROFESSIONALS.
team for many acquisitions, equips our customer—the
warfighters—for the
DOD mission. Also, the magnitude of what we acquire is much greater; and in many cases, we develop, acquire and sustain very complex weapon systems that will provide value toward national security for decades.
Q. What can the Defense Acquisition Workforce learn from the Army Acquisition Workforce, and vice versa?
A. Tere are many examples across the services and defense agencies of excel- lent acquisition practices. Tey recently shared highlights of workforce accom- plishments and best practices at the FY 2013 Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund Midyear Program Review. Te Army highlighted creation of acquisition planning training for con- tingency operations and joint operational contract support exercises. Te establish- ment of a Military Education Level-1 equivalent training for civilians is a great testament to the value the Army places in its total Acquisition Corps. (See related article on Page 132.) Additionally, recent savings generated as a result of should- cost
implementation across the Army
have enabled the service to bring more for less to the fight.
Q. If you could implement one change and have it take effect immediately, what would that change be, and why?
A. I am compelled to take this question as an opportunity to revisit and reinforce Secretary Kendall’s BBP 2.0 overarching principles. I truly believe improving the professionalism of our workforce begins with constant application of key acquisi- tion principles. Our deliberate efforts to apply these principles not only will result in improving the professionalism of the total acquisition workforce, but will also generate value-added outcomes to the warfighters, the taxpayers and the nation.
Finally, I’d like to close by reiterating
several overarching principles taken from Secretary Kendall’s April 24, 2013, Bet- ter Buying Power 2.0 memorandum to the workforce.
1. Think. Te first responsibility of the acquisition workforce is to think. We need to be true professionals who apply our education, training and experience through analysis and creative, informed thought to address our daily decisions. Our workforce should be encouraged by leaders to think and not to automatically default to a perceived “school solution” just because it is expected to be approved more easily. BBP 2.0, like BBP 1.0, is not rigid dogma—it is guidance subject to professional judgment.
2. People. Tinking does not do much good if we do not have the professional preparation to think well. Policies and processes are of little use without acqui- sition professionals who are experienced,
trained and empowered to apply them effectively. At the end of the day, quali- fied people are essential to successful outcomes, and professionalism, particu- larly in acquisition leaders, drives results more than any policy change.
3. Start with the basics. While they can be
improved in practice on the mar-
gins, while we can always learn from our experience and while we can find more creative ways to improve outcomes, the acquisition fundamentals work. We need to apply them effectively. Any list of basics would include these five items: effective incentives to industry, especially compet- itive pressures; thorough understanding and active management of technical risk; insistence on demonstrated prog- ress before major commitments; getting the big early decisions right, particularly requirements trade-offs; and using the right contract type for the job. Some of these appear directly in BBP 2.0; others are there by implication. Tese basics should always drive our thought pro- cesses and judgments.
4. Streamline decisions. Finally, we must
streamline promptly our processes acquiring and
oversight to provide value added. Tis includes
relevant
data and directing differences of opinion to appropriate decision makers. Our managers cannot be effective if process consumes
all of resource—time. their most precious
ASC.ARMY.MIL
15
ACQUISITION
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