HOMING IN ON SAVINGS
a baked-in strategy for retrofit is that it can provide a scalable menu of program options to enable cost trades. Depending on the missions that retrofitted systems will
support after fielding, programs
might be able to forgo or defer certain upgrades on a system-by-system basis to free up funds for other priorities.
SHELTERING THE SYSTEM
The AN/TPQ-53’s shelter, shown here at Yuma Proving Ground, AZ, allows for extended-duration operations in all environments. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin Corp.)
depot-level maintenance standards. Te AN/TPQ-53 is not an automatic reset induction item, so program personnel will send the QRC systems directly to Letterkenny Army Depot, PA, and the program will fund the FMTV and gen- erator maintenance.
After depot maintenance, the program will induct the systems into retrofit, run them through the production line and test them against the system’s specifica- tion requirements. Te retrofitted AN/ TPQ-53s will be fielded to units in fully mission-capable condition and in the FRP configuration, and the field service representatives will ensure continued operability of the systems until the pro- gram completes its transition to organic maintenance support in FY17.
TRACKING SPECS AND COSTS PdM Radars has found the process of planning for retrofit funding to be a per- sistent challenge as the system’s physical configuration has
evolved. Te
provides an excellent example of a config- uration change that significantly affected the program’s anticipated retrofit costs. Program officials redesigned the system’s first-generation leveling system midway through QRC production to better and more reliably support the weight of a fully armored prime mover.
Te benefit of the improved system
has been dramatic, but the cost of the leveling system added to initial retro- fit estimates. Only through a careful bottom-up review of the POE was PdM Radars able to confirm that the retrofit cost was still affordable.
Tis situation highlights a critical risk in the retrofit strategy: Te cost will inevitably in
change hardware based
with modifications on
changing impor-
tance of continuously updating the program office estimate (POE) assump- tions to overcome this challenge cannot be overstated.
Te development and integration of the improved automatic leveling system
requirements, lessons learned and test results. Te program must meticulously account for every configuration change in the POE and, if possible, plan far enough in advance for the retrofit to be able to influence the budget submission and program objective memorandum once the configuration is stable.
CONCLUSION In an era of budget pressure and diffi- cult choices, one of the great benefits of
Production and deployment of the QRC systems enabled PdM Radars to incor- porate lessons learned from theater into the POR configuration, accelerating the POR. Retrofitting the QRC systems allows the program to maximize the QRC return on investment and keep POR costs down.
Program managers adopting the retro- fit strategy should stabilize the physical configuration as early in production as possible
to minimize the cost of the
eventual retrofit. Tey also should care- fully monitor the estimated costs of any changes to the baseline. Finally, they should work closely with the user com- munity to determine whether they can save money by choosing not to make certain upgrades, based on the specific missions that the systems will support.
It’s a strategy for all seasons. Whether we’re tightening belts or not, saving the government money is always a good idea.
For more information, contact the author at
loren.d.todd.mil@
mail.mil.
MAJ LOREN D. TODD is the assistant PdM for the AN/TPQ-53 counter-fire radar. He holds a B.A. in English from Central Washington University and an M.A. in management and leadership from Webster University. Todd is Level II certified in test and evaluation and Level I certified in program management.
24
Army AL&T Magazine
October–December 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196
