URGENT NEED: SENSIBLE REQUIREMENTS


FIGURE 1


G-8 & G-3 AROC


User


ACAT III Program


COEs PM


facets of the CDD requirement in writing, starting with the specifications. For the jungle boot, for example, the specifica- tions include a sole (tread), a tongue, straps (laces), sizes, color and fabric. Discussion of the sole and fabric might concern the amount of traction for the tread and the type of fabric, such as water-resistant and fast-drying. Te specifications must be objectively testable, which means that the requirement needs to state that the boot must be water- resistant as defined by the ability to repel water for up to 20 min- utes. An example of fast-drying would be the ability to dry in four hours in an 80-degree environment.


ATEC AMC KEY


ACAT: Acquisition category AMC: U.S. Army Materiel Command ARCIC: Army Capabilities Integration Center


AROC: Army Requirements Oversight Council ATEC: U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command COEs: Centers of Excellence


NO SHORTAGE OF STAKEHOLDERS


The JCIDS requirement document development is supported by several stakeholders and elements. The Army G-8 and G-3 are the Army Requirements Oversight Council approving authority, and the program executive office or PM serves as the acquisition executive. Requirements are written by the Army Centers of Excellence, and the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command serves as the testing agency. The Army Capabilities Integration Center is the gatekeeper of the requirement documents, and the U.S. Army Materiel Command is the maintenance executive. (SOURCE: “Strategies for Exploring: ACAT III Requirement Approval Process,” by Dr. Donald Schlomer)


In the real world, when you decide you need something, you go out and get what your budget will allow. Sometimes that may entail a conversation with a spouse or significant other. … Such a conversation is nothing compared with what military personnel have to go through to obtain stakeholder approval to acquire a new capability.


116 Army AL&T Magazine October-December 2017


Step 3: Next is defining the quantity and effect across the Army—which units and how many Soldiers actually need the capa- bility defined in the CDD. Te quantity is derived from the number of units that will need the item and how many per unit will be needed. Te effect refers to the possible changes in standard operating procedures or possible impacts on tactics, techniques and procedures resulting from the use of this product. For example, every Soldier in every unit could wear a jungle boot, but do they all need to be wearing them?


Step 4: Next, the CDD must address maintenance and disposal. For the boot, cleaning instructions include the type of soap and the type of utensils to use. Te maintenance should include any


PM: Program or project manager


RDECOM: U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command


ARCIC


When coming up with specifications, requirement writers should always take the


KISS approach—keep it super


simple. (Tere are several other ways to define KISS, but all of them mean the same thing.) Te specification may vary depending on the product, but usually it takes no more than two years to complete. Despite being a widely accepted design principle, KISS is applied far too infre- quently in CDDs.


Science and Technology


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