THE PROFESSION OF ACQUISITION


teachers, engineers and military officers are members of a profession. Most defini- tions of profession include work requiring a high level of education, specialized train- ing or knowledge and particular skills, in order to provide a valued service to soci- ety in that field. Professions also have established technical and ethical stan- dards that members adhere to; those standards are regularly updated through governing bodies. Some argue that society would cease to exist (or more realistically, cease to function normally) without these professions.


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Elements of a profession include accredited education, the acquisition of specialized skills, certification, licensure, continu- ous professional development, a certified governing society and a code of ethics. For example, military officers are members of the profession of arms—warriors, held to high standards of conduct as they protect and defend the society they serve.


One of the most important results of the 1990 Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA), besides the establishment of Defense Acquisition University (DAU), was to lay the founda- tion for professional career fields within defense acquisition. Over the three decades since, the professionalism of the acquisi- tion workforce has solidified and continues to improve. DOD and the services have continued to make significant investments prioritizing the education and training of acquisition workforce members.


Today, the acquisition workforce across DOD totals more than 150,000 dedicated government civilians and uniformed personnel. Te establishment of the Defense Acquisition Workforce


74 Army AL&T Magazine Spring 2020


hat’s a profession, and not just a job? Most agree that medi- cal doctors,


lawyers,


Development Fund in 2008 to help improve and sustain the quality of the workforce demonstrates a commitment by Congress and DOD to the education and training of acquisition professionals.


Despite this progress, acquisition (specif- ically program management) is not considered a profession in the eyes of most outside the acquisition workforce, as is evident in senior leaders’ lack of trust and respect for acquisition professionals. Often to the detriment of long-term acqui- sition effectiveness, senior leaders fail to recognize the importance of advice from acquisition professionals and to capitalize on the expertise of acquisition professionals


specifically on the certification require- ments for the program management career field—both civilian and military, as with DAWIA.


PRIVATE-SECTOR STATUS Te military does not establish separate professional certification requirements for its medical doctors and lawyers. Just like their counterparts practicing medi- cine in the civilian world, medical doctors within the military have to be board-certi- fied. Similarly, military lawyers must pass a state bar exam to practice law. Program managers (PMs) within DOD, however, are not required to earn professional certi- fications in project, product, program or portfolio management.


Leading change is never easy.


in strategic planning and decision-making. It may just take more time—more than three decades after DAWIA, in fact—to fully establish a defense acquisition profes- sion of the same stature as the medical, legal or teaching profession.


In the meantime, I propose a major upgrade in the standards of conduct for the acquisition profession, in line with one of the key principles of recognition as a profession in society. Tis article focuses


DAU does provide outstanding train- ing courses in program management, most of which are rooted in fundamen- tal project management concepts. But DOD is not leveraging project manage- ment fundamentals the way industry does by requiring PMs to earn private-sector professional certifications. Te credibility of the acquisition profession would benefit if DOD integrated these certifications into its training and education of the acquisi- tion workforce.


In 2019, the Project Management Institute (PMI) turned 50. It is globally recognized as the world’s leading association for proj- ect, program and portfolio management professionals. PMI establishes standards and offers certifications in each of those three areas, based on knowledge and competency. Te certifications are, in ascending order, project management professional (PMP), program manage- ment professional (PgMP) and portfolio management professional (PfMP). (See Figure 1.) Over 960,000 individuals have earned the PMP certification, just over 2,700 have earned the PgMP, and a little over 760 hold the PfMP.


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