Iterative Way to Acquire Information Technology for Defense and Aerospace

Defense and Aerospace environment is continuously striving to keep up with increasingly sophisticated Information Technology (IT) in order to remain effective in today-s dynamic and unpredictable threat environment. This makes IT one of the largest and fastest growing expenses of Defense. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent a year on IT projects. But, too many of those millions are wasted on costly mistakes. Systems that do not work properly, new components that are not compatible with old ones, trendy new applications that do not really satisfy defense needs or lost through poorly managed contracts. This paper investigates and compiles the effective strategies that aim to end exasperation with low returns and high cost of Information Technology acquisition for defense; it tries to show how to maximize value while reducing time and expenditure.

Authors:

• Ahmet Denker
• Hakan Gürkan

Keywords:

• Iterative process
• acquisition management
• project management
• software economics
• requirement analysis.

References:

[1] IEEE/EIA 12207 Standard for Information Technology - Software Life
Cycle Processes or relevant International Standardization Organization
(ISO) standards. They define a set of recommended development
activities and documentation alternatives for software intensive systems.
[2] The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model
(CMM) for software development - Feb., 1993.
[3] Barrow, Patrick D. M. and Mayhew, Pam J. "Investigating principles of
stakeholder evaluation in a modern IS development approach." Journal
of Systems and Software 52, Iss. 2,3 (June 1, 2000): 95-103.
[4] PMI, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) First Edition Version 1.0 June 2003.
[5] Pfleeger, Shari Lawrence, Software Engineering: Theory and Practice,
Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2001.
[6] Hall, Elaine, M. Managing Risk: Methods for Software System
Development, Boston: Addison-Wesley, 1998.
[7] Housel, Thomas J. and Bell, Arthur H. Measuring and Managing
Knowledge. McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2001.
[8] Software Project Survival Guide, Requirements Development, Steven C.
McConnell, http://www.stevemcconnell.com/sgreq.htm
[9] Ralph R. Young, Effective Requirements Practices, pp82-83, Addison-
Wesley, 2001.
[10] Malhotra, Yogesh. "Knowledge Management for e-Business
Performance." Information Strategy: The Executives Journal (2000).
[11] Strategic Defense Review, SDR, 1998.