Intro to Army Acquisition

Question 1

Define DAWIA

Answer 1

Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act

Question 2

DAWIA established…

Answer 2

• acquisition positions
• structured approach
• standards (certifications)
• training
• Defense Acquisition University (DAU)

Question 3

Identify the three reasons why Congress passed DAWIA (in 1990) and the requirements of the law.

Answer 3

Defense systems are complex. defense systems are costly, require qualified personnel

Question 4

Define DACM

Answer 4

Directors of Acquisition Career Management

Question 5

Define the role of the DoD Directors of Acquisition Career Management (DACM)

Answer 5

• only ONE per DoD Service or Agency
• establishes and monitors training requirements and DAWIA compliance
• projects # of individuals that require training annually
• assigns students to required courses
• certifies that DAWIA standards have been met

Question 6

What did the Gansler Commission determine?

Answer 6

that Army contracting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait didn’t have enough people, there was too little training, and it was an antiquated system.

Question 7

What do Robust Systems Engineering do throughout the life cycle?

Answer 7

balance cost, schedule, and performance

Question 8

Define mean

Answer 8

An average

Question 9

Define availability

Answer 9

A measure of the degree to which an item is in the operable and committable state at the start of the mission, when the mission is called for at an unknown (random) point in time

Question 10

Define maintainability

Answer 10

The probability that an item will conform to specified conditions within a given period of time when corrective or preventive action is performed in accordance with prescribed procedures and resources

Question 11

Define IPT and some of its characteristics

Answer 11

Integrated Product Team (IPT)

IPT concept was adopted from commercial business, intended to streamline the antiquated, stove pipe process, and is composed of stakeholders representing all appropriate functional disciplines

Question 12

Two basic types of test and evaluation

Answer 12

Developmental testing

Operational testing

Question 13

The major law directly affecting DoD systems acquisition management concerning Environmental, Safety, & Occupational Health (ESOH) to include NEPA

Answer 13

National Environmental Policy Act

Question 14

DoD preferred approach for product support

Answer 14

Performance Based Life Cycle Support (PBLCS)

Question 15

Performance Based Life Cycle Support used to be known as…

Answer 15

Performance Based Logistics (PBL)

Question 16

Define MDD

Answer 16

Materiel Development Decision

Question 17

Following the Materiel Development Decision (MDD), the MDA may authorize entry into the acquisition management system at any point consistent with phase-specific entrance criteria and statutory requirements

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Who conducts basic research for the DoD?

Answer 18

Industry and Nonprofit Organizations - 15%
DoD and Federal Labs - 25%
Universities - 60%

Question 19

Three primary risk factors that Program Managers focus on when managing their programs

Answer 19

Cost
Schedule
Performance

Question 20

Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs) are now required by law to have…

Answer 20

a Product Support Manager

Question 21

Define MDAP

Answer 21

Major Defense Acquisition Program

Question 22

Five top-level design goals for a producible product

Answer 22

1. Design for Ease of Fabrication
2. Design for Ease of Assembly
3. Design for Multiuse
4. Minimize Number of Parts
5. Maximize Number of Common Parts

Question 23

Define supportability

Answer 23

The inherent quality of a system, to include design, technical support data and maintenance procedures to facilitate detection, isolation, and timely repair or replacement on system anomalies.

Question 24

Supportability in acquisition planning

Answer 24

The goal of supportability planning is to provide effective supportability information early in the life cycle so that critical design factors can be considered during systems engineering.