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Guidance & Tools

The following guidance and tools are provided to assist defense acquisition professionals.


Defense Acquisition Guidebook (DAG)
The Undersecretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) directed the development of this virtual Defense Acquisition Guidebook to assist the DoD acquisition workforce in using and understanding the DoD Acquisition Policies, and the guidance associated with those policies. This site provides the following multi-view perspectives to help the user easily navigate policy and discretionary best practice documents: document, life cycle framework, and functional/topic.

DAG Chapter 4, Systems Engineering
The purpose of this chapter is to facilitate compliance with the systems engineering direction mandated by OSD SE policy.  This chapter describes systems engineering processes and the fundamentals of their application to DoD acquisition.  It addresses the system design issues, including those listed below, that a program manager must face to achieve the desired balanced system solution.  In its entirety, this chapter thereby provides guidance and describes expectations for completing the Systems Engineering Plan.

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Integrated Defense Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics Life Cycle Management Framework, Version 5.2
2004

The Integrated Defense Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Life Cycle Management Framework Chart is an essential aid for defense acquisition professionals, and a workflow learning tool for AT&L professionals and Defense Acquisition University (DAU) courses.  It serves as a pictorial roadmap of most key activities in the systems acquisition process.  The chart is based on information in the Defense Acquisition Guidebook and key DoD policy documents such as the 5000 Series and CJCS instructions, and illustrates the interaction of the following three major decision support systems:

  • Capabilities Development (Joint Capabilities Integration & Development System (JCIDS)
  • Acquisition Management (Defense Acquisition System)
  • Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) Process

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Systems Engineering Plan (SEP) Preparation Guide, Version 2.01 [PDF, 680KB]
April 2008

This second version of the Department of Defense (DoD) Systems Engineering Plan (SEP) Preparation Guide clarifies the DoD guidance for systems engineering (SE) planning, or technical planning, for acquisition programs. The guide is separated into three sections tailored to respective milestones and acquisition phases: Milestone A and Technology Development (TD); Milestone B and System Development and Demonstration (SDD); and Milestone C and Production and Deployment (PD) / Operations and Support (O&S). The guide presents a sample SEP format for each milestone and suggests details to include and sources to consult for specific SEP paragraphs. This new version more clearly outlines the strategy for developing a program’s technical approach and offers a simplified framework for the program to organize, compile, and document technical planning. This guide is appropriate for all acquisition category (ACAT) programs and is applicable to each component of a system: hardware, software, support, operational, training, and sustainment. It is derived from published government and industry guidance, standards, and best practice. The guidance is flexible to allow reasonable judgment on the part of the program to ensure the SEP is complete.

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SEP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
February 8, 2008

The SEP Frequently Asked Questions fall in these primary areas: requirement for a SEP, SEP Approval/approval processes, SEP development/format, SEP/SEMP relationship, and SEP technical issues.

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SE WIPT Brief: An Overview of Technical Planning and Systems Engineering Plan (SEP) Development, Version 1.0 [PPT, 1MB]
March 20, 2008

This briefing is delivered by Assessments & Support upon request of a specific acquisition program's SE WIPT to help guide their technical planning and SEP development when starting up. It is made available here for all programs, including programs not involving AS with their initial SE planning, as a reference.

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Guide for Integrating Systems Engineering into DoD Acquisition Contracts, Version 1.0 [PDF, 872KB]
December 11, 2006

This Guide for Integrating Systems Engineering into DoD Acquisition Contracts supports the implementation of systems engineering (SE) policy initiatives by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (USD(AT&L)) stating that the application of “rigorous system engineering discipline is paramount to the Department’s ability to meet the challenge of developing and maintaining needed warfighting capability.”

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Risk Management Guide for DoD Acquisition, 6th Edition, Version 1 [PDF, 355KB]
August 2006

The purpose of this guide is to assist DoD and contractor Program Managers (PMs), program offices, and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) in effectively managing program risks during the entire acquisition process, including sustainment.  This guide contains baseline information and explanations for a well-structured risk management program.  The management concepts and ideas presented here encourage the use of risk-based management practices and suggest a process to address program risks without prescribing specific methods or tools.

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Integrated Master Plan / Integrated Master Schedule Preparation and Use Guide, Version 0.9 [PDF, 355KB]
October 21, 2005

This guide provides guidance for the preparation and implementation of a program’s Integrated Master Plan and Integrated Master Schedule. The IMP and IMS are fundamental management tools that are critical to performing effective planning, scheduling, and execution of work effort. This guide amplifies the event-based technical approach laid out in the DoD SE policies.

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Program Manager's Guide: A Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to Acquisition, Version 2.0
September 2004

The MOSA Program Managers Guide provides program managers, system engineers, contracting officers, and the entire program team the tools required to implement a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA). This guide will enable new and legacy programs to realize the DoD vision of making MOSA an integral part of any acquisition strategy to achieve affordable, evolutionary, joint combat capability. The key questions addressed by the MOSA PM Guide are:

  • What is MOSA?
  • Why is it important?
  • How should MOSA be planned for and implemented?
  • How will MOSA implementation be gauged and assessed?
  • How will MOSA implementation issues be adjudicated?

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Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) Program Assessment and Rating Tool (PART), Version 1.02

The Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) Program Assessment and Review Tool (PART) is a permutation of the OMB Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) which is a questionnaire designed to provide a consistent approach to rating programs across the Federal government. Tailored for DoD Systems and Software Engineering, the tool is intended for use by DoD Program Managers as a means to assess the implementation of MOSA throughout the life-cycle of acquisition programs. The MOSA PART is an analytic tool that relies on objective data evidence-based judgments to assess and evaluate an implementation of MOSA. The formalization of the MOSA assessment through this process is intended to provide acquisition program executives with indicators that a program is implementing MOSA.

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DoD Guide for Achieving Reliability, Availability and Maintainability [PDF, 4.2mB]
August 1, 2005  

This guide supports the primary objective of Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition to acquire quality products (systems) that satisfy user needs with measurable improvements to mission capability and operational support in a timely manner, and at a fair and reasonable price. It addresses reliability, availability, and maintainability (RAM) as essential elements of mission capability. It focuses on what can be done to achieve satisfactory levels of RAM and how to assess RAM.

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Designing and Assessing Supportability in DOD Weapon Systems: A Guide to Increased Reliability and Reduced Logistics Footprint [PDF, 408kB]
October 24, 2003

This guide provides a template for PMs when assigned or responsible activities to use in defining and assessing their program activities to meet QDR objectives and DoD policy requirements throughout the weapon system life cycle. Emphasis is placed on designing for increased reliability and reduced logistics footprint and on providing for effective product support through performance-based logistics (PBL) strategies. The guide uses the Defense Acquisition Management Framework and a systems engineering process to define the appropriate activities and required outputs throughout a weapon system’s life cycle to include those related to sustainment of fielded systems. A System Operational Effectiveness (SOE) framework is included that shows the linkage between overall operational effectiveness and weapon system and product support performance.

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Technical Review Checklists

In the role of revitalizing systems engineering, one of the prime efforts has been increased emphasis on event (vice schedule) driven technical reviews. This emphasis has been highlighted in DoD policy, the DAG, in SEP preparation, and in DAU SPRDE courses. The DAU Technical Reviews Continuous Learning Module (TR CLM) introduces risk assessment checklists as an effective tool used in preparation for technical reviews. The updated DAG will also describe and refer to these technical review risk assessment checklists. The checklists accessible in the TR CLM are being updated for DoD usage. Seven of the checklists have been updated, and are now accessible on the SE COP. User comments and recommendations for checklist improvements are solicited.

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