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News, announcements, training, search functions, Ask-a-Professor, and similar services with direct links supporting DoD acquisition.

Acquisition Process

Three processes cooperate to deliver capabilities needed by warfighters: the requirements process (JCIDS); the acquisition process (DAS); and the program and budget development process (PPBE). Includes links to DoD and Service policies, guidance, tools, and resources:

Workforce

Information on career management, the DoD Human Capital Initiative, career planning, leader­ship training, over­arching planning and guidance documents, and relevant professional organizations.

Policy

Encyclopedic source of acquisition policy that follows a hierarchy of policy issuance (i.e., executive, legislative, federal, etc.) and filtered according to organization, career field, and special topics.

Communities
of Practice

Links to communities of practice and special interest areas, the latest contribution and discussion posts for open ACC communities, community highlights, and links to related communities.

Training and
Continuous Learning

Information on training and continuous learning that supports DoD acquisition, information that helps manage professional training portfolios, and information on training available from DAU and DoD and Services activities.

Industry

Information on DoD industry partners that helps the participation and execution of DoD processes; including industry support pages, news, information, and links to private sector acquisition contractors.
 
 

Functional Gateways

Fifteen functional knowledge gateways, one for each of the defense acquisition career fields.

Special Topics

Spcial Topics:

Better Buying Power
Mission Areas
MDID ACAT I/IA Support

Better Buying Power

News, policy, and media that support greater value and efficiency in defense acquisition.

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Software Acquisition Management

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About this page ...

Over the past quarter of a century, many audits and studies have been conducted by various authorities and agencies, including the Government Accountability Office and the Defense Science Board, in an attempt to explain and resolve the problems that the DoD, and by extension the Federal Government, has been encountering in acquiring software and software intensive systems that perform as expected within budget and schedule constraints. Their findings have been remarkably consistent. Basically, they all concluded that there is insufficient knowledge and skill to effectively manage the life-cycle of those systems where software plays a significant role. In part, these findings led to "Section 804" legislation that mandates that each military department and defense agency develops programs to improve the software acquisition processes of that organization. In concurrence, a joint AT&L and NII memo directed that "... improvement in the Department's capability to acquire all types of software-intensive systems is a Department-wide objective." The SAM SIA was established as the means to provide relevant and timely information, suggested best practices, lessons learned, and other resources necessary to the successful definition, development, deployment, operation, and maintenance of software components and software intensive systems.