As I shared with you in a June 24, 2011 blog post entitled “Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) Outline” the Department of Defense has been developing a new policy and sample outline for this vitally important document. As anticipated, the Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology & Logistics [PDUSD(AT&L)] has now issued this new policy memorandum with direct applicability to the Life Cycle Logistician, the Product Support Manager (PSM), as well as the entire defense acquisition workforce. Entitled “Document Streamlining - Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP),” this September 14, 2011 memorandum provides a sample outline and structure for the LCSP.

Why is this so important? According to Directive-Type Memorandum (DTM) 10-015, Requirements for Life Cycle Management and Product Support (Change 1),” April 29, 2011, two primary responsibilities of the Product Support Manager (PSM) are to “develop and implement a comprehensive, outcome-based, product support strategy” and to “document the product support strategy in the Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP), in accordance with DoD Instruction 5000.02, “Operation of the Defense Acquisition System.” Hence, this new Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) Outline, along with the DoD Product Support Manager Guidebook and the DoD Product Support Business Case Analysis Guidebook, are vitally important to the successful execution of PSM primary responsibilities for development, validation, documentation, and execution of a robust weapon system product support strategy that delivers optimized affordable system readiness. 

This LCSP outline is the fourth in a series of streamlined key acquisition document outlines to be issued in recent months, and follow similar issuances for the Technology Development Strategy (TDS)/Acquisition Strategy (AS), the Systems Engineering Plan (SEP), and the Program Protection Plan (PPP). According to the memo, “USD(AT&L) September 14, 2010 memorandum, "Better Buying Power: Guidance for Obtaining Greater Efficiency and Productivity in Defense Spending" directed a review of the documentation required by DoDI 5000.02 in support of the acquisition process. This “Document Streamlining - Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP)” memo is the third in a series of document streamlining memoranda, following PDUSD(AT&L) April 20, 2011 memorandum, "Document Streamlining - Program Strategies and Systems Engineering Plan," and PDUSD(AT&L) July 18,2011 memorandum, "Document Streamlining - Program Protection Plan."”

According to the PDUSD(AT&L), “the LCSP will be streamlined consistent with the…annotated outline. The outline is designed to be a tool for programs to effectively and affordably satisfy life-cycle sustainment requirements. This plan articulates the product support strategy, and it must be kept relevant as the program evolves through the acquisition milestones and into sustainment. The LCSP outline emphasizes early-phase sustainment requirements development and planning, focuses on cross-functional integration - most critically with systems engineering - and highlights key sustainment contract development and management activities.

“Per the PDUSD(AT&L) April 20, 2011 memorandum, "Document Streamlining - Program Strategies and Systems Engineering Plan," the LCSP has been separated from the Acquisition Strategy. Every acquisition program shall develop a LCSP (emphasis added). The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (ASD(L&MR)) shall approve LCSPs for all ACAT ID and USD(AT&L)-designated special interest programs for Milestone A or equivalent, each subsequent milestone, and Full-Rate Production decision. Following the system's initial operating capability, the component acquisition executive (CAE) or designee shall approve LCSP updates, in coordination with the ASD(L&MR). Approval for ACAT IC and below LCSPs is delegated to the CAE or Component designee. These actions constitute expected business practice and are effective immediately (emphasis added).”

This LCSP outline is available on the Logistics Community of Practice (LOG CoP) Product Support website. In addition, DAU will be deploying a new CLL005 “Developing a Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP)” continuous learning module in early October, along with “LCSP Outline” Rapid Deployment Training (RDT) in the coming days as well.