Chapter 2 - People
2. People
2.1 Audience
2.2 Spomsor
2.3 Owner
2.4 Functions, Roles, and Responsibilities
Table 1 : Roles and Responsibilities Table
2. People
The People section provides guidance on assembling a Product Support BCA team. It addresses involving the right stakeholders at the kickoff meeting and assembling the Governance structure and board. A Product Support BCA is a team effort undertaken by experienced participants across a wide range of specialties (See Table 1). Many BCAs have an expert analyst as the team lead specific to the effort. This does not relieve the PSM of his/her statutory position. Each position identified in this section should be filled by highly competent and dedicated personnel who are given the resources, time, and money to fully and properly perform the tasks required. From the initial stages of accomplishing the background research and gathering the data, through the final stages of staffing a BCA for senior Department decision makers, it must be expected that conducting a BCA requires significant effort by all those involved.
2.1 Audience
This guide was designed for the Product Support Manager (PSM) as the primary user while also providing valuable insight to budget and business managers, senior decision makers, approval authorities, and stakeholders.
2.2 Sponsor
The sponsor is the primary decision maker. Depending on the size, scope, and sensitivity of the decision, it may be the Milestone Decision Authority (MDA), Program Executive Office (PEO), etc. The sponsor assigns the owner and uses BCA recommendations and findings to assist in decision making. The sponsor may help identify and agree to the uses of assumptions, constraints, and other metrics, most notably the weighting of factors’ importance.
2.3 Owner
The owner of the Product Support BCA is most often the program office. The program office employee responsible for any Product Support Strategy BCAs is the PSM. The Program Manager (PM) is the primary executer of the actions and recommendations derived out of the BCA. Within the program office, the PSM has the responsibility to plan, develop, implement, and execute the Product Support Strategy. Changes to the Product Support Strategy must be informed by a Product Support BCA.
The PSM estimates the cost of conducting and obtains resources necessary for accomplishing a Product Support BCA. To avoid a biased analysis to the maximum extent possible, the PSM should employ an objective, independent team to execute the analysis and provide the BCA recommendations. The PSM should ensure objective analysis through maximizing structured analysis in a transparent manner.
2.4 Functions, Roles, and Responsibilities
Team effort is required to ensure the accuracy of analyses and viability of resulting recommendations. It is imperative that all program management team members and stakeholders understand individual roles and team efforts related to executing BCAs effectively.
There is a critical due diligence period when the PSM assembles a team to plan a Product Support BCA. This effort includes the timeline, scope, assembly of the key stakeholders, etc. After this initial planning is complete, but before beginning the Product Support BCA, the team should meet with all the necessary stakeholders and SMEs. During this kickoff meeting, the team should establish the intended outcomes, constraints, and methodology for conducting the Product Support BCA. Assembling the right stakeholders from the beginning is critical to the success of the Product Support BCA process and final outcome.
Table 1 describes the functions or roles of the individuals that should or may be involved throughout the Product Support BCA process. The levels of involvement will vary according to the type of Product Support BCA being conducted, the stage of the Product Support BCA writing process, and the organization.
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Function/Role
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Responsibility Description
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Warfighter
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Impacts on the Warfighter are the primary considerations of the Product Support BCA. As the user of the weapon system, the Warfighter is typically the ultimate beneficiary of the Product Support BCA. The Warfighter provides the performance requirements for the weapon system which are ultimately taken into account for the support strategy. The Warfighter also provides feedback on the system and support strategy.
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Program Manager (PM)/ Product Support Manager (PSM)
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The PSM, working for the PM, is responsible for the Product Support BCA. This includes overseeing the team that is conducting and writing the sections of the Product Support BCA. These roles are also defined by statutes.[3]
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Governance Body/ Approval Authorities
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Approval authorities provide directional guidance and concurrence throughout the Product Support BCA process on such matters as the problem statement, assumptions, constraints, data sources, risk mitigation strategies, etc. The governance body has the responsibility to ensure that the Product Support BCA strategy integrates an enterprise wide perspective. Normally, the governance board is determined by the impacts of the decisions being made, as well as, the PM’s chain of command.
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Business Analyst (Financial, Cost, and Budget analyst)
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The business analyst has the analytical training and skills to conduct the majority of the Product Support BCA analysis. This includes the financial/cost analysis section, the analytical methodology for the Product Support BCA, and the conclusions and recommendations. The analyst conducts the funding analysis and budget plan with regards to the recommended Product Support BCA approach
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Logistician (Requirements, Logistics, and Supportability Manager)
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The logistician is responsible for ensuring the sustainment strategy, requirements, and performance measures are addressed in the Product Support BCA. Additionally, this person is responsible for completing the mission impact section, including assisting with the non-financial analysis of the Product Support BCA.
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Systems Engineering and Engineering Disciplines
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This person validates that the alternatives under consideration are technologically plausible and comprehensive in nature to support the BCA’s purpose.
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Product Support Integrator (PSI)/Product Support Provider (PSP)
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The PSI and PSP may provide subject matter expertise and consultation with regards to the attributes of the product support strategies and alternatives that are being explored in the Product Support BCA. The PSI is an entity performing as a formally bound agent (e.g., contract, Memorandum of Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding) charged with integrating all sources of support, public and private, defined within the scope of product support arrangements to achieve the documented outcomes.[4]
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Data Manager
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The data manager is responsible for maintaining and keeping historical records of past Product Support BCAs. These records include research, performance outcomes, cost estimates and methodology, sources of data, etc. as recommended in the GAO report GAO-10-717 on O&S costs. Historical records maintenance is critical to future analysis, variance analysis, and future iterations of the Product Support BCA.
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Legal and Contracts
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The legal and contracting officers and managers review the Product Support BCA as an advisor concerning compliance with laws and regulations.
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Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
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SMEs are recognized experts in the specialized knowledge applicable to the analysis and preparation of the Product Support BCA components (e.g., cost estimation, system requirements, risk analysis, etc.) This includes other relevant stakeholders that provide inputs to and impacts on the Product Support BCA analysis.
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Other
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This role is as required. The Sponsor or Owner makes the decision to bring this role into the Product Support BCA process.
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