The DoD Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook was originally issued by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (L&MR) in April 2011, and has been updated several times since.
According to the ASD(L&MR), the reason for this latest update is "there have been a number of important changes impacting product support since the (original) 2011 release of the PSM Guidebook. Congress has increased the number and scope of PSM responsibilities. Updates to the Better Buying Power initiatives have emphasized critical thinking in the Department’s methods for developing, producing, and supporting weapon systems. Affordability, cost consciousness, and innovation permeate all areas of acquisition and sustainment. Heightened emphasis on the effective use of Performance Based Logistics (PBL) arrangements promises to improve sustainment performance and cost control. Revisions to procedures governing the Defense Acquisition System emphasize the criticality of life cycle management and formalize the purpose of the Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) as a key program management and decision support tool. This version of the PSM Guidebook has been updated to reflect these policy changes and the increased emphasis on support and controlling life cycle cost. Additionally, an appendix has been included on the PSM career path to lay the foundation for a more effective and professional Life Cycle Logistics workforce. Finally, this version continues to provide Program Managers and PSMs an easy reference for managing product support across the entire life cycle of the weapon system." This most current April 2016 update consists primarily of administrative updates.
This updated PSM Guidebook develops the Product Support Business Model (PSBM) recommended in the November 2009 Weapon System Acquisition Reform: Product Support Assessment (WSAR-PSA) and provides guidance on how to develop and execute effective and affordable product support strategies. It also supports (USD AT&L) “Better Buying Power” initiatives by addressing the themes of achieving affordable programs, achieving dominant capabilities while controlling life cycle costs, incentivizing both productivity and innovation in industry and government, and promoting effective competition. This guidebook is written for the DoD Product Support Manager (PSM) and provides an easy reference addressing key requirements for managing product support across the entire life cycle of a weapon system. This PSM guidebook will serve as an operating guide to assist the PSM, the life cycle logistician, and indeed the defense acquisition workforce with the development and implementation of next-generation product support strategies.
Note 1: This June 2016 version of the Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook, coupled with the DoD PBL Guidebook,: A Guide to Developing Performance-Based Arrangements supersedes all previous versions of this PSM Guidebook.
Note 2: This guidebook is also intended to be regularly updated. Users are encouraged to submit recommended changes and other feedback by selecting the red "Feedback" tab at the top of this screen.
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