This Template is courtesy of the Air Force, provided from the Air Force Acquisition Document Development & Management (ADDM) System, which is a restricted DoD site. Please note that this is an Air Force Template provided for your guidance, and that the other services or agencies may have different documentation requirements.
This document is current as of 11/3/2016 ADDM template source review.
Based on: Analysis of Alternatives Handbook dated 6 JUL 2016
ADDM Application link
Guidance:
The AoA study plan describes how the analysis will be conducted. The study plan typically describes the purpose and scope of the study as well as the methodologies that will be used to analyze the data. A methodology is generally defined as a process through which the study team attempts to achieve systematically, and with support of the data, the answer to a question. Methodologies are the core that underlies all studies. Through various methodologies, a study team describes the process for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Methodologies enable the study team to interpret data and draw conclusions to answer questions that lead to the expansion of knowledge. The methodologies must adhere to the following:
- They are objective to reduce bias in the interpretation of results,
- They are systematic in that it involves certain standard procedures,
- They involve careful recording, documenting, archiving, and sharing of data to enable others to verify results.
It is important that the study questions drive the methodology, and not the other way around. Though each method has particular strengths and limitations, the choice of which to use requires careful consideration of the specific question and the type, quality, and quantity of data available. In practice, it is not uncommon for analysts to favor particular data collection and analysis methods over others. Familiarity and prior success with using a particular method often reinforces its use, even when it is not the most suitable method for addressing a specific study question.
The study plan includes other important information such as capability gaps, alternatives, scenarios, measures, stakeholders, and study questions. The study plan should clearly describe how the effort will address the AoA study guidance received from the Air Force and, if applicable, OSD(CAPE).
Developing a study plan is a worthwhile endeavor given the many uses of the plan. In addition to describing how the analysis will be conducted, the study plan is useful for getting new team members up to speed more quickly, capturing ongoing changes to the plan, and serving as the basis for the final report.
The study team members are responsible for developing a draft of the study plan during the WIPT event. The study plan undergoes a formal staffing and review process before it is approved or validated. The A5R Guidebook describes the staffing requirements for an AoA study plan.
References:
Acquisition Intelligence Guide, Version 1.0, August 2010. https://cs.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/CapInt/AI/EKM%20Projects/AFMC_IS/Shared%20...
Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) Handbook, A Practical Guide to Analysis of Alternatives, 6 July 2016. https://af-aqweb.deps.mil/AcqWB_22e0faff-a585-4671-8149-6259dcbb4cdf/AQDocs...
