This November 2013 IDA report by Richard H. Van Atta, outlines work already done to date on acquisition cycle times, debunks a fewmyths, and sets out a potential research agenda on the subject.
Some highlights:
1. " Acquisition program cycle times are slightly longer now than in past decades. However, there is little evidence that this is, of itself, a problem, or what problems increasing cycle times either cause or indicate. Nonetheless, DOD program development approaches result, in the aggregate, in too many programs simultaneously chasing too few dollars, such that the chance of all programs being effectively implemented as scheduled is unlikely."
2. "Long cycle times frequently result from the pursuit of highly ambitious technical capabilities combined with a program management framework lacking appropriate mechanisms for identifying and reducing technical risk."
3. "Developmental shortfalls not addressed early will stretch cycle time. When initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) reveals problems late in the process, development schedules are often stretched. This raises fundamental questions: Are the developmental testing (DT) and early operational testing (OT) inadequate? Are the reporting and decision processes ineffective? Are there actions OSD could take to improve the rigor of DT and early OT, or to better address the schedule impacts from problems identified in OT?"
