TECHNICAL MATURITY POINTS
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DoD Acquisition Milestone/Decision Point & Technical Review/Audit
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Objective
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Technical Maturity Point
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Additional Information
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Materiel Development Decision (MDD)
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Decision to assess potential materiel solutions and appropriate phase for entry into acquisition life cycle.
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Capability gap met by acquiring a materiel solution.
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Technically feasible solutions have the potential to effectively address a validated capability need. Technical risks understood.
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Alternative Systems Review (ASR)
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Recommendation that the preferred materiel solution can affordably meet user needs with acceptable risk.
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System parameters defined; balanced with cost, schedule, and risk.
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Initial system performance established and plan for further analyses supports Milestone A criteria.
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Milestone A
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Decision to invest in technology maturation and preliminary design.
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Affordable solution found for identified need with acceptable technology risk, scope, and complexity.
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Affordability targets identified and technology development plans, time, funding, and other resources match customer needs. Prototyping and end-item development strategy for Technology Development (TD) phase focused on key technical risk areas.
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System Requirements Review (SRR)
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Recommendation to proceed into development with acceptable risk.
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Level of understanding of top-level system requirements is adequate to support further requirements analysis and design activities.
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Government and contractor mutually understand system requirements including (1) the preferred materiel solution (including its support concept) from the Materiel Solution Analysis (MSA) phase, (2) available technologies resulting from the prototyping efforts, and (3) maturity of interdependent systems.
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System Functional Review (SFR)
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Recommendation that functional baseline fully satisfies performance requirements and to begin preliminary design with acceptable risk.
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Functional baseline established and under formal configuration control. System’s functions decomposed and defined to lower levels in order to start preliminary design.
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Functional requirements and verification methods support achievement of performance requirements. Acceptable technical risk of achieving allocated baseline.
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Preliminary Design Review (PDR)
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Recommendation that allocated baseline fully satisfies user requirements and developer ready to begin detailed design with acceptable risk.
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Allocated baseline established such that design provides sufficient confidence to support 2366b certification.
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Preliminary design and basic system architecture support capability need and affordability target achievement.
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Pre-Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) Review
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Determination that program plans are affordable and executable and that the program is ready to proceed to EMD phase source selection.
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Systems engineering trades completed and have informed program requirements. Competitive prototyping and the development of the preliminary design have influenced risk management plans and should cost initiatives.
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The Request for Proposal (RFP) reflects the program’s plans articulated in the draft Acquisition Strategy and other draft, key planning documents such as the Systems Engineering Plan (SEP), Program Protection Plan (PPP), Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP), and Life-Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP).
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Milestone B
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Decision to invest in product development, integration, and verification as well as manufacturing process development.
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Critical technologies assessed able to meet required performance and are ready for further development. Resources and requirements match.
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Maturity, integration, and producibility of the preliminary design (including critical technologies) and availability of key resources (time, funding, other) match customer needs. Should cost goals defined.
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Critical Design Review (CDR)
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Recommendation to start fabricating, integrating, and testing test articles with acceptable risk.
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Product design is stable. Initial product baseline established.
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Design is stable and performs as expected. Initial product baseline established by the system detailed design documentation confirms affordability/should-cost goals. Government control of Class I changes as appropriate.
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System Verification Review (SVR)
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Recommendation that the system as tested has been verified (i.e., product baseline is compliant with the functional baseline) and is ready for validation (operational assessment) with acceptable risk.
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System design verified to conform to functional baseline.
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Actual system (which represents the production configuration) has been verified through required analysis, demonstration, examination, and/or testing. Synonymous with system-level Functional Configuration Audit (FCA).
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Production Readiness Review (PRR)
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Recommendation that production processes are mature enough to begin limited production with acceptable risk.
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Design and manufacturing are ready to begin production.
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Production engineering problems resolved and ready to enter production phase.
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Milestone C
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Decision to produce production-representative units for operational test and evaluation (OT&E).
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Manufacturing processes are mature enough to support Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) and generate production-representative articles for OT&E.
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Production readiness meets cost, schedule, and quality targets. Begin initial deployment as appropriate.
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Physical Configuration Audit (PCA)
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Recommendation to start full-rate production and/or full deployment with acceptable risk.
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Final product baseline established. Verifies the design and manufacturing documentation matches the item to be fielded, following update of the product baseline to account for resolved OT&E issues.
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Confirmation that the system to be fielded matches the product baseline. Product configuration finalized and system meets users’ needs. Conducted after OT&E issues are resolved.
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Full-Rate Production Decision Review (FRP DR) or Full Deployment Decision Review (FDDR)
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Decision to begin full-rate production and/or decision to begin full deployment.
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Manufacturing processes are mature and support full-rate production and/or capability demonstrated in operational environment supporting full deployment (i.e., system validated through OT&E).
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Delivers fully funded quantity of systems and supporting materiel and services for the program or increment to the users.
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