Objective
The objective of the Sustaining Engineering IPS Element is to support in-service systems in their operational environments. (Source: DoD Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook, Appendix A)
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Description
This effort spans those technical tasks (engineering and logistics investigations and analyses) to ensure continued operation and maintenance of a system with managed (i.e., known) risk. Sustaining Engineering involves the identification, review, assessment, and resolution of deficiencies throughout a system's life cycle. Sustaining Engineering both returns a system to its baselined configuration and capability, and identifies opportunities for performance and capability enhancement. It includes the measurement, identification and verification of system technical and supportability deficiencies, associated root cause analyses, evaluation of the potential for deficiency correction and the development of a range of corrective action options. Typically business case analysis and/or life cycle economic analysis are performed to determine the relative costs and risks associated with the implementation of various corrective action options. Sustaining Engineering also includes the implementation of selected corrective actions to include configuration or maintenance processes and the monitoring of key sustainment health metrics. This includes:
Technical surveillance of critical safety items, approved sources for these items, and the oversight of the design configuration baselines (basic design engineering responsibility for the overall configuration including design packages, maintenance procedures, and usage profiles) for the fielded system to ensure continued certification compliance are also part of the sustaining engineering effort. Periodic technical review of the in-service system performance against baseline requirements, analysis of trends, and development of management options and resource requirements for resolution of operational issues should be part of the sustaining effort. For additional insights on the integrated nature of product support and sustaining engineering, recommend reading a February 2013 Defense AT&L Magazine article entitled “Teamed for Success: The Imperative of Aligning Systems Engineering and Life Cycle Logistics.”
Key Sustaining Engineering IPS Element activities according to Appendix A of the DoD Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook and the DoD Integrated Product Support (IPS) Element Guidebook include:
Key References
Related Communities of Practice (CoP)
Training Courses
DAU Training
Specific multi-disciplinary DAU training recommendations related to this Integrated Product Support (IPS) Element are available at:
These Life Cycle Logistics Certification Standards and Core Plus Development Guides for each of the three DAWIA certification levels include:
Non-DAU Training Courses
Continuous Learning Modules
Specific multi-disciplinary DAU continuous learning module recommendations related to this Integrated Product Support (IPS) Element are available at:
Competencies
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