As regular readers of this blog are by now no doubt well aware, over the last several weeks, we’ve been highlighting a number of important product support and sustainment-related articles contained in the recently published March-April 2012 Special Product Support-focused issue of Defense AT&L Magazine,

Today, please permit me to share with you a very relevant, timely, and indeed important article entitled “Attributes of an Effective Product Support Business Case Analysis.”

The article seeks to answer a fundamental question, namely, “How do we achieve what we need to within a context of diminishing resources?” The answer lies in finding efficiencies, relying on value-based decision making, understanding trade-offs’ second-order effects, and managing acceptable risks. Business case analyses (BCAs) powerfully deliver all these benefits.”

The author goes on to make clear that acquisition professionals have several important tools at their disposal to develop and deliver an effective product support BCA, saying “the April 2011 DoD Product Support Business Case Analysis Guidebook rep­resents the harvested fruit of many years of difficult, complicated efforts in establishing and understanding the product support related decision-making processes and ma­terials through which DoD senior leaders maneuver. One of the most complex and impactful decisions within the Acqui­sition community is the development and execution of major weapons systems’ sustainment strategies….No matter the subject, the BCA’s fundamental structures and attributes remain consistent with any professional analytical study. In its most basic form, a BCA is any non-advocate, ob­jective, transparent analysis of the benefits, costs, and risks of multiple options….From identifying optimal solutions, balancing benefits, costs, and risks, to generating a document trail to serve as a basis for future work, the BCA process and report is the optimal decision-support tool within DoD. The process, governance, and communication are standardized and flexible while ad­hering to principles of analysis that are logical and inherently intuitive. The Department’s need to squeeze every bit of value out of every dollar has never been greater. Nor has the internal and external scrutiny of decisions ever been closer. With the DoD Product Support BCA Guidebook, we now can focus on the possible decision rather than the way the decision came about. In the process, the Warfighter, the program office, and the taxpayer all come out winners.”

The DoD Product Support Business Case Analysis Guidebook is among several other key guidance documents and guidebooks on the Product Support Policy, Guidance, Tools & Training site on the DAU Logistics Community of Practice (LOG CoP)  available to assist program managers, product support mangers, and life cycle logisticians develop and implement effective product support strategies that deliver affordable readiness to our Warfighter customers, the program office, and ultimately the American people. In addition, DAU also offers CLL015 Product Support Business Case Analysis web-based continuous learning module, as well as extensive information in our LOG 340 Life Cycle Product Support classroom course. Encourage you to avail yourself of this article, the BCA guidebook and related training, as well as the myriad of other resources available to the defense acquisition professional.