Quick update to the series of LOG Blog posts on product support and sustainment metrics over the 18 months or so entitled “DoD Product Support and Sustainment Metrics Update” “New DoDI 5000.91 Product Support Metrics Requirements”, and “Product Support and Sustainment Health Metrics”.

As a reminder, effective, integrated, aligned, appropriate product support and sustainment metrics serve as a key enabler of effective and efficient product support strategies, and ultimately successful product support and sustainment oversight and execution. As such, it should come as no surprise that product support and sustainment metrics are an integral aspect of DoD Instruction 5000.91 Product Support Management for the Adaptive Acquisition Framework policy, While not all inclusive, a few key highlights from the document in general, and Para 4.8 in particular include:

• Para 4.3.a. The Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) is the detailed product support plan, including sustainment metrics (emphasis added), risks, costs, and analyses used to deliver the performance-based best value strategy covering the IPS elements.
• Para 4.3.b.(2) For covered systems, a detailed LCSP will include…performance goals, including: (a) Sustainment key performance parameters (KPPs). (b) Key system attributes. (c) Other appropriate metrics (emphasis added).
• Para 4.3.c.(5) A tailored LCSP may be used for all systems that are not covered by Section 2337 of Title 10, U.S.C. (non-covered systems), as approved by the LCSP signature authority. At a minimum, a tailored LCSP will include… Measures and metrics to assess compliance with the LCSP.”
• Para 4.7.b. At the program level, all product support solutions will be performance based. Product support solutions will include an appropriate mix of product and process metrics with threshold values to monitor performance that may be adjusted as needed to satisfy warfighter requirements (emphasis added).
• Para 4.8. The PM and PSM will use RAM and O&S cost metrics to conduct analyses to develop cost targets and develop strategies for providing product support at an affordable cost (emphasis added). The PSM will coordinate with the requirements developers to influence these metrics during requirements development.
• Para 4.8. The PSM will track metrics through the initial contract and system development process. Once the program transitions from development to production or sustainment, the PM and PSM will track and incentivize PSIs’ and PSPs’ performance against these and other operational sustainment metrics (emphasis added). (note: Para 4.8.a-c provides detailed information on key top-level metrics, including the sustainment key-performance parameters (Materiel Availability and Operational Availability), key systems attributes and additional performance attributes (Maintainability, Reliability, and O&S Cost), and RAM-C.
• Para 4.8.c.(2) The PSM will ensure contracts, arrangements, and agreements with PSIs and PSPs require sustainment activities and that performance metrics are iteratively reported (emphasis added). This provides the PM the ability to assess cost, schedule, performance, and supportability metrics over the program’s life cycle.
• Para 6.3.a. The PM and PSM will track the rapid fielding system’s performance to measure reliability, availability, maintainability, and cost metrics performance.
• Para 6.3.b. The PM and PSM will track test results IAW DoDI 5000.80 paragraph 3.2b (e.g., reliability, availability, maintainability, cost, or other metrics) and objectives metrics and follow risk mitigation plans per the contract, system test plan, and acquisition strategy.

Additionally, product support and sustainment metrics also factor prominently into the life cycle logistics functional area technical competency model, and specifically include:

• Translate Warfighter requirements into integrated product support performance outcome metrics.
• Establish, monitor, and evaluate metrics to improve supply chain performance.
• Monitor and evaluate sustainment metrics to update the product support package and Product Support Arrangements (PSA)
• Develop a data management strategy, to include assessment of product data needs, metrics, and rights in an Integrated Product Data Environment across the system life cycle.
• Define, implement, and monitor training metrics to evaluate training system effectiveness, cost, and overall impact.

It should therefore come as no surprise that a wide range of DAU life cycle logistics learning assets that specifically focus on understanding, identifying, applying, analyzing, and assessing product support & sustainment metrics including:

Training Courses

• LOG 0010, Life Cycle Product Support Management
• LOG 0050, Developing a Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP)
• LOG 0060, Public-Private Partnerships
• LOG 0110, Introduction to Performance Based Logistics (PBL)
• LOG 0120, Supportability Analysis Fundamentals
• LOG 0290, Condition-Based Maintenance Plus (CBM+)
• LOG 0310, PBL Contracting Strategies
• LOG 0370, DoD Supply Chain Fundamentals
• LOG 0540, Support Equipment Fundamentals
• LOG 0550, Training & Training Support
• LOG 1050, Fundamentals of Systems Sustainment Management
• LOG 2060, Intermediate Systems Sustainment Management
• LOG 211V, Supportability Analysis*
• LOG 2350, Performance Based Logistics (PBL)
• LOG 3400, Life Cycle Product Support*
• LOG 3500, Enterprise Life Cycle Logistics Management*
• LOG 4650, Executive Product Support Manager’s Course*

(*denotes instructor-led or virtual instructor-led courses; all others are online self-paced)

Defense Acquisition Credentials

• CLCL 002A, Integrated Product Support Credential
• CLCL 004, Maintenance Planning and Management Credential
• CLCL 008, Product Support Arrangements Credential

ACQuipedia Articles

• Product Support SMART Metrics
• Life Cycle Sustainment Outcome Metrics
• Sustainment Key Performance Parameter (KPP) & Supporting Metrics
• Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Metrics - Overview
• Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Metrics – Techniques & Tools for Optimizing Operating & Support (O&S) Cost & System Readiness
• Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Metrics - Thresholds vs. Objective
• Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Incentives - Motivating Achievement of Desired Support Outcomes
• Maintainability Attribute Key System Attribute (KSA)/Additional Performance Attribute (APA)
• Operating and Support (O&S) Cost Key System Attribute (KSA)
• Performance Attributes
• Key Performance Parameters (KPPs)
• Reliability Growth
• Logistics Response Time (LRT)
• Repair Turnaround Time (RTAT)
• Materiel Availability (Am)
• Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)
• Mean Downtime (MDT)
• Corrective Maintenance Time (CMT)