The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness (L&MR) has issued a new Logistics Assessment (LA) Guidebook, the third in a series of recently published guidebooks which are being developed to assist both the Program Manager in execution of his or her duties as Life Cycle Manager and the Product Support Manager (PSM) as the individual responsible for weapon system life cycle sustainment planning and execution. 

According to the memo which accompanies the new LA Guidebook (which is available on the DAU Product Support Policy, Guidance & Tools website), “the (November 2009) DoD Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Product Support Assessment (WSAR-PSA) identified eight principle areas to improve product support effectiveness.  One of those areas, “Governance,” included the recommendation to implement independent Logistics Assessments during weapon system development, production and Post-Initial Operational Capability (Post-IOC) acquisition phases.  Thorough Logistics Assessments provide leaders with a health assessment of each Integrated Product Support element and assist in making informed decisions at milestones and/or at key program decision points.”

This new guidebook also “supports the USD(AT&L) November 2010 memorandum on “Better Buying Power” by addressing the themes of affordability, controlling cost growth, and innovation in industry.  It provides a structure for conducting Logistics Assessments and helps Components establish baseline assessment criteria specific to their weapon systems.  Logistics Assessments should be performed at Milestones B and C, prior to Full Rate Production (FRP) decisions, at Post-IOC reviews, or at least every five years.  These assessments will ensure that there is adequate supportability planning, management, resource identification, and risk mitigation for each program at different phases of its life cycle.”  He concludes by reiterating that “a periodic and formal assessment of a program’s supportability plan validates its ability to meet established performance requirements.  Use of this guidebook, together with the Product Support Manager (PSM) Guidebook and Business Case Analysis (BCA) Guidebook, will assist the Program Manager and senior acquisition stakeholders with the information and process to successfully deliver a supportable system to the Warfighter.”

This excellent new tool provides the PM, PSM, and of course the program life cycle logistician with the:

·         process for conducting Logistics Assessments

·         criteria for assessing a program during Milestones B, C, and FRP

·         criteria for assessing a program Post-IOC reporting requirements

It is also important to keep in mind that “a Logistics Assessment (LA) is an analysis of a program’s supportability planning. Preferably, it is conducted by an independent and impartial team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) not directly associated with the program being assessed. An LA is not a compliance audit, but an effective and valid assessment of the program office’s product support strategy, as well as an assessment of how this strategy leads to successfully operating a system at an affordable cost. As part of the LA, statutory, regulatory, and Component required documentation is reviewed and assessed for completeness and compliance prior to the milestone decision. The focus is on whether the program planning and methodology has a basis and can be successfully executed. Conducting the LA early in the program phase where the design can be influenced, and re-assessing the planning at each milestone and periodically thereafter as the design matures, is critical to fielding a sustainable system. It also provides senior decision makers critical information for making strategic trades within and across various programs, especially as today’s Acquisition Category (ACAT) programs are becoming increasingly complex and integrated with other systems.”

Highly encourage you to read through and fully leverage this excellent new reference and tool now available for you, the members of the life cycle logsitics, product support, and sustainment community.