Systems Engineering and Life Cycle Sustainment—The Need to Synchronize

Shawn Harrison

All of the functional areas within a program office must work together and with other stakeholders to design, develop, deliver, and sustain Department of Defense (DoD) weapon systems. But two communities in particular are the main “cogs” of developing supportable systems: Engineering and Technical Management (hereafter, Engineering) and Life Cycle Logistics. These two main cogs need to be synchronized more closely, from program inception and throughout the life cycle, for increased supportability.

Engineering, led by the Chief Engineer (CE), and Life Cycle Logistics, led by the Product Support Manager (PSM), are responsible for developing detailed plans to execute their responsibilities across the system life cycle. These plans are the Systems Engineering Plan (SEP) and Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP).

The SEP is the primary planning and management tool—tailored to meet program needs—that describes the engineering and technical management approach for requirements traceability; technical baseline and system architecture management; configuration management; and risk, issue, and opportunity management. It also describes the data management approach and digital engineering implementation plan consistent with the DoD Data Strategy and DoD Digital Engineering Strategy, respectively.

The LCSP is the primary planning and management tool—again, tailored to meet program needs—that describes the Product Support Strategy, sustainment performance goals and metrics, life cycle cost estimates, results of the Product Support Business Case Analysis, sustainment risks, and actions to achieve supportability and sustainment requirements. It also identifies Product Support Integrators and Providers, results of Supportability Analyses, and engineering and design considerations.

DoD has established outlines for both the SEP and LCSP. The current SEP outline (Version 4) was published by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in September 2021 and is required for all acquisition programs (including those in Acquisition Category (ACAT) I, II, and III) in accordance with DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.88, Engineering of Defense Systems, unless waived by the SEP approval authority. The current LCSP outline (Version 2.0) was published by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Logistics and Materiel Readiness in January 2017.

In accordance with DoDI 5000.91, Product Support Management for the Adaptive Acquisition Framework, an LCSP is required for all covered systems (ACAT I and equivalent Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) programs), and a tailored LCSP may be used for all other systems. (Note: As of the time this article was written, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Product Support, the new office of primary responsibility for LCSPs, has initiated development of the next version of the LCSP outline.)

Alignment and synchronization of the SEP and LCSP are critical

Aligned and Synchronized

DoD’s Product Support Vision, as stated in the PSM Guidebook, is “aligned and synchronized operational, acquisition, and sustainment communities working together to deliver required and affordable Warfighter outcomes.” Alignment and synchronization of the SEP and LCSP are critical. Within a program office, the CE and PSM, under the leadership and direction of the program manager (PM), jointly manage the inherent polarity (i.e., not “either-or,” but “both-and”) of designing a system to meet capability and performance requirements while designing a system that can be effectively and efficiently supported throughout its life cycle. The SEP and LCSP help drive critical thinking to achieve both desired outcomes.

**Table 1. SEP and LCSP: Synchronize for Supportability**
SUBJECT	SEP VERSION (V) 4.0 REFERENCE	LCSP V2.0 REFERENCE
• Cost and Budget	• 3.1.3.3	• 7.0
• Design Considerations	• 2.5	• 9.1.1
• Human Systems Integration (HSI) including Design Interface	• 3.2.5	• 5.0 / 9.1
• Intellectual Property (IP)	• Front matter	• 10
• Program Office organization and Integrated Product Teams (IPTs)	• 3.1.3	• 8.1
• Reliability and Maintainability	• 3.2.3	• 9.0
• Requirements • Technical Performance Measures (TPMs)	• 2.1 • 3.2.2	• 2.1
• Risk, Issue, and Opportunity Management	• 3.2.1	• 4.0
• Schedule	• 3.1.1	• 6.0
• Software	• 3.2.7 • Appendix C	• 3.3.2
• Supportability Analysis (FMECA)	• 3.2.3.1	• 9.1.2
• Supportability Trades	• 3.2.3.1	• 9.1.4
• System of Systems	• 3.1.1.2	• Overview
• System Safety, including Environmental Safety and Occupational Health (ESOH)	• 3.2.5	• 3.1.5
• System Security	• 2.5 • 3.2.11	• 3.1.4
• Tailoring	• Front matter	• Overview
• Technical Data Management	• 3.2.10	• 9.2
• Technical Reviews and Audits	• 3.2.12	• 9.1.5
• Technology Insertion, Refresh, Obsolescence Management	• 2.5 • 3.2.8	• 3.1.1

Key: FMECA = Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (Note: This list is not all-inclusive. It is only meant to convey major subject areas, not all individual occurrences. SEP Version (V)4.0 and LCSP V2.0 are the latest versions of documents published by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.)

Source: The author

SEP and LCSP Common Activities

A review of the SEP and LCSP outlines reveals no fewer than 20 points of interrelated content (Table 1), covering a broad range of activities and topics from requirements development to post-fielding support. Since both outlines encourage tailoring (a key tenet of the Adaptive Acquisition Framework), programs may intentionally establish other common or jointly managed activities within the two plans.

While the SEP and LCSP outlines are not organized chronologically, SEP and LCSP integration occurs throughout the system life cycle. Table 2 includes a synopsis of some of the jointly managed activities, in life cycle order, with the early life cycle activities at the top and later activities at the bottom.

**Table 2. SEP-LCSP Integrated Activities**
SEP SECTION(S)	LCSP SECTION(S)	JOINTLY MANAGED ACTIVITIES
Requirements Development Technical Performance Measures (TPMs)	Sustainment Performance Requirements Supportability Trades	Early in the life cycle, the CE and PSM support the customer’s development of the RAM-C Rationale Report. The report informs the Sustainment KPP, KSAs, APAs, and lower level metrics. Once approved and documented in an ICD, CDD, or equivalent, the CE and PSM teams work with the PM and Contracting Officer to incorporate these requirements into the development contract through the system specification, SOW, CDRLs and DIDs, clauses, etc., then manage them throughout system design, development, test, production, and fielding as TPMs. In addition, the CE and PSM work with the PM, Contracting Officer, and IP expert(s) to ensure the IP Strategy and data rights align to the Product Support Strategy and are reflected in the contract. For digital programs, requirements and metrics may also be embedded in the systems modeling architecture.
Technical Reviews, Audits, and Activities Human Systems Integration (HSI)	Influencing Design and Sustainment Supportability Analysis–Design Interface	During development, the CE oversees design reviews (e.g., PDR and CDR) and other technical meetings (e.g. technical interchange meetings, FCA/SVR and PCA) with participation from the PSM team. The PSM evaluates the design for supportability considerations and ensures assigned IMP criteria are achieved and verified. The CE and PSM teams evaluate HSI (including, where appropriate, a model-based Human Engineering Design Analysis Document-Maintenance [HEDAD-M])) and ESOH requirements.
R&M Engineering (pre-fielding)	Supportability Analysis–FMECA and Reliability Product Support Element Determination (Support Equipment)	The PSM team participates, along with customer maintenance SMEs, in R&M Working Groups regarding: Supportability Analysis (also known as Product Support Analysis): FMECA, LORA, MTA, RCM Analysis, etc. Development of the maintenance data and onboard data collection and CBM+ architecture(s) The CE designates engineer(s) to review the PSM-managed SERD for common and peculiar support equipment to ensure compliance with performance, ESOH, and R&M requirements.
Software Engineering	Product Support Element Determination (IT Systems Continuous	The CE oversees, with PSM participation, the design, development, and testing of embedded software, software-intensive peculiar support equipment, and other off-board software such as the mission planning system and CBM+ tool suite. When organic software sustainment is planned (to include via Public-Private Partnership), the CE and PSM team conduct planning for the Software Support Activity (SSA), including a Software Development Lab, System Integration Lab, and embedding SSA software.
System Security Engineering	Cybersecurity	The CE and PSM oversee design, development, and verification of cybersecurity provisions, including anti-tamper, counterfeit prevention, supply chain risk management, cyber hygiene, etc.
Technical Risk, Issue, Opportunity Management	Sustainment Risk Management Program Issues and Corrective Actions	The CE and PSM teams identify, analyze, and mitigate program risks, issues, and opportunities and participate in the Risk Management Board or equivalent governance body.
Technical Data Management	Product Support Element Determination (Technical Data)	The CE and PSM work with the PM, Contracting Officer, IP expert(s), and engineering data managers to assess compliance of the TDP and associated license rights with the IP strategy and contract SOW, CDRLs/DIDs, clauses, and assertions. The CE and PSM oversee acceptance and management of the TDP, which consists of models, drawings, specifications, standards, lists, and related product definition data as the system’s Authoritative Source of Truth (ASoT), stored and managed in a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) or equivalent system as part of an Integrated Digital Environment or ecosystem (e.g., “tech stack”). The CE and PSM oversee developing, certifying, and verifying operator and maintenance manuals (e.g., Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals); and, after fielding, developing, certifying, and verifying changes and supplements.
Technology Insertion and Refresh	Obsolescence Management	The CE and PSM oversee identification and resolution of DMSMS, tech refresh, and form-fit-function replacements for obsolete components.
R&M Engineering (post-fielding) Configuration Management	Sustaining Engineering	The CE and PSM oversee the collection, analysis, and disposition of in-service maintenance and condition data (which may include Digital Twin implementation) for fleet trending and to update the scheduled maintenance plan. The CE, with PSM participation, oversees root cause analysis and resolution of deficiencies (e.g., DRs) and product improvement. The CE with PSM participation, oversees ongoing configuration management (CM) activities.

Key: APA = Additional Performance Attributes; CBM+ = Condition-Based Maintenance Plus; CDD = Capability Development Document; CDR =Critical Design Review; CDRL = Contract Data Requirements List; DID = Data Item Description; DR = Deficiency Report; ESOH = Environmental Safety and Occupational Health; FMECA = Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis; FCA/SVR = Functional Configuration Audit/System Verification Review; ICD = Initial Capabilities Document; IP = Intellectual Property; IT = Information Technology; KPP = Key Performance Parameter; KSA = Key System Attribute; LORA = Level of Repair Analysis; MTA = Middle Tier Acquisition; PCA = Physical Configuration Audit; PDR = Preliminary Design Review; PM = Program Manager; R&M = Reliability and Maintainability; RCM = Reliability Centered Matrix; SERD = Support Equipment Requirements Document; SOW = Statement of Work; SVR = System Verification Review.

Source: The author

Living Documents

The SEP and LCSP are living documents from concept through disposal. The SEP is prepared for Request for Proposal release for Major Capability Acquisition (MCA) program phases—including Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction and Engineering and Manufacturing Development and the low-rate initial and full-rate production (FRP) decision points, and as needed to reflect the program’s evolving systems engineering approach, plans, and current status. For applicability to non-MCA pathway programs, consult DoDI 5000.88 and/or the pathway-specific DoDI(s). The LCSP is required for MTA rapid prototyping and rapid fielding programs. For MCA pathway programs, it is required to be updated at milestones (including the FRP decision), for changes in the Product Support Strategy, or every 5 years. For software pathway programs, consult DoDI 5000.91 and/or DoDI 5000.87 for guidance.

As living documents, the SEP and LCSP are meant to be actively used as “playbooks” and not shelved after a successful decision point or review cycle until the next update is due.

Conclusion and Key Take-Aways

As the two primary management plans impacting supportability of a DoD acquisition program, the SEP and the LCSP require close integration and ongoing collaboration between the CE and PSM. There are significant areas of overlap. Therefore, potential or realized gaps, seams, or divergent activities may adversely impact system performance or affordability.

The following CE and PSM practices may help maintain alignment and synchronization:

Establish a regular battle rhythm to meet and discuss jointly managed activities to assess adherence to the SEP and LCSP and identify required updates.
Exchange action officer “liaisons” to participate in each other’s key meetings and continuously monitor for disconnects or gaps.
When SEP and LCSP updates are planned, designate a lead action officer to support (and originate, if appropriate) updates to the other party’s plan (not just review the plan after it is written).

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For further information on PSM and CE collaboration, consult “Teamed for Success: The Imperative for Aligning Systems Engineering and Life Cycle Logistics,” Defense AT&L magazine, January-February 2013, CLICK HERE.

The SEP Outline is maintained on the Deputy Director for Research and Engineering Advanced Capabilities (DDR&E(AC)) site found HERE under the “Engineering Guidance” section. See the SEP ACQuipedia article.

The LCSP Outline is maintained HERE. Practitioners may also be interested in the online training course LOG 0050, Developing an LCSP, found HERE, and the LCSP ACQuipedia article, HERE.

Finally, for information on the jointly managed topic of Supportability Analysis, please visit HERE.

Defense Acquisition Magazine May-June 2022 cover

Read the full issue of
Defense Acquisition magazine

HARRISON is a professor of Life Cycle Logistics at DAU and previously was the T-7A jet trainer’s product support manager. His other program office experience includes fighter, helicopter, aerial refueling, and special mission aircraft. He is certified in Life Cycle Logistics (advanced tier) and Engineering (practitioner tier).

The author can be contacted at [email protected].

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the Department of Defense. Reproduction or reposting of articles from Defense Acquisition magazine should credit the author and the magazine.

Breadcrumb