The Adaptive Acquisition Framework or AAF (Figure 1) is a major advancement for modern defense acquisition. It is more than a policy update. It is policy re-envisioned and restructured in a framework that encourages critical thinking by program managers in selecting and tailoring the best-suited approach or pathway for a particular acquisition. It facilitates more rapid delivery to the point of need.
The AAF is a powerful tool the Defense Acquisition Workforce can use to ensure that the Warfighter has the systems and services they need. Given the ever-changing environment, made even more unstable by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that Defense Acquisition Workforce members not only familiarize themselves with the AAF resources available to them—especially the interactive AAF website—but stay current and continuously seek out resources and opportunities to help improve acquisition.
Stacy Cummings—Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Enablers for Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord—spearheaded the AAF effort, and she will be the first to say it was a team effort. The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) was one of the organizations involved in the process—assisting in writing the policy with input from the military Services and developing an interactive AAF website. DAU also assisted in the rollout—conducting a series of roadshows with Ms. Cummings and other AAF subject-matter experts, engaging directly with the Defense Acquisition Workforce, and producing numerous AAF-oriented webcasts to inform Defense Acquisition Workforce members of the sweeping policy changes and the tools and resources available to them.
Recently, Ms. Cummings and DAU President Jim Woolsey met virtually to talk about the AAF rollout and what it means for the future of the AAF and defense acquisition. The following is an excerpt from their conversation.
Jim Woolsey: To start, can you give us a brief recap of what the AAF is and why Ms. Lord calls it the most transformational policy change in decades?
Stacy Cummings: I believe Ms. Lord summed up the AAF well when she noted that the hallmark of this policy is how it embraces delegating decision making down to the program offices so they can tailor their approach to delivering capability. This enables them to do so unencumbered by non-value added bureaucratic delays that manifest when excessive approvals are required from senior leaders who don’t fully understand the challenges program managers face day to day.
The AAF enables program managers and designated decision makers to move away from the one-size-fits-all model used in the past. The AAF recognizes that every program is unique and needs to be planned and executed based on its individual merits. This is where the philosophy of “tailoring in” versus “tailoring out” really makes a difference. Start with the basics, such as statutory requirements, and consider the unique risk profile of the capability being acquired—this guides the addition when necessary of regulatory elements based on sound management measures.
Jim Woolsey: The AAF has been out for a few months now. What have you been hearing from the field? Are people using it as intended, and is it making a difference?
Stacy Cummings: The response from the workforce has been overwhelmingly positive. In the first few months following its release, we conducted several roadshows and talked to as many workforce members as we could to hear their questions and concerns. We then used that feedback to improve the guidance. As you know, Jim, DAU has led a number of Rapid Deployment Training webcasts, and all of them have been well attended and provided the valuable feedback we need to expand and mature the AAF.
Since we started prototyping the policy for Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) initially in November 2018, we worked with the Components to expand their use of the pathway from zero programs to 68 MTA programs today. We also established an interim policy for software acquisition via a collaborative process that included the Services, programs that want to be early adopters, and industry. Many programs helped shape this interim policy, and many are making plans to transition to the software pathway. Just as we did with the middle tier policy, we will learn from these software programs—and they will inform our final software policy.
Jim Woolsey: Do you think the workforce has the resources needed to understand the AAF and apply it to their programs?
Stacy Cummings: The biggest single resource for the workforce is the AAF website,
https://aaf.dau.edu/aaf/. It integrates all of the new acquisition policies with the latest guidance and hundreds of additional resources and is a single, interactive and easy-to-navigate website. One of the most valuable things about the site is that the workforce can navigate the six pathways with curated insights to determine what is required via policy and statute—and the most effective business practice for each.
The AAF site also is a place for Services, agencies, and functional leaders to add their specific policies, guidance, and resources for acquisition professionals to develop a complete and integrated solution. Overall, the AAF website has received a great response from the workforce.
Ms. Lord and I have both been very appreciative of all of the efforts from DAU. The collaboration between our office, the Services, and DAU has made this rollout successful. Our continued collaboration will ensure that the AAF and the website remain current and relevant far into the future.
Jim Woolsey: Have there been any surprises or “ah-ha” moments as you’ve talked to people, or seen the things they are doing through the available authorities in the AAF—things that they just weren’t doing before?
Stacy Cummings: Based on our roadshows and presentations to DAU classes, the biggest takeaway has been a new understanding of how to implement the authorities Congress has given us. The brilliance of the AAF is that it lays out the authorities in a clean, understandable framework. The framework also is unique in that it supports and facilitates the use of multiple pathways as programs are developed.
Jim Woolsey: What has been the Services’ reaction to AAF, and what is their role?
Stacy Cummings: The Services lead the execution of programs within the Department of Defense. They have been involved from the beginning and have provided significant input into the overarching policies, while also creating and/or updating their own implementing policies to align with those in the AAF. At the end of the day, the successes of the AAF and our programs belong to the Services.
Jim Woolsey: What do you hope the long-term impact of AAF will be on defense acquisition?
Stacy Cummings: We strongly believe that the AAF will allow our program managers to innovate and require them to think critically while creating unique, tailored programs based on disciplined risk assessments. This will empower acquisition leaders, enhance the skills of our managers, and contribute to more successful programs that can deliver capability faster and more effectively to their customers for years to come.
Jim Woolsey: So what’s next? Has all the policy been released, and can we now just sit back and see what happens?
Stacy Cummings: We should think about policy the same way that we are now thinking about software. That is, policy is never done. We continue to learn as we execute the policy, Congress directs items that can amend our policy, and defense strategy evolves—all of this has to be taken into consideration. So we will continue to communicate with the workforce, observe what is going well and what needs some work, and, of course, stay in constant communication with Congress to ensure our policies are relevant and helpful to our acquisition community.
Jim Woolsey: Stacy, thank you for taking the time today. I know you’re incredibly busy leading the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force. Unveiling a major change to acquisition is hard enough on its own, but to do so during a pandemic while also focusing Acquisition and Sustainment support to the emergency response is just incredible. Thank you so much.
Stacy Cummings: Thank you, Jim. It has been a pleasure.
