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Effects Through Acquisition: Leveraging the Power of Contingency Contracting
Andrew S. Haeuptle and Renanah Miles
After nearly 10 years in Afghanistan, dozens of contingency contracting offices still operate independently, without a unified strategic focus and with gaps in checks and balances. A lead organization charged with integrating the acquisition continuum from requirement to disbursement will help ensure a secure and peaceful economy in Afghanistan.
Acquisition Program Management Challenges in Afghanistan
Part 2: Afghan Vendor Base
Maj. Darren W. Rhyne, USAF
A dearth of raw-materials manufacturers. Vendors with no U.S. government contracting experience. Locations with no address. Vendor challenges in Afghanistan are many. But so are the strategies for surmounting them.
The Drag Efficient:
The Missing Quantification of Time on the Critical Path
Stephen A. Devaux
Drag and drag cost are two important metrics often missing from critical path analysis. Using formulas to determine the true cost of an activity, including delays it could produce, can help stay on the path to success.
Knowing and Loving Your KO: A Guide for Program Managers
Part 2: Getting to Yes
John Krieger
Working with a contracting officer is easier if you learn to see the world through KO lenses. Meet regularly, establish a standard operating procedure, negotiate a contract on big or critical projects— and consider reading the entire Federal Acquisition Regulation.
Developing a Continuous Improvement System
Scott S. Haraburda and Lara E. Zilafro
How does an organization make continuous improvement happen? Crane Army Ammunition Activity uses a six-part process—one that has proven successful in at least two major CAAA initiatives.
Unleashing the Predictive Power of the Integrated Master Schedule The Planning & Scheduling Excellence Guide (PASEG)
Joshua Anderson and Jeff Upton
The size and complexity of the integrated master schedule—along with misconceptions about how to use and create one—has made IMS an underused tool for program teams. The Planning & Scheduling Excellence Guide— available for free online—can help make sense of the IMS.
Look at It As a Game
Wayne Turk
Defense acquisition has been called a contact sport. But which sport?
The Mice in Council:
An Acquisition Fable
Edward Todd Urbansky, Ph.D.
A cautionary tale about the best-laid plans of mice and managers.
Building the Program Office Team
Owen Gadeken
When multiple teams work together, true teamwork can be in short supply. Focused leadership, clear direction, open communication, and ground rules help get everyone playing from the same sheet of music.
Everything Is Not a Process:
Products, Games, and Emerging Metaphors for Work
Lt. Col. Dan Ward, USAF
Overemphasis on process in program management can lead to insufficient focus on outcomes, the author writes in his final piece for Defense AT&L.
Defense AT&L is a bimonthly magazine published by DAU Press for senior military personnel, civilians, defense contractors, and defense industry professionals in program management and the acquisition, technology and logistics workforce.
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