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Defense software acquisition reform

By Joab Jackson and William Jackson, GCN Staff

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Could 2006 be remembered as the year that the Defense Department finally declared war on its lumbering software development process?

In February, James Finley had taken the helm as the new deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and technology and shortly thereafter started looking for ways to expedite the process of getting software to DOD’s systems.

Defense has taken heat for several large IT-related projects of late. The Government Accountability Office and Congressional Budget Office have criticized the Army for how well the Future Combat Systems program is progressing. In November, the Senate lambasted the Defense Travel System for cost overruns and poor performance, among other things.

Also that month, the Defense inspector general reported that, in a sampling of procurements, it had found numerous instances of inadequate quality assurance oversight and acquisition. Software is only part of the problem, Finley admitted, but a sizable one.

Finley now is actively soliciting ideas from program managers and contractors on how to better and more quickly engineer software for fighter planes or tanks and other unique military systems. The key, he said, lies in the acquisition process. “If there is one thing that I’ve heard that has been consistent, it is that the systems aren’t broken. The decision-making process is broken,” Finley said.

Over the next few years, Finley hopes to introduce changes to the procurement process based on this feedback. Even the most basic assumptions will be questioned and, if found faulty, removed.

“If I’m going to go from A to B, do I need a Cadillac, or a jet fighter or a horse-drawn buggy? Historically [with the Defense Department] it has been meeting requirements at all costs. In this day and age, I think we need to be more mindful of our taxpayers’ pocket books,” he said.
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