Lean Techniques for Project Management in the Acquisition Environment

With pressure to shorten acquisition cycles, provide more capability, and reduce costs, the DoD has initiated acquisition reforms, which in part focus on reducing acquisition cycle times. Managers involved in acquisition processes are routinely estimating project task completion dates. In large projects, the uncertainty of these estimates, various customer constraints, and resource limitations can combine and lead to unrealistic predictions. "Lean" concepts adapted from the manufacturing environment, such as Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) from the Theory of Constraints, are simple concepts that can be effectively applied to the way work is scheduled rather than performed and significant reductions in cycle times may be achieved The use of simulation models can help verify the benefits of these innovative management techniques. Ensuring managers understand the benefit of these techniques is a difficult issue. This effort will focus on establishing low-cost educational modules, including a simulation capability for creating effective scenarios, which can be made available to managers throughout the Government and Industry acquisition community. FTI has an extensive relationship with industry and experience developing acquisition tools for the DoD, which involves cost, utility, risk and scheduling. This experience base makes FTI uniquely qualified to conduct and commercialize the proposed research.