Materiel Acquisition Research Articles

Examples of performance requirement derivation through modelling and simulation in complex projects

ABSTRACT As complexity continues to increase in modern systems development, performance requirement derivation in Defence materiel acquisition projects continues to present challenges. Overspecification introduces technical risk that can lead to project cost and schedule blow-outs. Insights into precise thresholds for system requirement performances can be difficult to ascertain through expert judgement. Operational analysis involves the modelling and simulation of the Defence materiel platform’s operational scenarios. The most challenging scenarios drive system performances, understood in the context of the combinations of systems working together to achieve operational effects. Such modelling and simulation provides insights into the capabilities of interest to Defence Service customers, and is useful for decision-making, trade studies and design negotiations. This work describes two such examples of operational analysis modelling and simulation used in a recent large and complex Defence materiel acquisition project for the derivation of system performance requirements and the facilitation of trade studies and design negotiations.

Sustainable Residential Building Considerations for Rural Areas: A Case Study

Intelligent use of rural residential land and sustainable construction is inexorably linked to cost; however, options exist that are eco-friendly and have a positive return on investment. In 2011, a research residence was built to evaluate various land-use and sustainable components. This Texas house has subsequently been used for both residential and research purposes. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate break-even construction considerations, to assess environmental impacts, and to evaluate qualitatively efficacy of sustainable options incorporated in the research residence. Some of the specific components discussed are home site placement (directional positioning); materiel acquisition (transportation); wood product minimization; rainwater harvesting; wastewater management; grid-tied solar array power; electric car charging via a solar array; geothermal heating and cooling; insulation selection; windows, fixtures, and appliance selection; and on-demand electric water heaters for guest areas. This study seeks to identify the impact of proper land use and sustainable techniques on the environment and return-on-investment in rural areas. Break-even and 15-year Net Present Value (NPV) analysis at 3% and 5% cost of capital were used to evaluate traditional construction, partially sustainable construction, and fully sustainable construction options for the case study house, which was built sustainably. The additional cost of sustainable construction is estimated at $54,329. At 3%, the analysis suggests a 15-year NPV of $334,355 (traditional) versus $250,339 million (sustainable) for a difference of $84K. At 5% cost of capital, that difference falls to $63K. The total estimated annual difference in carbon emissions is 4.326 million g/CO2e for this research residence. The results indicate that good choices for quick return-on-investment in rural construction would be the use of engineered lumber, Icynene foam, and Energy Star windows and doors. Medium-term options include photovoltaic systems (PVS) capable of powering the home and an electric car. Sustainable construction options should positively affect the environment and the pocketbook. Regulations and code should require adoption of short-range, break-even sustainable solutions in residential construction.

A history of noise exposure standards

In the 1950s, the Committee on Hearing, Bioacoustics and Biomechanics (CHABA) investigated and developed recommendations for a variety of noise exposures. In 1956, the United States Air Force published AF Regulation 160-3, generally considered to be the first hearing conservation program in the US. The Walsh-Healy Act regulations [41 CFR 50-204.10] defined noise limits for occupational noise exposure for government supply contracts and the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-173) adopted these limits for underground and surface coal mine operations. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-596) created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH published Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Noise in 1972. OSHA promulgated a regulation for occupational noise exposure and updated that with the Hearing Conservation Amendment 29 CFR Part 1910.95. The Mine Safety Administration has regulations for noise exposure that were updated in 1999, 30 CFR part 62. The military developed the materiel acquisition standard MIL-STD 1474E for high-level impulse noise. Existing and future needs for noise exposure standards for continuous, intermittent, and impulsive noise exposures will be discussed in this paper.

Optimization Model for Robust Acquisition Decisions in the Norwegian Armed Forces

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) supports the Norwegian Ministry of Defence with quantitative analyses for its long-term defence planning. As part of this activity, FFI has developed a stochastic model for optimizing investments in materiel. The model maximizes the capabilities of the force structure (i.e., military personnel, equipment, and materiel) by allocating materiel acquisition projects over time, given certain constraints and considering the uncertainty of future-year budgets. The objective of the model is to make decisions about current acquisition projects, and also provide flexibility for future decisions. It models future budgets using a set of budget scenarios. The model helps decision makers explore project acquisition choices, and improve their knowledge of the total investment picture and of individual projects. The model has given FFI new insights into the dynamics of acquisition planning and the necessity for considering future uncertainty.

Epilogue to MERIT: Lessons Learned in Developing an Interactive Environmental Database

MERIT, Mission Environmental Requirements Integration Technology, is an interactive environmental database developed by the Air Force Wright Laboratory's Flight Dynamics Directorate (currently the Air Vehicles Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory). The purpose of this MS Windows-based application is to quickly and accurately estimate, during the early conceptual design stage, the environments to which stores carried externally on fighter/attack aircraft will be exposed throughout all phases of the life cycle (such as manufacturing, deployment, storage, and operational usage). MERIT is currently used at approximately 75 locations within 25 companies and government agencies. During the development of the MERIT system, many important lessons were learned regarding the creation of environmental databases to support materiel acquisition functions (such as design, test, and maintenance). In this paper, the scope and capabilities of MERIT will be described in more detail. The basis for the lessons learned will be explained and illustrated through examples from the system's development history.

The Army Health Hazard Assessment (HHA) Program: An Overview of the HHA Process Relative to Materiel Acquisition

The Army Health Hazard Assessment (HHA) Program: An Overview of the HHA Process Relative to Materiel Acquisition

Where Have All the Sages Gone?

This paper explores various mindsets or paradigms that govern how we consider environmental factors in materiel system design and testing. It particularly cautions against hidden paradigms that may restrict initiatives to increase the efficiency of the materiel acquisition cycle. It also explains paradigm shifts from producing and testing prototypes to substituting simulation for hardware where possible to save time and reduce costs. The key factor in shifting successfully from hardware to simulation is the sage advice and guidance of environmental experts whose basic knowledge of environmental effects is essential in efforts to structure information and experience into databases, models, and simulations. It is shown how the Institute of Environmental Sciences (IES) plays a key role in bringing experts together to address the Department of Defense (DoD) synthetic environment science and technology thrust.

Integrated Decision/Engineering Aid (IDEA)-Enhancements

Integrated Decision/Engineering Aid (IDEA) incorporates a standard process and a set of automated tools to support the application of the Department of Defense's Human/System Integration (HSI) program, the Army's Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) initiative and Human Factors Engineering (HFE) throughout the materiel development process. IDEA provides the HSI/HFE analyst with guidelines, data and tools to integrate HSI/HFE into the acquisition of: (a) non-developmental items (NDI), (b) product improvements, and (c) new system developments, focusing on the activities and products at each phase of the materiel acquisition process. The purpose of the session is to demonstrate how IDEA is utilized in the definition of the HSI/MANPRINT requirements in support of the system development/acquisition process. Emphasis will be placed on a review of the overall architecture, arrangement and organization of the modules, and on the recent additions and modifications.

The Army Manprint Idea: (Integrated Decision/Engineering Aid)

The US Army Human Engineering Laboratory (USAHEL) is developing an approach to the application of MANPRINT in the context of the Materiel Acquisition Process (MAP). This approach includes: 1) a MANPRINT roadmap, consisting of a formal and standard process for accomplishing MANPRINT at each phase of the MAP and which is tied to the activities, products and events of the MAP; 2) a tool kit consisting of a set of automated tools needed to implement the roadmap in a cost-effective manner; and 3) a repository of all pertinent information, and techniques for accessing all available information - available at the user's workstation irrespective of the original source. The driving requirement for the USAHEL approach to HFE/MANPRINT is for integration. This includes: integration of the HFE/MANPRINT process into the Materiel Acquisition Process; the integration of HFE/MANPRINT tools into the process; the integration of HFE/MANPRINT tools and data bases in terms of data import and export; the integration of HFE/MANPRINT tools among themselves in terms of data import and export; and the integration of HFE/MANPRINT domains including HFE, manpower, personnel and training, system safety, and health hazard assessment. The USAHEL approach to MANPRINT in the early stages of materiel development is to base the process for accomplishing MANPRINT on the HFE front-end analysis methodology as described in MIL-H 46855B. USAHEL, under contract with Carlow Associates Incorporated, is developing a MANPRINT standardized and formalized process tied to the events, activities, products and milestones currently for the first two phases of the MAP and incorporating a set of automated tools and information system to support the application of the MANPRINT process. The system, including the process, associated tools and information resources, have been designated the USAHEL MANPRINT Integrated Decision/Engineering Aid or IDEA. IDEA includes a HFE/MANPRINT standardized and formalized process tied to the events, activities, products and milestones of each phase of the Materiel Acquisition Process (MAP) and incorporating a set of automated tools to support the application of the HFE/MANPRINT process. The process and associated tools have been completed for the Program Initiation Phase IDEA (prior to milestone 0) and the Concept Exploration Phase IDEA. The elements of the IDEA system, as described in this paper, are: the HFE/MANPRINT process; an integrated HFE/MANPRINT information system; automated HFE/MANPRINT analysis tools; HFE/MANPRINT analyst productivity enhancement tools; HFE/MANPRINT information tools; a report generator for producing HFE/MANPRINT plans and reports; and, the user.

MANPRINT Enhancement Methods: Organizational Change Process Review

The Army has developed a program to improve the effectiveness of the systems it procures by considering human factors very early in the system acquisition cycle. This program is called “MANPRINT,” and was established in approximately 1985 as a top-down management initiative by the Chief Of Staff of the Army. MANPRINT is an acronym that stands for “MANpower and PeRsonnel INTegration.” The creation of MANPRINT within the Army has had a significant impact on both the structure of the Army organization and the procedures by which systems are acquired. The US Army has commissioned a study to evaluate the effectiveness of the MANPRINT study and to make recommendations for its enhancement. A major purpose of this study is to assess the degree to which the MANPRINT program has been adequately instituted and incorporated into the organizations and operations of the combat development and materiel acquisition communities. Another purpose is to evaluate the degree to which the MANPRINT program targets those who are accountable for design trade-off decisions involving MANPRINT issues, and the implications for improving MANPRINT. An organizational design of the MANPRINT program will be presented with positive and negative constructive criticism. Statistics describing the sample will be presented. A content analysis of interview results will be presented, and questionnaire results will be presented in appropriate graphical format. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for enhancing the MANPRINT organization.

Operator Workload in the Army Materiel Acquisition Process

The Army developer community needs to be attuned to the need for addressing operator workload issues within the framework of the materiel acquisition process. Brief descriptions are given of: (a) the major acquisition approaches; (b) the Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) program; and, (c) operator workload. The interrelationships between these three areas are considered. Workload is important because it affects the ability of the operator to perform required tasks; hence, system performance can be affected by workload. MANPRINT provides a framework for addressing operator workload issues and for formalizing workload analysis requirements.

Manprint in the Program Initiation Phase of System Acquisition

For the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory (USAHEL), Carlow Associates recently completed development of the MANPRINT Integrated Decision/Engineering Aid (IDEA) for the Program Initiation Phase of system development. The IDEA includes a standard MANPRINT process describing activities, events and products for the Phase, a decision aid and analyst's workstation to support the application of MANPRINT technology to the Program Initiation Phase, and computer-based MANPRINT tools to support the Program Initiation Phase. Specific tools included in IDEA are: 1) an early comparability analysis tool (ECA) which provides baseline system lessons learned and high MANPRINT drivers, 2) an automated task analysis tool, 3) an allocation of function tool which enables and supports the determination of the required role of the soldier in the system, and 4) a workload and human performance simulation tool based on a task network and probabilistic process variables. Efforts involved in the MANPRINT process development addressed the integration of the activities and products of Human Factors Engineering (HFE), Manpower, Personnel and Training (MPT), and System Safety (SS) and Health Hazard Assessment (HHA) with the activities of the Materiel Acquisition Process (MAP), and identification of MANPRINT technology requirements to support the application of this process.

Integration of Human Factors Engineering within the System Acquisition Process

The U.S. Army's Manpower and Personnel Integration (MANPRINT) requirement is designed to fully integrate the Materiel Acquisition Process (MAP) to include Human Factors Engineering (HFE), Manpower, Personnel, Training, System Safety, and Health Hazard Assessment early in the cycle. This effort represents an excellent opportunity for HFE practitioners to influence the system design process with considerations for the human component. However, MANPRINT also represents the necessity for a variety of disciplines to work together and communicate data during all phases of the MAP. This task requires full documentation of all efforts and utilization of valid methodologies. The broad base of data contained within HFE analyses gives it a critical role in the integration process.