NCMS Project #: 142224
Problem:
Historically, commercial product lifecycle tools and processes have been stovepiped, where design and sustainment elements are created separately without considering the product lifecycle requirements. Stove-pipe design can result in multiple challenges being created because there is little to no collaboration on system interfaces and process workflows across engineering and maintenance documentation, enterprise applications, and cloud-based data networks. Like the commercial sector, many Department of Defense (DOD) organizations work in separate functional silos. As new subsystems are integrated into a host vehicle, aircraft, or ship, system configurations can change, and new system interdependencies can result in maintenance issues which can require significant time and costs to repair.
Benefit:
As applicable, the Army will utilize the lessons learned from this initiative to make informed decisions on how to better integrate product lifecycle processes and tools to improve product development, maintenance, and sustainment activities across various weapon systems and commodities. Lessons learned will also serve as an example to commercial industry in how to develop integrated product lifecycle processes and toolsets to improve maintenance and sustainment activities.
Solution/Approach:
The intent of this initiative is to advance the state of the art in model-based systems engineering and product lifecycle tools and processes to design, integrate, and pilot a common toolbox that can improve lifecycle management and logistics planning activities. Using various new developmental and legacy ground combat vehicle systems as surrogates, this proof of concept will provide a common approach and toolset that allows key product stakeholders to integrate and streamline lifecycle maintenance processes to improve maintenance and sustainment planning and execution.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Enhance accuracy of product development and sustainment activities
- Reduce cost, schedule, and performance risks
- Improve weapon system performance and availability
- Decrease maintenance and sustainment costs
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Army Project Lead, Mobile Protected Firepower
- U.S. Army Product Manager, Robotic Combat Vehicle
- U.S. Army Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD)
- U.S. Army Program Executive Office, Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO-CS&CSS) (observer)
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) (observer)
Industry Participation:
- Ricardo Defense, Inc.
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Repair turnaround time
- Mx avoidance & reliability
- Obsolescence
- Mx management improvement
Mx Focus Area:
- Business IT and Analytics
