Best manufacturing practices survey of Navy's Directorate for Missiles and Surface Launchers: a process for benchmarking program management office teams and processes - Best Practices

Defense AT&L, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Larry J. Halbig, Thomas A. Harvat, Frederick F. Schulz

On July 11, 2002, the leadership, management, and process champions of the Department of the Navy's Directorate for Missiles and Surface Launchers (PEO TSC-M/L) received a debrief on the results of a best manufacturing practices (BMP) survey of their organization. During their briefing, the BMP survey team co-chairs reviewed the on-site activities conducted during that week; summarized the team's findings in each area surveyed and conducted feedback; provided a draft copy of the BMP survey report for organizational review and comments; thanked the host organization for the invitation to validate its best practices; and welcomed them into an expanding network of excellence.

Shortly after his appointment as under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics (USD (AT & L)) in 2001, Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge Jr., announced that the top five goals on his agenda to sustain acquisition excellence were to:

* Improve the credibility and effectiveness of the acquisition and logistics support process.

* Revitalize the quality and morale of the AT & L workforce.

* Improve the health of the defense industrial base.

* Rationalize the weapon systems and infrastructure with our defense strategy.

* Initiate high-leverage technologies to create warfighting capabilities and strategies of the future.

By this time, the men and women of the Navy's STANDARD Missile Program management team had already embarked on a series of activities in keeping with these goals, with successful results. As part of its continuous process improvement efforts, leadership considered obtaining independent validation of its practices using an outside team of subject matter experts (SMEs). By benchmarking with the best, the program management office (PMO) believed it could obtain feedback from teams of experts; avoid costly mistakes through reduced reinvention, duplication, and risk; and raise the bar for others by sharing capabilities of the STANDARD Missile team. The BMP survey process provided a credible resource.

This article is intended to provide the AT & L community with information on an available process to benchmark PMO teams; to enable participants to share individual and organizational perspectives and insights on how the process can add value to all parties involved; and to solicit ideas from others on opportunities for the STANDARD Missile team to continue process improvement efforts already under way.

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PEO Organizational Mission

The PEO TSC-M/L (formerly the STANDARD Missile Program office (PMS 422)), is responsible for cradle-to-grave management of the STANDARD Missile Program (including all variants). This responsibility includes concept formulation, design, development, integration, acquisition, test and evaluation, fleet introduction, modernization, and life-cycle maintenance. All functions of the team are performed in a manner consistent with Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition polices and regulations. The PMO team consists of 85 geographically dispersed men and women (both government employees and contractors) and is headquartered in Arlington, Va. PEO TSC-M/L continues to meet the Navy's needs while evolving the STANDARD Missile Program through the application of new technology and best practices. As a result of a recent reorganization, the PEO TSC-M/L is now the program executive office for integrated warfare systems, surface ship weapons and launchers (PEO IWS 3A).

BMPCOE Mission

An Office of Naval Research (ONR) activity, the mission of the Navy's BMP program is to provide support to the fleet by identifying and promulgating the use of best practices throughout industry to improve weapon system performance. The BMP Center of Excellence (BMPCOE), located in College Park, Maryland, is a Navy manufacturing technology program in partnership with the Department of Commerce (DoC) and the University of Maryland. This technology transfer collaboration between government, industry, and academia is further leveraged by 10 regional satellite centers through voluntary agreements with host organizations. BMPCOE's core competencies include on-site surveys, systems engineering (including risk management), and Web technologies. The BMPCOE serves as a national resource to improve the quality, reliability, and maintainability of the goods and services delivered by the national technology and industrial base.

Critical Thinking--Connecting the Dots

It was while he was a student at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) that Clay Crapps, deputy program manager for PEO TSC-M/L, first learned about the BMP program. Exploring the BMP database, he saw the diversity of organizations previously surveyed by BMP teams (including small, medium, and large; government and commercial; both manufacturing and service); and documented practices (including funding, design, test, production, facilities, logistics, and management). At first glance, not many of the practices appeared to apply to a government program office. What was missing was a BMP survey of a DoD PMO. The BMP survey process appeared sound, so Crapps decided to invite the BMPCOE to survey his outfit. "We are always looking for ways to better our processes or performance," he says.