Validating the Use of pPerformance Risk Indices for System-Level Risk and Maturity Assessments

• Main Author: Holloman, Sherrica S.
• Language: EN
• Published: The George Washington University 2016
• Subjects: Management|Aerospace engineering|Systems science
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10086217

<p> With pressure on the U.S. Defense Acquisition System (DAS) to reduce cost overruns and schedule delays, system engineers&rsquo; performance is only as good as their tools. Recent literature details a need for 1) objective, analytical risk quantification methodologies over traditional subjective qualitative methods &ndash; such as, expert judgment, and 2) mathematically rigorous system-level maturity assessments. The Mahafza, Componation, and Tippett (2005) Technology Performance Risk Index (TPRI) ties the assessment of technical performance to the quantification of risk of unmet performance; however, it is structured for component- level data as input. This study&rsquo;s aim is to establish a modified TPRI with systems-level data as model input, and then validate the modified index with actual system-level data from the Department of Defense&rsquo;s (DoD) Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs). This work&rsquo;s contribution is the establishment and validation of the System-level Performance Risk Index (SPRI). With the introduction of the SPRI, system-level metrics are better aligned, allowing for better assessment, tradeoff and balance of time, performance and cost constraints. This will allow system engineers and program managers to ultimately make better-informed system-level technical decisions throughout the development phase.</p>