4. Concept
Developer
- Write concepts and
conceptualizes the
capabilities required
to support them
- Focus is on 10-30
years out from
present
Masters the art of the
imaginable
The Major Players
5. Concept Developer
- Write concepts and
conceptualizes the
capabilities required
to support them
- Focus is on 10-30
years out from
present
Masters the art of the
imaginable
Capability
Manager
- Writes Requirements
that will achieve the
capabilities imagined
by the Concept
Developer
- Integrates
capabilities
(DOTMLPF)
- Focuses on 3-10
years out
Masters the art of what’s
possible
The Major Players
6. Concept Developer
- Write concepts and
conceptualizes the
capabilities required
to support them
- Focus is on 10-30
years out from
present
Masters the art of the
imaginable
Capability Manager
- Writes Requirements
that will achieve the
capabilities imagined
by the Concept
Developer
- Integrates
capabilities
(DOTMLPF)
- Focuses on 3-10
years out
Masters the art of what’s
possible
Program
Manager
- Buys things that
meet the capability
managers’
requirements
- Operates on a
Congressional
budget cycle: now to
3 years out
Masters the art of what’s
available
The Major Players
7. Concept Developer
- Write concepts and
conceptualizes the
capabilities required
to support them
- Focus is on 10-30
years out from
present
Masters the art of the
imaginable
Capability Manager
- Writes Requirements
that will achieve the
capabilities imagined
by the Concept
Developer
- Integrates
capabilities
(DOTMLPF)
- Focuses on 3-10
years out
Masters the art of what’s
possible
Program Manager
- Buys things that
meet the capability
managers’
requirements
- Operates on a
Congressional
budget cycle: now to
3 years out
Masters the art of what’s
available
User
- Focuses on the
moment
- Has problems they
can’t explain
- Gets no vote…except
when...
Achieves the impossible
with what is on hand
The Major Players
8. Concept Developer
- Write concepts and
conceptualizes the
capabilities required
to support them
- Focus is on 10-30
years out from
present
Masters the art of the
imaginable
Capability Manager
- Writes Requirements
that will achieve the
capabilities imagined
by the Concept
Developer
- Integrates
capabilities
(DOTMLPF)
- Focuses on 3-10
years out
Masters the art of what’s
possible
Program Manager
- Buys things that
meet the capability
managers’
requirements
- Operates on a
Congressional
budget cycle: now to
3 years out
Masters the art of what’s
available
User
- Focuses on the
moment
- Has problems they
can’t explain
- Gets no vote…except
when...
Achieves the impossible
with what is on hand
The Major Players
9. How this problem And this proposed solution
That’s agonizingly slow – so where are the islands of innovation?
Became this solution
11. Questions to ask everyone you talk to
- What operating concept is this problem related to (why is this a problem) and who
authored the concept?
- If you can’t share the concept with me because it is classified or the distribution is
limited, can you explain a commercial concept that is similar?
- Who is/are the capability manager(s) that will eventually write a requirement for
the solution we might come up with?
- What engineering development centers, national labs etc. are doing research into
the technology associated with the gap this problem falls in?
- Who is/are the Acquisition Program Manager(s) who will eventually buy the
solution?
- Who will use a solution to this problem? If I can’t access them directly do you
know of anyone with a similar problem in the commercial world?
How do I find out more?
Editor's Notes
5 min discussion on the 4 main components of the acquisition team. Ask students if they can identify from heir interviews anyone they talked to from these categories
Acronym List
DOTMLPF-P stands for:
- Doctrine: the way we fight (e.g., emphasizing maneuver warfare, combined air-ground campaigns)
- Organization: how we organize to fight (e.g., divisions, air wings, Marine-Air Ground Task Forces)
- Training: how we prepare to fight tactically (basic training to advanced individual training, unit training, joint exercises, etc).
- Materiel: all the “stuff” necessary to equip our forces that DOES NOT require a new development effort (weapons, spares, test sets, etc that are “off the shelf” both commercially and within the government)
- Leadership and education: how we prepare our leaders to lead the fight (squad leader to 4-star general/admiral - professional development)
- Personnel: availability of qualified people for peacetime, wartime, and various contingency operations
- Facilities: real property, installations, and industrial facilities (e.g., government owned ammunition production facilities)
- Policy: DoD, interagency, or international policy that impacts the other seven non-materiel elements.
Series of slides that follow the story of VOIED solutions
Slide one picture (VOIED switches) – talk about the pressure plate IED problem. Ask students what they think they need to know in order to pursue a solution
Slide two picture (remote control truck) – tell the remote control car with a rock on it story. Ask students why it would/would not work
Slide three (Minotaur) – tell how the customer discovery done digging into why the remote control car wouldn't’t work lead to the Minotaur
End with a discussion on dual use technologies
Explain the dual use technology model and ask students if they can identify components of their problems that are representative