Report
Issues with Access to Acquisition Data and Information in the Department of Defense
Jun 12, 2015
Acquisition data and information are the foundation for decisionmaking, management, and oversight of weapon-system acquisition programs. The authors review 21 key acquisition data information systems, their origins and uses, and how acquisition data might be improved. They also summarize background on acquisition data; review commercial practices in data management; and offer findings and recommendations to improve quality, access, and use.
Doing Data Right in Weapon System Acquisition
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Acquisition data and information are the foundation for decisionmaking, management, and oversight of weapon-system acquisition programs. They are critical to initiatives to improve defense acquisition, such as Better Buying Power. The Department of Defense as a whole gathers a wide variety of acquisition information and stores it in multiple, sometimes incompatible systems, most of which are built for reporting, not analysis. Large businesses have similar problems, and the concept of master data management may have lessons for both. The authors review 21 key acquisition-related data information systems and their origins and uses, and identify how acquisition data might be improved. They also summarize background on acquisition data; review commercial practices in data management; and offer findings and recommendations to further improve acquisition data quality, access, and use.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Background on Acquisition Data in the Department of Defense
Chapter Three
Lessons from the Commercial Sector on Data Management
Chapter Four
Background and Findings on Deep Dives of Acquisition Information Systems
Chapter Five
Strengths and Challenges of Acquisition Data Information Systems
Chapter Six
Conclusions and Recommendations
Appendix A
Deep-Dive Background
Appendix B
Additional Detail on Master Data Management
This research was sponsored by the Acquisition Resources and Analysis (ARA) Directorate within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and was conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Center of the RAND National Defense Research Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, the Unified Combatant Commands, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the defense agencies, and the defense Intelligence Community.
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