    Best Practices: Better Matching of Needs and Resources Will Lead to
    Better Weapon System Outcomes (Chapter Report, 03/08/2001,
    GAO/GAO-01-288).

    This report examines how best practices offer improvements to the way
    the Department of Defense defines and matches weapon system requirements
    to available resources such as cost, schedule, and mature technologies.
    GAO identified three factors that were key to matching needs and
    resources before product development began. First, developers employed
    the technique of systems engineering to identify gaps between resources
    and customer needs before committing to a new product development.
    Second, customers and developers were flexible. Leeway existed to reduce
    or defer customer needs to future programs or for the developer to make
    an investment to increase knowledge about a technology or design feature
    before beginning product development. Third, the roles and
    responsibilities of the customer and the product developer were matched,
    with the product developer being able to determine or significantly
    influence product requirements. In cases where these factors were not
    present at program launch, product development began without a match
    between requirements and resources. Invariably, this imbalance favored
    meeting customer needs by adding resources, which resulted in increased
    costs and later deliveries.

    --------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

     REPORTNUM:  GAO-01-288
         TITLE:  Best Practices: Better Matching of Needs and Resources
    	     Will Lead to Better Weapon System Outcomes
          DATE:  03/08/2001
       SUBJECT:  Weapons systems
    	     Defense cost control
    	     Weapons research and development
    	     Defense procurement
    	     Private sector practices
    	     Concurrency
    	     Procurement planning
    	     Defense capabilities
    IDENTIFIER:  Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
    	     Army Crusader System
    	     Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
    	     DOD Radio Frequency Countermeasures System
    	     Brilliant Anti-Armor Submunition
    	     Army Tactical Missile System
    	     Multiple Launch Rocket System
    	     F-15 Aircraft
    	     B-1 Aircraft
    	     DOD Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration Program
    	     F/A-18E/F Aircraft
    	     F/A-18 Aircraft
    	     Joint Strike Fighter
    	     U-2 Aircraft