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