Commonality in Military Equipment A Framework to Improve Acquisition Decisions

by Held, Thomas; Newsome, Bruce; Lewis, Matthew W.

• ISBN13: 9780833045508
• ISBN10: 0833045504
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-16
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

To inform the U.S. Army1s decisionmaking process surrounding commonality in military equipment, RAND was asked to assess the advantages and disadvantages of commonality and how to best manage their trade-offs. This report presents analyses of the effects of commonality on costs, capabilities, and training and offers a decisionmaking aid that designers, developers, and procurers could use to inform their decisions about commonality.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures	p. vii
Tables	p. ix
Summary	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xxiii
Abbreviations	p. xxv
Introduction	p. 1
Project Goals	p. 3
Commonality Definitions and Levels	p. 4
Organization of This Document	p. 6
The Effects of Commonality on Operations	p. 7
Operational Consequences of Commonality	p. 8
System Capability	p. 8
Design Options	p. 9
An Infantry Weapon Example	p. 13
The Cost Effects of Commonality	p. 21
Component-Related Costs	p. 22
R&D Costs	p. 22
Parts Costs	p. 23
Supplier Costs	p. 23
Order Costs	p. 24
Inventory Holding Costs	p. 24
Example of Inventory Cost Reduction: Ground Vehicle Engines	p. 25
The Best Candidates for Reducing Costs Through Commonality	p. 29
Complex, Expensive Items: The Greatest Cost Opportunity by Spreading the R&D Cost over Multiple Items	p. 29
High-Demand Items That Have Similar Specifications	p. 29
Effects of Commonality on Training Costs	p. 30
Training Impacts of Commonality on Training Costs	p. 30
Training Impact Assessment and Organizational Design	p. 32
Models of Skills and Skill Acquisition in Training/Education and Probable Areas of Training Savings Per Skill	p. 34
Training Impact Estimation (TIE) Methodology to Assess Training Impacts of Commonality for Army Systems	p. 35
Example from Small Arms: A Case Study Assessing Hypothetical Training Effects from Differentiated Versus Modular Rifles and Light Machine Guns	p. 36
Conclusions Regarding Training Impacts of Commonality for Army Systems Development	p. 40
Impact of Commonality on Maintenance Personnel Costs	p. 40
The Effects of Commonality on Logistics	p. 45
Chapter Five	p. 49
Model Plan	p. 51
Differentiation Plan	p. 55
Commonality Plan	p. 56
Base Model Plan	p. 57
Recommendations	p. 59
Bibliography	p. 61
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