Shortening the Acquisition Cycle: Research on Concurrency

Abstract : Management Consulting and Research, Inc. (MCR) has developed an approach for analyzing the use of concurrent scheduling of program activities as a strategy for shortening the acquisition cycle. This approach, designed to be used by the Project Management Office (PMO), identifies activities suitable for concurrent scheduling and considers the risks associated with these decisions in terms of project cost and schedule targets. The methodology is composed of seven steps which are used to: initially structure the schedule and identify analytical and decision-making criteria; evaluate project constraints; distinguish between the motivation for the rescheduling requirement (schedule protection or schedule compression); determine the degree of acceptable cost and schedule risk; develop alternative schedules; analyze the cost and schedule risks associated with the schedule options; and select a new schedule. In addition, potential application considerations such as PMO organization, the nature of the project activities to be scheduled, and the distribution of design responsibilities are examined.