Downloaded from https://www.everyspec.com MIL-HDBK-502: A MIL-HDBK-502: A CQUISITION CQUISITION L OGISTICS OGISTICS Section 5: Supportability Analyses Acquisition logistics includes both technical and management activities. For discussion sake, these activities can be segmented into three interrelated parts: (1) designing the system for support; (2) designing the support system; and (3) acquiring the support elements necessary for initial fielding. The acquisition logistics interface with the design process is through the systems engineering process, and while the systems engineering process applies to all three segments, it is most prominent in the first two.
Supportability is a design characteristic. The early focus of supportability analyses should result in the establishment of support related parameters or specification requirements. These parameters should be expressed both quantitatively and qualitatively in operational terms and specifically relate to systems readiness objectives and the support costs of the system. Achieving and sustaining affordable system supportability is a life cycle management activity and is the result of sound systems engineering. Supportability analyses are a wide range of related analyses that should be conducted within the systems engineering process.
The goals of supportability analyses are to ensure that supportability is included as a system performance requirement and to ensure that the system is concurrently developed or acquired with the optimal support system and infrastructure. The integrated analyses can include any number of tools, practices, or techniques to realize the goals. For example, repair level analysis, reliability predictions, reliability centered maintenance (RCM) analysis, failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA), life cycle cost analysis, etc., can all be categorized as supportability analyses. A key to achieving these goals is an effective application of the systems engineering process.
This process is described in detail in Section 4. In order to be effective, supportability analyses need to be part and parcel of each segment of the systems engineering process (i.e., the Requirements Analysis, Functional Analysis/Allocation, Synthesis, and Systems Analysis and Control) described in Figure 4-3. In order to be effective, supportability analyses should be conducted within the framework of the systems engineering process. The life cycle phases established by the defense acquisition process provide a suitable structure for managing the development, production, and operational support of a total system.
The supportability analyses conducted within any acquisition phase should be properly aligned with the specific objectives of that phase as defined by the acquisition program needs. 5-1