Cost Risk Analysis for Air Force Systems
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This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non- commercial use only. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND mono- graphs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Impossible Certainty Cost Risk Analysis for Air Force Systems Mark V. Arena, Obaid Younossi, Lionel A. Galway, Bernard Fox, John C. Graser, Jerry M. Sollinger, Felicia Wu, Carolyn Wong Prepared for the United States Air Force Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Air Force under Contract F49642-01-C-0003. Further information may be obtained from the Strategic Planning Division, Directorate of Plans, Hq USAF. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Impossible certainty : cost risk analysis for Air Force systems / Mark V. Arena ... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. “MG-415.” ISBN 0-8330-3863-X (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. United States. Air Force—Appropriations and expenditures. 2. United States. Air Force—Costs. 3. United States. Air Force—Cost control. I. Arena, Mark V. UG633.2.I6 2006 358.4'1622—dc22 2005028332 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark. Cover design by Stephen Bloodsworth © Copyright 2006 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2006 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 RAND URL: http://www.rand.org/ To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [email protected] Preface This report is one of a series from a RAND Project AIR FORCE project, “The Cost of Future Military Aircraft: Historical Cost Esti- mating Relationships and Cost Reduction Initiatives.” The purpose of the project is to improve the tools used to estimate the costs of future weapon systems. It focuses on how recent technical, manage- ment, and government policy changes affect cost. This report exam- ines cost estimating risk analysis methods and recommends a policy prescription. The project was conducted within the RAND Project AIR FORCE Resource Management Program. The research is sponsored by the Principal Deputy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition), Lt Gen John D.W. Corley. The project technical monitor is Jay Jordan, Technical Director of the Air Force Cost Analysis Agency. This report should interest government cost analysts, the mili- tary acquisition communities, and those concerned with current and future acquisition policies. Other RAND Project AIR FORCE reports that address military aircraft cost estimating issues include the following: • In An Overview of Acquisition Reform Cost Savings Estimates, MR-1329-AF, 2001, Mark Lorell and John C. Graser use rele- vant literature and interviews to determine whether estimates of the efficacy of acquisition reform measures are robust enough to be of predictive value. iii iv Impossible Certainty: Cost Risk Analysis for Air Force Systems • In Military Airframe Acquisition Costs: The Effects of Lean Manufacturing, MR-1325-AF, 2001, Cynthia R. Cook and John C. Graser examine the package of new tools and techniques known as “lean production” to determine whether it would enable aircraft manufacturers to produce new weapon systems at costs below those predicted by historical cost estimating models. • In Military Airframe Costs: The Effects of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes, MR-1370-AF, 2001, Obaid Younossi, Michael Kennedy, and John C. Graser examine cost estimating methodologies and focus on military airframe materials and manufacturing processes. This report provides cost estimators with factors useful in adjusting and creating estimates based on parametric cost estimating methods. • In Military Jet Engine Acquisition: Technology Basics and Cost- Estimating Methodology, MR-1596-AF, 2002, Obaid Younossi, Mark V. Arena, Richard M. Moore, Mark Lorell, Joanna Mason, and John C. Graser introduce a new methodology for estimating military jet engine costs and discuss the technical parameters that derive the engine development schedule, devel- opment cost, and production costs. They also present quantita- tive analysis of historical data on engine development schedule and cost. • In Test and Evaluation Trends and Costs in Aircraft and Guided Weapons, MG-109-AF, 2004, Bernard Fox, Michael Boito, John C. Graser, and Obaid Younossi examine the effects of changes in the test and evaluation (T&E) process used to evaluate military aircraft and air-launched guided weapons during their develop- ment programs. They also provide relationships for developing estimates of T&E costs for future programs. • In Software Cost Estimation and Sizing Methods: Issues and Guidelines, MG-269-AF, 2005, Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, Felicia Wu, and Rosalind Lewis recommend an approach to improve the utility of the software cost estimates by exposing uncertainty and reducing risks associated with the developing the estimates. • In Lessons Learned from the F/A-22 and F/A-18 E/F Development Programs, MG-276-AF, 2005, Obaid Younossi, David E. Stem, Preface v Mark A. Lorell, and Frances M. Lussier evaluate historical cost, schedule, and technical information from the development of the F/A-22 and F/A-18 E/F programs to derive lessons for the Air Force and other services to improve the acquisition of future systems. RAND Project AIR FORCE RAND Project AIR FORCE (PAF), a division of the RAND Corporation, is the U.S. Air Force’s federally funded research and development center for studies and analyses. PAF provides the Air Force with independent analyses of policy alternatives affecting the development, employment, combat readiness, and support of current and future aerospace forces. Research is conducted in four programs: Aerospace Force Development; Manpower, Personnel, and Training; Resource Management; and Strategy and Doctrine. Additional information about PAF is available on our Web site at http://www.rand.org/paf. Contents Preface ...................................................................... iii Figures ...................................................................... xi Tables...................................................................... xiii Boxes........................................................................xv Summary ................................................................. xvii Acknowledgments........................................................xxiii Abbreviations .............................................................xxv CHAPTER ONE Introduction.................................................................1 Overview of General Risk Analysis ..........................................1 History of General Risk Analysis ............................................2 The Components of Risk Analysis...........................................3 Risk Assessment...........................................................4 Risk Management.........................................................4 Risk Communication .....................................................5 Uncertainty and Risk in Cost Estimation ...................................6 History of Cost Risk Analysis................................................7 Obstacles to Use of Cost Risk Analysis .................................... 13 Purpose of This Study ..................................................... 15 How We Went About Conducting This Study ........................... 16 Task 1: An Analysis of Weapon System Cost Growth.................. 16 Task 2: A Review of Risk/Uncertainty Assessment Methodologies .... 16 Task 3: The Cognitive Psychology of Risk Assessment................. 17 Task 4: Risk