Your GPS for DoD Product Support: The DoD Integrated Product Support Implementation Roadmap

: What if someone asked you to develop a major tool to help demystify Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition for product support? Suppose they also wanted it from a multiple military Service perspective that linked to integrated information on product support. Then let s say you also had to make it (whatever it might be) available online 24/7 for the Defense Acquisition Workforce (government and industry, about 500,000 strong). How would you do this? Where do you start? Whom do you call? Is this even possible? This is exactly what happened as a result of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 (WSARA). The Product Support Assessment Team (PSAT) requested the development of an online tool that would meet these requirements. The Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and the Services were asked to take on the challenge. I was selected as the DAU lead to form and manage the team. You know you re going to need a small but powerful team when something is this challenging. In January 2011, the DoD Integrated Product Support Implementation Roadmap core team was formed with five members. This small but powerful and experienced team had representatives from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. We also had contractor support to help develop the tool in an electronic format. We started from the requirements provided to a concept, then a strategy, then development and implementation of the solution/tool. Subject matter experts were sometimes invited to join and assist us when we addressed subject areas on which we lacked expertise.