CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL: DEVELOPMENT OF AN …

I COMMERCIAL in CONFIDENCE

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL:

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED DEFENCE/INDUSTRY PROJECT MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT

DRAFT 2

William P. Hall (PhD) Tenix Defence Systems

maHto:bill @mds.rmit.edu.au

(21 September 1999)

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COMMERCIAL in CONFIDENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PROJECT SUMMARY 3

1.1. PRIMARY PROJECT GOAL: 3

1.2. SUBSIDIARY GOALS 4

1.3. PROJECT TEAM 5

1.4. IT CAN BE DONE: THE US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S CALS-BASED PAPERLESS CONTRACTING' 6.

1.5. THE BUSINESS CASE TO PROVIDE PAPERLESS CONTRACTING' FOR AUSTRALIA 7

1.6. AUSTRALIA NEEDS LOW-COST SOLUTIONS 9

2. POTENTIAL SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT: CTD GRANT? 11

3. IDEAS TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIFIC GRANT PROPOSAL 13

3.1. CONSTRAINTS 13

3.2. PROPOSAL CONCEPT: DEVELOP, TRACK AND MANAGE CONTRACTS AT THE CLAUSE LEVEL 13 3.2.1. Business process mapping and analysis 15 3.2.2. Development ofdocument type definitions and interchange standards 16 3.2.3. Summary ofsystems and components for Australian paperless contracting 18

4. PROPOSED ASSOCIATES IN THE PROJECT 20

4.1. CSIRO 20

4.1.1. CSIRO Division ofManufacturing Science and Technology (CMST) 20 4.1.2. CSIRO Division ofMathematical and Information Sciences (CMIS) 21

4.2. TENIX DEFENCE SySTEMS 21

4.2.1. Naval Projects and Support (NP&S) 21 4.2.2. Hawker de Haviland 22

4.3. RMIT MULTIMEDIA DATABASE SYSTEMS (MDS) GROUP WITHINTHE DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE22

4.4. ASPECT COMPUTING 23

4.5. POTENTIAL DEFENCE PARTICIPANTS 23

5. POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO THE PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS 25

5.1. CSIRO 25

5.2. ASPECT 25

5.3. MULTIMEDIA DATABASE SYSTEMS, RMIT 25

5.4. TENIX DEFENCE SySTEMS 25

5.5. DEFENCE SPONSORS 25

6. MARKETABILITY OF THE RESULTING SOLUTIONS 26

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CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL:

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED DEFENCE/INDUSTRY PROJECT MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENT

William P. Hall (PhD)

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

Major Defence projects generate mountains of paperwork from their conceptions through their development, production and in-service maintenance and support. When the costs of supplier generated paperwork on successful and unsuccessful bids are factored into project acquisition costs, more than 10% of the total may be due to the costs of authoring and managing project documentation.

Existing paper-based documentation processes are

• slow - the time required to physically circulate and track paper documents contributes substantially to the long lead-time between developing a requirement concept and receiving delivery of the capability to meet the requirement,

• inefficient - inherent difficulties in authoring and exchanging information via our existing word processing environments contribute substantially to the cost to produce and manage text rather than capability, and

• fallible - critical information on progress and problems buried deep within mountains of paper may readily be missed by those who need to be aware of it.

It is argued that replacing the existing paper-based project development and management processes with state-of-the-art information systems based on electronic work flows and document content management could substantially reduce project lead times and generate savings on the order of 5% on overall project acquisition costs. Project lead times might be reduced by a year or more. Based on the historic expenditure of some $2.5 BN per year on major capital acquisitions, 5% savings on this budget would be worth some $125 M annually.

The following document proposes a project to demonstrate the capabilities of the new technologies to achieve these benefits.

1.1. Primary Project Goal:

Assist the Department of Defence reduce risks and unproductive costs of major projects by increasing the effectiveness and efficiency ofprocesses to develop, manage, exchange and deliver project development and management documentation within and between Defence organisations and their suppliers.

The development, management, exchange and delivery of documents relating to a major defence project (e.g., procurement of an air, land or sea fleet or major electronics project) probably exceeds 10% of the project acquisition cost', and may also significantly impact support costs through the

Neither Defence organisations nor Tenix have systems in place that allow these costs to be accurately measured. The 10% cost for documentation activities and the potential to save 50% on documentation activities are based on rough estimates of known inefficiencies and sources of rework and lost work in the use of existing word processing technologies, the cost of supplier staff working on documentation related tasks at anyone time. the cost of documentation developed by all suppliers in their project development and tendering activities

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entire life-cycle. Based on the current Defence expenditure of more than $2.5 billion per year on major capital acquisitions, 10% of this value equates to more than $250 million per year. Successful management of the projects themselves in tum depends critically on the flow of information contained in the documentation exchanged between the various parties. Tenix's analysis of its own present inefficiencies in producing, managing and delivering project related documentation suggests that the implementation of state-of-the-art document content management systems and the associated reengineering of business processes should cut these documentation related costs by at least half, and we do not believe that either Defence or our major competitors or' suppliers have significantly more efficient processes than Tenix does.

The major goal of the proposed project can be boldly quantified as to reduce the cost to Australia of Defence/industry documentation related activities by one half, or at least $125 million per year and provide a much faster and more effective procurement process. Savings in basically unproductive 'administrative' costs and delays can be translated into a better sharp edge: more front-line personnel, better training and/or faster delivery of more and better equipment for the same budget. The recent problems with Indonesia over East Timor underline the importance of beefing up our Armed Forces and providing them with better logistics capabilities.

1.2. Subsidiary Goals

How can this bold aim be achieved? The primary goal expressed above can be achieved by meeting a number of subsidiary goals:

• Establish non-proprietary standard data formats for preserving knowledge. To establish systems and procedures which create and maintain documentation in a non-proprietary standard storage format which will have a substantially longer longevity than the applications used to create the documentation.'

• Establish agreed standards and templates for document exchange. To establish application independent standards and procedures for the exchange of document content between the various organisations involved in the project life cycle that will not require receiving or transmitting organisations to devote significant resources to converting or transforming the data formats to make the content useable for its intended purposes.'

• Link and track deliverable products to project requirements. To establish data models, procedures and systems to link document content and delivered products to project requirements and tracking these requirement links once they have been forged. This will reduce project risks, and ensure that many project management problems can be identified early, when they can still be corrected at minimum cost".

• Linking and track source data driving changes. To establish data models, procedures and systems linking deliverables to source data to ensure that engineering or supplier generated changes can be rapidly and reliably flowed through to the relevant documents.i

amortised across the projects actually won, contract development and administration activities (including making and managing amendments), and the cost of producing, maintaining and delivering support documentation through the in-service life of the fleet. Most data is presently exchanged in the form of rapidly evolving Microsoft standards. Incompatibility of applications and formats adds significant costs to reuse existing corporate knowledge. For example, no two projects seem even to use a consistent set of MS Word styles and templates. Suppliers basically have to retool their word processing environment for each new tender, which adds significant costs as staff learn to cope with the changing requirements.) The recent McIntosh/Prescott Report on the Collins Class Submarine project illustrates many of the problems that can arise when suitable tracking and monitoring mechanisms are not in place (http://www.defence.gov.au/ministerIl999/collins.htrnl) Managing changes and tracking the reasons for changes is a slow, costly and fallible process in a paper-based environment. It is far faster, less expensive and more reliable to manage change-related information flows in an electronic workflow environment. Standards and interfaces are required to allow information to flow directly from the documentation into the change management system.

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• Track and manage changes and configuration. To establish capabilities linking document content to the configuration of the system(s) to which the content relates, so that engineering changes (or other reasons for change) and the associated documentation changes can be recorded and managed in a single process."

• Manage and reuse existing corporate knowledge at the level of document components. To develop data models, systems and procedures to facilitate reusing elements of document structure and content across a range documents through the project life cycle and across projects. In the defence project development and contracting environment, probably 70-80% of document content could be reused - often many times. If the appropriate information that already exists can be effectively discovered and safely reused, costs to reinvent what is already known should be substantially eliminated. Safe reuse will involve the automatic tailoring of the content to the specific context in which it occurs'.

1.3. Project Team

Today in Melbourne there exists a unique critical mass of individual skills and organisational expertise (as detailed in Section 4) able to develop and provide world class solutions for the documentation management issues summarised above. This concept paper attempts to formulate a proposal for funding to develop and demonstrate solutions able to reduce at least some of the Defence acquisition costs outlined above, and which is suited to the process development and document content management skills offered by the proposed associates. The primary skills we have to offer in a proposal are:

• Tenix Defence Systems (TDS): Naval Projects and Support (NP&S) has major skills as a prime contractor and Hawker de Haviland (HdH) similarly has major skills as subcontractor in the management of defence and aerospace contracts from the suppliers' points of view; NP&S has growing skills in managing document content.

• CSIRO: Manufacturing Sciences and Technology (CMST) has major skills in the analysis, development and automation of business management processes in the heavy engineering and manufacturing industry.

• CSIRO: Mathematical and Information Sciences (CMIS): major skills in the analysis of document content, record management requirements and the construction of data models to facilitate the retrieval and reuse of information from documents and records.

• RMIT's Multimedia Database Systems (MDS): developer of state of the art systems for the management of structured information (i.e., SIM for document & record content) and application construction tools for interfacing SIM with people and other applications.

• Aspect Computing: one of Australia's leading IT project implementation and management companies with significant experience on major government and Defence IT projects.

This linkage will ensure that document content always relates to the physical reality of the engineered product and that the reasons for making the changes can be reconstructed as required. This tailoring may involve a variety of different processes (i.e., parallel texts may be maintained in the one document element - with the context determining which text displays in a particular document; the content of some elements may be maintained as replaceable parameters which are set at the top of the document - a system or supplier name; some elements may be calculated at production time cross references; other elements may be validated or populated at production time against an external database, etc.)

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1.4. It Can Be Done: The US Department of Defense's CALS-based 'Paperless Contracting'

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hllp:llwww.acq.osd.mil/pcipt/scope.htm; see also DoD To-Be End-Io-End Procuremenl Process Model and Systems Maps, March 31, 1999 hllp:llwww.dcmc.hq.dla.mil/centers/paperless/e2e/finah:pt/finah:pt.hlm See previous note.

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1.5.


The US Department of Defence under its Defence Reform'? process initiated a wide range of projects in the early 1990's to move its contracts and logistics administration from paper into Webbased all-electronic environments as illustrated in Figure 1 and Figure 2.11 Their stated goal, which appears to be on track, is that, "by January 1, 2000, all aspects of the contracting process for major weapons systems will be paper free. The Paperless Contracting' initiative intends to eliminate all paper documents, forms, reports, etc. from the DoD contracting process for major projects. The Paperless Contracting effort focuses on that portion of the acquisition continuum that encompasses contract requirements through contract closeout."

12 •

The Paperless Contracting initiative is based on a large number of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) forms and bespoke systems'r' forming the Standard Procurement System (SPS). SPS has been some seven years in the making (many of the component projects were initiated in 1993). It has cost approximately $US 326 M, and is based on a version American Management Systems's commercial Procurement Desktop software", adopted in 1997. The US can afford this, as they also have the potential to save huge sums of money.F Overall savings from Defence reforms are estimated to be in the range of billions of dollars. 16

The Business Case to Provide 'Paperless Contracting' for Australia

In Australia, our defence expenditure is smaller. There are insufficient resources in our system to support costs for a project like that implemented in the US. However, a much less expensive solution based on an infrastructure of true COTS applications, information exchange standards and latest communication technologies has the potential to save a significant fraction of the current Australian defence procurement and supplier administrative costs. DAO's BPR project" is beginning to provide a framework that helps to define what a system may be required to do.

Based on figures published in the Australian Defence and Industry Strategic Policy Statement (1998)18, Australia spends approximately $6 BN per year on purchase of goods and services. Of this approximately $2.5 BN is for major capital items. In the 1998 financial year Defence invested some $3.6 billion in equipment and capital projects. Nearly $2.8 billion of this was for major capital equipment. This spending is likely to increase substantially over the next few years as a result of Australia's involvement in the East Timor crisis and deficiencies this has revealed in our capabilities to respond without outside help.

Within Defence, the Defence Acquisition Organisation (DAO) currently manages over 200 projects, representing a total value of well over $30 billion in Commonwealth funds.l" In principal, major savings can be made on new Defence projects by replacing existing inefficient project development and management processes based on paper documentation with new standards and procedures using state-of-the-art information management systems. Assuming that savings on the order of 5% can be achieved, this would free up at least $125 million currently spent chasing paper for direct war fighting capabilities (or $300 million if the practices can be applied across all Defence procurements).

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Thumbnails on major reforms, including Paperless Contracting: http://www.defenselink.millnewslMarI9991b03011999bt079-99.htm! Paperless contracting: http://www.dcmc.hQ.dla.millcenters/paperiess/Index.htm; http://acQnet.sarda.army.millacQref/default.htm; http://acQnet.sarda.army.millacQref/virtcont.htm; http://www.navy.icals.com/; http://navycals.dt.navy.millnavmap.html; http://www.pdsm.wpafb.af.mill; http://www.pdsm.wpafb.af.milljcals/jcals.htm; http://ax.laafb.af.millaxm/ http://www.acQ.osd.millpcipt/ http://www.acQ.osd.millpcipt/prototypes.htm; Summary MS PowerPoint Presentation: http://www.dcmc.hQ.dla.millcenters/paperiess/pci.ppt http://www.amsinc.com/procurementsolutions/default.htm Cohen, W.S. (Secretary of Defense) Defense Reform Initiative Report. November 1997. http://www.defenselink.millpubs/dodreforrn/fullreport.pdf. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/OctI998lbI0091998bt523-98.html; http://www.dao.defence.gov.au/ipi/ams/se/cals%5Fsitelintroductionlbpr.html; http://www.dao.defence.gov.au/drp/drp.htm - BPR http://www.dao.defence.gov.au/ipilipp/InduslIy Policy Statement/home.htm, http://www.dao.defence.gov.au//drp/drp.htm, http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/1999/18899.htm!. Garry Jones, Deputy Secretary Acquisition, DAO Keynote Address to Defence Procurement Conference, Canberra Australia, 1-3 June 1999. (http://203.17.154.132/ipi/procurement99/speeches/Item 3 - Keynote Address.doc

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DAO recognises the need for such improved standards and procedures, as laid out in its recently released CALS Information Pack'", The following objectives to be met are quoted from this source:

accelerate the pace at which high quality information flows within Defence and between its business partners;

• provide an opportunity to reduce information management overhead costs across the equipment life cycle;

enable the integration of information across functional processes related to weapon systems acquisition, design, manufacture, modification and support;

improve industry and Defence productivity and quality, and thus improve supportability, military readiness and combat effectiveness;

• move to international commercial standards and practices that are expected to lead to reduced acquisition costs and easier movement of the industrial base into and out global Defence markets; and

• provide for an effective transition from current paper-intensive environment.

According to the CALS Information Pack,

Achievement of these objectives will translate into faster acquisition cycles, reduce the life cycle costs of weapon systems and provide greater operational readiness and combat capability within reducing resource levels. The integration of logistic support data bases will also better enable logistics performance measurement which in turn provides the ability to trade off resources against operational readiness requirements and vice versa.

CALS is founded on the recognition that affordable, readily accessible and timely technical and business information is a critical element of the acquisition and management of weapon systems. CALS is a business environment created by the application of existing national and international military and commercial standards, practices and technologies to automate the management and exchange of business and technical information.

Ultimately, application of the best commercially based standards, practices and technologies will eventuate in an integrated data environment across Defence and industry enterprises. This is the vision of Electronic Commerce (EC), CALS and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

The CALS objectives will be realised by:

enabling the improvement of the effectiveness and efficiency of systems and processes through the re-engineering of processes and the application of supporting information technology which complies with the CALS standards.

• the provision of a suite of standards which embody an integrated, open systems approach to the creation, exchange and use of technical data in digital form.

Although technology developed within the last few years makes development of the suite of standards and associated procedures practical, these have not yet been effectively implemented in Australia for Defence/industry data exchange. However, the potential for savings is fully recognised as is indicated by the following extracts from the DAO's CALS Benefit Matrix21

•

• Assist planning process by reducing "lead time by 30-70%" through the application of better control and change processes.

Assist contract management through workflow management and providing clear ownership of data and responsibilities.

20 CALS Information Pack hnp://www.dao.defence.gov.aulIPIIAMS/SEICALS sitellntroductioniPhilosophy%20of%20CALS.html 21 CALS Information Pack hnp://www.dao.defence.gov.au/IPIIAMS/SEICALS sitellntroductioniCALS%20benefits%20matrix.htmi

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• Assist procurement by reducing processing activities by "10-40%" through process automation.

Assist engineering

by providing requirements traceability from regulations through functional specifications, systems specification to test results and audit reports.

by integrating design processes and facilitating Concurrent Engineering for an anticipated "20% reduction in support costs".

by facilitating establishment of Integrated Product Teams (lPTs) for an anticipated "50% 60% reduction in time".

by providing better configuration management allowing management of multiple variants and multiple customers for "up to 90% reduction in the cost of creating and maintaining engineering data".

Qualitative benefits to the ADF are proposed on the CALS pages, but no attempt is made to quantify them in terms of percent savings in dollar terms. Benefits to major suppliers are also suggested, which are supported by Tenix's internal experience. And, finally, a long list of improvements are suggested for the Logistics Support area, which are also well known to Tenix.

Logistics documentation issues are already being addressed by Tenix through its project to implement a Document Content Management System (DCMS) based on the RMIT developed Structured Information Manager (SIM).22 Tenix intends that the SIM DCMS system will also be used to manage the development of tendering and contractual documentation.

Achieving only a few of the benefits described on the CALS pages should be sufficient to return the proposed 5% savings on existing life cycle costs for major projects. There should be no problem justifying a capability demonstration grant costing only a small fraction of the potential yearly savings to design and implement appropriate systems able to provide the benefits.

1.6. Australia Needs Low-Cost Solutions

Australia is a small country and cannot afford a 'paperless contracting' initiative on the scale of what the US is putting in place. However, even simple and relatively inexpensive systems based on an infrastructure of COTS work flow and document content management applications combined with application independent SGMLlXML standards for data interchange have the potential to save a significant fraction of the current Australian defence procurement and supplier administrative costs. An outline for what is required in the Australian context was tentatively agreed April last year in an informal meeting between Tenix staff and representatives of several interested Defence organisations (see Attachment Ii3

. Although no formal decisions were made at this meeting, all of the organisations represented have been actively working to implement the ideas discussed. The current proposal gives effect to the second point under Recommended ShortTerm Actions '.

22 RMIT Multimedia Database Systems - http://www.mds.nnit.edu.au/; htt;p://www.simdb.coml 23 Proposed Way Ahead for Defence/Industry Information Management and Information Exchange. Informal minutes of an informal meeting

held 6/4/1998 in the Campbell Park Offices of the Defence Acquisition Organisation. Attachment I

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Planning

Figure 3. PRINCE 2 project management methodology process model.i"

DAO's BPR project is beginning to provide a framework that helps to define what a low-cost' 225 system may be required to do. DAO has adopted the PRIN"CE project management

methodology as the default system for future projects" (summarised in Figure 3) and has already mandated it for some major projects". PRINCE (Projects in Controlled Environments) was initially developed as a UK Government standard for IT project management. PRINCE 2 has been generalised to cover all kinds of projects. Given that the black arrows in Figure 3 generally refer to the exchange of documents associated and/or generated in accordance with contract provisions, it makes sense to manage the document content as an integral part of the control process. Another view defining the kinds of information relationships which might be better tracked and managed in an SGML-based documentation system is provided by a study of the Systems Engineering process (responsible for the generation of a variety of reports and product support deliverables) is provided by Figure 4 taken from the DAO Systems Engineering Study". The processes shown in these Figures all need to be linked and tracked in relationship to project development and contracting processes similar to those summarised by Figure 1 and Figure 2.

Results from the US Paperless Contracting and DAO's BPR initiatives are available on the Web. Many of the processes and technologies to support an efficient project management system have been thoroughly investigated and are public knowledge. The participants in the present proposal believe that it is possible to achieve much of the functionality defined by these initiatives for a very small fraction of the cost and effort the US DoD appears to have expended on their huge bespoke system. The major tasks for the proposed project will be to understand the differences between the US system and our own Australian requirements so we can develop an appropriate project management system architecture with DTDs defining the various documents required, and the interfaces between the COTS systems selected. Attachment 2 summarises what would be required to integrate a project development and contracts management capability into an overall framework for an integrated fleet/facility data management environment. As detailed below in Section 4 the associates in the proposed project have the knowledge and abilities required to implement such a system.

24 http://www.ccta.gov.uk/prince/p2sunun.htm 25 htlp://www.ccta.gov.uk/princelprince.htm. See also Prince User Group - http://www.pug.mcmail.coml. 26 Conroy, R (1999). Defence Capital Equipment Acquisition - Aerospace Defence Procurement Conference '99.

htlp://www.dao.defence.gov.au/ipilprocurement99/speeches/item 9 - aerospace.doc 27 http://www.dao.defence.gov.au/magdldgswsb/opcgloprf/rftintro.htm 28 Technology Australasia Ply Ltd. (1998). DAO Systems Engineering Study Final Report -Issue 1. Prepared for the Department Of Defence Industry and Procurement Infrastructure Division. http://203.17.154.132/ipilams/selSElDAO-SE Study Report W7.zip

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COMMERC~inCONFIDENCE

Process Input • User or customer needs,

objectives, requirements: - missions - measures of effectiveness Requirements Analysis - environments • Analyse missions & environments. - constraints • Capture, verily and refine known and

• Technology base knowable requirements, of all types.

Verification

• Prior outputs • Requirements from tailored

standards & specifications • Contract requirements

Develop Physical Solution • Define alternative system physical concepts,

configuration items & other system elements. • Transform architectures from functional to physical. • Define/refine physical interfaces (internal/external) • Select preferred alternative architectures for evaluation. Copyright • Evaluate alternatives; optimise effectiveness. Technology • Select best architecture from alternatives. Australasia • Detail and optimise the selected architecture. 1995-1998 • Specify system elements.

Note: The Systems Engineering Process is applied repeatedly to each design object, starting at the mission system, then to the prime mission product suppert system, production system, operational infrastructure, etc., then to SUbsystems of these systems.

Requirements loop

Develop Functional Solution • Define/refinelintegrate functional architecture. • Decompose requirements level functions to solution

level functions for each physical concept. • Flow down performance & other limiting

requirements to all functional levels. • Define/refine functional interfaces.

Design loop

Systems Engineering Management

• Engineering plann • Select SE process • Risk management • Configu ration managem t • Interface management • Data management • Performance management • Performance-based control

Process Output • Specifications & baselines • Decision data base

• system functional & physical architecture and detail descriptions

• decision suppert data • decision rationale data

• Prototypes, where applicable

Figure 4. Systems Engineering Process- from the report by Technology Australia'",

2. POTENTIAL SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT: CTD GRANT?

The preparation this unsolicited proposal has been guided by knowledge of requirements to be met for Defence Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) Grants, even though the lack of a 'sharp edge' focus probably precludes funding the proposal under this specific budget.

The CTD program was given a high visibility and increased funding (to $20 million per year) in the Defence and Industry Strategic Policy Statement, 199830 To quote from page 18 of the Statement:

The CTD program aims to show ADF users how leading edge technology can be integrated quickly into existing, new, enhanced or replacement high-priority capabilities. Proposals for CTDs focus on activities in which the risk element relates to the application to Defence's priorities rather than the underlying basic science.

Defence will expand the CTD program to provide much greater scope for industry-initiated R&D proposals. Defence is looking to industry to generate quality proposals which identify opportunities or resolve problems, are based on capability development priorities, and are funded by both Defence and the industry sponsor.

Defence will also broaden the CTD concept to include a greater exploratory element in the underlying science and technology.

Preference will be given to capability development proposals which help to extend the "knowledge edge", and notes that "Our challenge lies more in the development, integration and upgrade of systems rather than in the construction of new platforms. We need to position ourselves actively to

29 htw://203.1 7.154. I32/ipilams/se/SElDAO-SE Study Report W7.zip 30 See pages 18, 21 (as printed) in the Defence and Industry Strategic Policy Statement

http://203.17.154.132/ipilipp/Industrv Policy StatementlPDFlPolicy.pdf

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take advantage of future technologies." Although not defined in the Policy Statement, Australia's Strategic Policl1 the development of "knowledge edge" capabilities as Priority 1:

[Australia's] highest capability priority is the 'knowledge edge' -- exploiting information technology so we can use our relatively small forces to maximum effect.

We are giving priority to investments in three elements of the knowledge edge -- intelligence, command systems, and surveillance.

Better management of 'corporate knowledge' could conceivably be part of the knowledge edge. Also, Australia's Strategic Policy closely links the development of capabilities to Defence Efficiency Reforms as follows:

Priority focus

Together, the enhanced military capabilities I have outlined -- and the rigorous set of priorities against which they have been developed --will give us the most modem, capable force in our immediate region.

This force relies on highly-skilled personnel using high technology and modem equipment to achieve mobility, hitting power and flexibility, exploiting information technology to attain maximum effect from relatively small forces.

These initiatives will bring a comprehensive enhancement of the military capabilities of the ADF over the coming decade, enabling the force to meet the key benchmarks I mentioned earlier ...

Of course, such capabilities dont come cheaply. Over recent years, we have spent some $2.2 billion annually on investment in new equipment.

The Defence Reform Program will, over the next three years, realise a one-off saving of $500 million and mature annual savings of between $900 and $1000 million.

Current defence spending levels will allow us -- with the savings from the Reform Program -- to substantially modernise our existing defence platforms like the surface fleet, to acquire airborne earlywarning aircraft and to give the Army greater mobility.

The improvements through more efficient and timely authoring and management of information contained in project documentation to be demonstrated by the proposed project should be able to free up another $100+ million for additional modernisation, and should substantially reduce lead times for all acquisition activities.

These policy statements give us considerable scope to argue that our "knowledge edge" proposal will provide basic infrastructure allowing the ADF, through reduced costs, reduced lead times, and far better in-service support, to track and respond to changing threats in a far more agile way than can be done with existing acquisition and support infrastructure.

Even if funding is not available under the CTD program, the effort to find Defence sponsors for the proposal may well reveal alternative sources of funding - perhaps even directly from a relevant secretariat. Also, given that the team is almost exclusively based in Victoria, and given that the systems developed would have considerable export potential, we should also not overlook the possibility of obtaining major support from Victorian Government sources if there is sponsorship of the proposal within Defence, and if Defence supports the argument that resulting solutions will have substantial potential to generate export earnings.

Australia's Strategic Policy, The Hon Ian McLachlan, AO, MP, Minister For Defence, House Of Representatives, December 2 1997. htm:llwww.defence.gov.aulministerlsr97/s97l202.htmI

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31


3.

3.1.

3.2.

32

33

34

IDEAS TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIFIC GRANT PROPOSAL

Constraints

As shown by the McIntoshlPrescott report, and as Tenix knows from its experiences with subcontractors, many costly problems and inefficiencies relating to the management of major Defence projects relate to problems in authoring, handling and corporate awareness of information contained in the range of documents exchanged between the various parties involved in the project. These parties can be defined as follows:

• End user' (operational command),

• DAOlProject acquisition authority,

• Prime contractor (e.g., Tenix NP&S, AE&S, LS&S)

• Subcontractors and suppliers (e.g., HdH).

The US Paperless Contracting Initiative described in Section 1.4 provides mechanisms addressing these kinds of problems using complex bespoke systems developed at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. If it is to have a realistic chance of being supported by grant funds, the project concept developed in this paper must be able to demonstrate that significant savings from a full implementation for a cost in the range of $1-3 M - exclusive of COTS infrastructure applications.

Given the available skills, it is suggested that many existing slow and inefficient paper-based information exchange processes can be replaced with 'paperless' processes using COTS workflow and information management tools, such as provided by the SIM being implemented by Tenix, and generic standards for the exchange of data based on SGML/XML. The majority of development costs would be to define management processes and implement them in COTS workflow tools, and to define data models to support the processes and implement them at the DTD level. If this can be achieved, it may be possible to develop a content management solution with minimal requirements to develop bespoke systems at the database level.

To have the greatest chance of being funded, a proposal must show the way to provide clear efficiencies and better management for each of the four levels in the Defence supply chain listed above.

Proposal Concept: Develop, Track and Manage Contracts at the Clause Level

A demonstration project (which would solve at least some of the existing problems and introduce efficiencies in its own right) would focus specifically on improving processes for producing, maintaining and managing the information in the actual contract development documents (conditions, specifications texts, etc. - which have an already well established structure based on hierarchically numbered clauses). To prove the benefits of the methodology to all levels of the supply chain we would propose to put in place procedures and standards to connect requirements as defined in a requirements tracking tool (e.g., Doors32

, X-tie33 , etc." to the contractual

documentation as managed in content management environments, and to provide application independent standards for interfaces between:

Quality Systems & Software - DOORS: http://208.l78.133.19/products/doorslindex.html; Hyper Technology http://www.hypertechnology.com/doofS.htm Teledyne Brown Engineering - Xtie-RM: http://www.tbe.com/products/xtie/xtiertprod.html See the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCaSE - http://www.incose.orgl), Tools Survey - Requirements Management (RM) Tools for a summary of the available tools: htlp://www.incose.orgltoolsltooltax.htmI

ctdconc5.doc 14/10/9920:42 of26


• the project acquisition authorities and prime contractors, and

• prime contractors and their subcontractors and suppliers.

Requirements analysis is the process by which the functional and contractual requirements for a capability are developed. Figure 4 and Figure 5 illustrate the data flows in working from an enduser's need for certain capabilities to formalise these requirements in terms which can be stated contractually and which can be monitored in terms of performance in providing the requirements against the contract. Heavy connectors show the flow of data from the user needs to production requirements. Light connectors show the feedback information regarding performance against requirements. 'Gated storage' refers to the capability to fragment the documentation supplied by the end-user and suppliers into traceable fragments of text which correspond to a requirement, these are subjected to analysis to translate the input text into a consistent hierarchy of requirement objects which are maintained in 'requirement collections'. These are then output from the requirements analysis tools as formal requirements which can be expressed contractually. Requirement control data refers to the conditions and relationships among the requirements.

1st LEVEL

0 ......

IMPLEtlENrAWN

IBIDck Repeats)

Figure 5. Data flow in the development of project requirements",

As shown in Figure 5, requirements analysis is often a two stage process. Stage 1 would normally be performed by a project acquisition authority systems engineering group acting on behalf of the end-user, and would be expressed in high level requirements embodied in an RFP or RFQ documents. Stage 2 is often performed by prime contractors in the development of their bid

3j Jones, D. 1997. Interfacing Requirements Management Tools In The Requirements Management Process - A First Look (A Requirements Working Group Information Report). Published in Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium of the INCOSE - Volume II, August 1997- http://www.incose.org/rwg/97 paper inter/inter rmt.html- s3

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responses to the RFP or RFQ, and will go through further stages of iteration between the prime contractor and subcontractors once a contract is agreed. At whatever stage, requirements expressed in the requirements analysis environment should be able to be interfaced directly with the documentation environment such that a direct relationship can be maintained between clauses in the RFP, RFQ and contractual documents and the requirements analysis tools.

3.2.1. Business process mapping and analysis

The first major task of the project would be to map the business processes and information exchanges shown in Figure 5 that are involved in

• selecting the prime supplier to provide capabilities required by the client,

• establish the client-prime contractual relationship, and

• for the prime to flow down capability requirements and contracts to lower tier suppliers.

CMST would play the major role in this area.

CMST uses the Generalised Enterprise Reference Architecture and Methodology (GERAM), developed by the IFIP-IFAC Task Force36 on Enterprise Integration. CMST has been one of the major contributing members to the Task Force in Australia. GERAM is used to structure knowledge and it has provided definitions and concepts for Globemanz l".

GERAM unifies methods of several disciplines used to study and change industrial process, such as industrial engineering, management science, control engineering, communication and information technology, i.e. to allow their combined use, as opposed to segregated application. Thus GERAM provides a pragmatic framework for identifying and describing process components needed for all kinds of enterprise engineering/enterprise integration, such as:

• Major enterprise engineering/enterprise integration efforts (green field installation, complete re-engineering,

• Merger, reorganisation, formation of virtual enterprise or consortium, franchise design, value chain or supply chain integration, etc.);

• Incremental changes of various sorts for continuous improvement and adaptation, including improvements of production technology, of business processes, information and communication technology infrastructure, information systems, etc.

GERAM is intended to be used by enterprise management to identify and implement the necessary competencies that an enterprise needs to have in order to successfully tackle the various change processes that arise during the life of the enterprise. It allows the identification, selection, end combination of various techniques and tools to be used in any particular change process.

In Globeman21, one of the work teams VRIDGE decided to investigate the use of these architectures in a situation where the target of the enterprise integration task is not a single company, but a global manufacturing and information management system, involving engineering and building companies, contractors and subcontractors, end-users, and products which are

36 IFlP-IFAC Task Force: hltp://www.cit.gu.edu.au/-bemus/ei.references/task.force.info.html 37 Globeman2l project http://ims.loyo-eng.co.jp/.

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themselves enterprises, such as a manufacturing plant. In their report to Globeman21 Management Board, the VRIDGE team wrote:

.... the GERAM enterprise entity concept ... led to the definition of a number of enterprise entity types. The main use of the concept of enterprise entity types is that the complexity of development of technologies, organisations, and processes involved in a global extended enterprise can be cut down through separating concerns. Each enterprise entity participating in the extended enterprise, or in a virtual enterprise, has a separate life-cycle that can be independently developed....

The application in the VRIDGE project ... demonstrated that the introduction of the concept of lifehistory allows the enterprise engineer and manager to represent each process of enterprise engineering in a manner similar to project management diagrams (GANIT charts), showing the relationship between engineering life-cycles and project management in general; represent various engineering approaches as special life-histories, all of them based on the same life-cycle diagram, such as concurrent engineering, top-down or bottom-up designs, business process re-engineering and continuous improvement. This is extremely valuable for managers who need to allocate resources to projects using these various approaches, since their relationships are clearly demonstrated.

This experience gained in the large scale international project ensures that the proposed project team will be able to provide world class expertise to support the system modeling and integration activities in Figure 4 and Figure 5, especially those tasks related to requirements analysis, system design and process development.

3.2.2. Development of document type definitions and interchange standards

evaluate responses I use deliverables

deliver

1~ assemble & update

respond PRIME

CONTRACTOR

I negotiate, agree & amend

PROJECT ACQUISITION AUTHORITY

Figure 6. Project acquisition authority flows involved in preparing tender/contractual documents.

The second major task for the proposed project will be to develop Document Type Definitions (DTDs in the SGML or XML languages) and SGML editorlMS Word document templates based on the DTDs to define the structure of tender and contract documents so structured documents

ctdconc5.doc 14/10/9920:42 of26


according to DTD rules can be directly interfaced with the respective requirements analysis tools and document content management tools. This will provide non-proprietary standard interfaces between the respective text processing environments of the project acquisition authority, prime contractors, and subcontractors.

Figure 6 shows how the requirements analysis/tracking capabilities could be interfaced with the documentation production and management environment. Figure 7 shows the various interfaces that may be developed in a prime contractor's organisation between the project acquisition' authority on one side and the range of subcontractors on the other side. Because of the requirements for interfaces with a wide range of organisations, dataflows in the prime contractor's environment are much more complex than they are for either the project acquisition organisation or the subcontractors.

PROJECT ACQUISITION AUTHORITY

load requirements tmcking syslems with requiremenls 10deliver dOC\.lLts

I :

I I I I

==·=:r:: ... I

synchronise conlant mgmt & reqirsmenl.9ll8ckJng

I SUBCONTRACTORS I

control authoring

~... PRIME CONTRACTOR

Figure 7. Data flows in a prime contractor's contract development processes.

These diagrams assume that major projects and prime contractors will have implemented requirements analysis tools and a document content management system with the capability to progress documents via workflow processors (Tenix has implemented Xtie and SIM, respectively and will eventually integrate these tools under its Sherpa Works product data management system).

If it is agreed among the parties that project related information will be exchanged via standardised documents, the requirement to develop new information management applications will be minimal. Most requirements analysis tools have the capabilities to interface directly with word processed (e.g., in Word's RTF forma) or structured (e.g., FrameMaker) documents. Documents produced in a structured environment controlled by DTDs specifically designed to express requirements and responses to them should be particularly easy to interface. The major requirements will be to:

• develop data models for the information required to be managed and design the DTDs to represent these models; and

ctdconc5.doc 14/10/99 20:42 of26

COMMERC~inCONADENCE

• develop interfaces between the document content management system's workflow and the requirements analysis tool to allow information to be interfaced between the structured document and the requirements analysis tool. It may be feasible (or even desirable) to develop this interface to work at the level of a requirement element rather than a document as a whole.

Secondly, if the document type definitions (DTDs) for documents intended to be exchanged acros~

a client-supplier or supplier-supplier interface are produced according to a non-proprietary data oriented documentation exchange format (i.e., SGML or XML under the control of agreed DTDs), this places no demands on any participant in the exchange to adopt any particular proprietary system for managing the data.

Interfaces to be developed to:

• assemble the documents to be issued from a statement the project's requirements held in the requirements analysis environment; and

• parse documents (e.g., tenders, responses and contracts) received to relate content back to requirements as developed and tracked in the requirements analysis tool.

On the Project Authority side, the information flow will be from the analysis environment to documents issued to suppliers and from documents received from suppliers back to the analysis environment. On the prime contractor side, the flow will be from PA documents to the contractor's requirements analysis environment and from here to documents forming the interfaces with lower tier suppliers; and from the suppliers back through the analysis environment back to documents forming the client interface. In the prime contractor's environment it should also be possible to maintain a direct flow-down relationship of contractual requirements at the document clause level between documents forming the client relationship and those forming the lower tier supplier relationships.

• To facilitate exchanges with small projects and small suppliers who do not have access to SGML-based technologies, it will also be required to develop interfaces between MS Word styles and templates and information elements as defined for SGML documents as used in the Client and Prime's content management systems.

If the requirements to interface particular data elements are catered for in the data models for the documents to be exchanged, the interfacing processes should be straightforward to develop, with most of the work to be done at the workflow level to implement processes defined at the analysis stage of the project.

RMIT's MDS, CMIS, and Aspect all have well developed skills implementing SIM - type systems to manage information contained within SGMLIXML structured documents, and Tenix is rapidly acquiring such skills. Given that SIM has a major technical edge over all competing DCMS applications, it is unlikely that such a group could be as readily formed anywhere else in the world to address a similar set of requirements.

3.2.3. Summary of systems and components for Australian paperless contracting

To summarise, an Australian version of Paperless Contracting' would include the following tasks and components:

• Process analysis, data modeling and DTD development. The core requirements to ensure success of the demonstration project will be to

ctdconc5.doc 14110/9920:42 of26


analyse the existmg processes required to tum the concept for a major defence acquisition into actual deliverables;

determine the specific elements of information which must be exchanged to establish the contractual relationships to carry out the project,

develop DTDs which effectively express the relationships among these elements in a documentation format, and '

establish formal workflow controlled processes to ensure these elements of information are properly exchanged and tracked during the progress of the project.

The proposal assumes the client and prime contractors will have the following infrastructure applications available:

• Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Requirements Analysis Tools. These are required for formalising client concepts into requests to supply particular capability requirements and to monitor the suppliers'responses to fulfill them. Tenix is already using such tools, and the DAO may have or may be implementing them. Acquisition costs for such tools are not be included in the demonstration project as they are regarded to be core corporate infrastructure. A number of systems are available commercially.

• COTS Document Content Management Tools (DCMS). Tenix NP&S and LS&S divisions are currently implementing SIM systems developed by MDS at RMIT. Several Defence organisations (RAAF PD, RAAF Edinburg, and ASLAV) and Boeing have implemented XyEnterprise's Parlance DCMS. Several other DCMS systems are available commercially. DAO may consider investing in such a tooes.

• Workflow applications. In general, these will be available as integral parts of the DCMS, PDM or Configuration Management applications adopted by large scale organisations.

• SGML Editors. Tenix is adopting FrameMaker+SGML, as this is an industry standard with already established interfaces with most COTS DCMS tools.

As first proposed in Attachment 1, two levels of standards for exchanging documents are foreseen. These will have to be developed by the project, as no appropriate standards have been found in the public domain or to be available commercially.

• A full SGMUXML standard. This will be used for exchanges between large projects and large suppliers, where each organisation has implemented suitable requirements tracking and document content management systems to gain full benefits from the technology.

• MS Word Standard. This would be based on technology like that developed by the Defence SGML Centre, whereby MS Word styles and templates are defined to provide a 1:1 relationship between SGML elements and used under macro controls which make it difficult for authors to deviate from the provided standards". These will be used by small projects and suppliers, enabling them to readily exchange data with the larger organisations which have the full information management capabilities and can readily convert to and from the MS Word standard document types.

38 DAO's CALS Information Pack (http://203.l7.154.l32/IPUAMS/SE/Cals sitelIntroductionlDocument%20Management.html) presents their concept of what a document management system should do. A full DCMS system will allow information contained within documents to be managed at the level of relevant elements of information.

39 Interleafs BladeRunner (http://www.xmlecontent.com/productslbrimro.htm) provides similar functionality on a commercial DCMS platform, however it may be deemed more appropriate to use the totally Australian technology developed by Defence Publishing Services.

ctdconc5.doc 14110/9920:42 of26

COMMERC~inCONADENCE

4.

4.1.

4.1.1.

41

42

43

44

45

46

• Workflow controlled interfaces between the requirements analysis tools and the DCMS environment. These will be required to maintain consistency between the requirements tracking capability, documents expressing the defined requirements, and delivered products meeting requirements expressed in the documents.

• Workflow controlled interfaces and conversion scripts to control the conversion of information between the DTD controlled DCMS environment and any MS Word documentation required to be exchanged. This capability will enable small players to gain benefits from the efficiencies of the larger players.

As detailed in the next section, group of organisations associated with this proposal have the capabilities to answer these objectives. Given that SIM has a major technical edge over all competing DCMS applications, it is unlikely that such a group could be as readily formed anywhere else in the world to address a similar set of requirements.

PROPOSED ASSOCIATES IN THE PROJECT

CSIRO

CSIRO's current Chief Executive is Malcolm McIntosh40, whose involvement with Defence procurement in the UK and in Australia (via the Defence Efficiency Review" and the Collins Class review), who would have unprecedented visibility of the problems to be solved and contacts with the key Defence stakeholders. As a Government sponsored R&D organisation, they can serve as a supplier and product independent project leader in leading the project.

CSIRO Division of Manufacturing Science and Technology (CMST)42

John Mo's Global Manufacturing group has a wide range of expertise in enterprise design, modeling and integration, remote system monitoring and diagnostics. John Mo's group is part of Laszlo Nemes' Manufacturing Systems and Automation Program" in which other expertises such as vision, process automation and scheduling logistics are available. The group is one of the worldwide leaders in the research and development of technologies and methodologies for the virtual enterprise design and integration and has been associated with Tenix's Hawker de Haviland subsidiary in two projects, the development of a Global Concurrent Engineering Platform" (GCEP), and currently in the development of business processes to facilitate responding (as a subcontractor) to proposals to manufacture airframe components. They are active members of ISO TC184/SC5 which is in the process of defining standard architectures and reference models for enterprises. Recently, they have successfully completed an international research project

21st Globeman21 (Global Manufacturing for Century)45 under the international Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) Program". This project investigated life cycle management and knowledge capture issues for global manufacturing and involved some 40 collaborating partners in 20 countries - including Toyo Engineering Corporation of Japan and other industrial and academic partners in Australia (HdH, BHP and Farley Cutting Systems Pty Ltd), Europe (Odense Steel Shipyard, etc.) Canada and USA (Newport News Shipbuilding, etc).

Malcolm Mcintosh details http://www.csiro.au/page.asp?type-mediaRelease&id-CsiroChiefExecutiveHonoured. Defence Efficiency Review and Defence Efficiency Reform Program http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/der/welcome.html CMST http://www.crnst.csiro.au/ MSA in CMST http://www.rnsa.cmst.csiro.au/ GCEP Home Page: http://www.dmt.csiro.au/GCEP/index.html Globeman21 project http://irns.toyo-eng.co.jp/ IMS Home Page: http://www.ims.orgl

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CMST contacts are Laszlo Nemes", R&D Manager (9662 7707, mailto: [email protected]) and John M048

, Project Manager, Global Manufacturing (9662 7759, mailto: [email protected])

4.1.2. CSIRO Division of Mathematical and Information Sciences (CMIS)49

Ross Wilkinson's Technologies for Electronic Documents (TEDio group within CMIS has a range of data analysis and data modeling expertise which is directly suited to designing solutions for' many of the data delivery and management problems surrounding defence projects. Their recent involvement in developing the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy" addressed many of the issues that would be involved in the management and administrative areas for both DAO and suppliers, and they have major expertise in data and process modeling for reusable textual information. Beyond this, they have important links to a variety of Defence organisations which would need to support and be involved in any such project. CMIS's TED group also maintains close contacts with a number of associated university groups - including RMIT, which may also be able to contribute resources.

CMIS was contracted by Tenix NP&S in 1998 to help Tenix select a document content management system (DCMS) for managing documentation produced for the ANZAC Ships and other corporate requirements.

CMIS contacts are James Gleesont', Business Development Manager (8341 8211 mailto:[email protected]) and Dr Ross Wilkinson53

, Project Leader, Technologies for Electronic Documents (mailto:ross. [email protected])

4.2. Tenix Defence Systems"

4.2.1. Naval Projects and Support (NP&S)sS

Integrated Logistic Support Group": Tenix's NP&S ILS group is implementing a SIM based Document Content Management System (DCMS) for managing ANZAC Ship maintenance and support documentation. This system will also meet (at least in prototype form) most of the requirements outlined in Section 1.2. The specifications for the ILS implementation were based on Bill Hall's 9 years experience with a wide range of documentation management problems experienced by Tenix, including the computerised indexing of tender documents", the development and delivery of tender responses", amending a prime contract", flowing down a prime contract into major subcontracts and purchase orders'", developing and registering internal procedures'", and the management and production of support documentation'",

47 Laszlo Nemes's details: http://www.msa.cmst.csiro.au/ourstafflLaszloNemes/LaszloNemes.html 48 lohn Mo's Resume: httl.://www.msa.cmst.csiro.au/ourstaff/lohnMo/lohnMo.html 49 CMIS Home Page http://www.cmis.csiro.au/ so Technologies for Electronic Documents (ex Text Information Management) group: http://www.cmis.csiro.au/tim! ~l VERS Project Final Report http://home.vicnet.net.au/-provic/vers/final.htm ~2 James Gleeson's details: http://www.cmis.csiro.au/lames.Gleeson/ ~3 Ross Wilkinson's Resume: httl.://www.ted.cmis.csiro.aulTED/onestaff.rhtml?fname=Ross&sname=Wilkinson ~4 Tenix http://www.tenix.com!menu.html ss httl.://www.tenix.com!shipbuildinglindex.html ~6 httl'://www.tenix.com!capabi Iities/index.html 57 For the Malaysian patrol vessel. ~8 Assisting my wife, Roslyn Hall, in the preparation of several major tender responses including the FFG Upgrade detail design study and

tender, and some aspects of the ANZAC WIP responses. ~9 Major amendments to the ANZAC Ship Project Contract to specify ILS support documentation deliverables. 60 Two years (from 1990-1992) as Documentation Coordinator for Tenix's Commercial Division, especially managing the production of

subcontract documents for the ANZAC Ship Project. 61 Documenting and maintaining procedures for the authoring and management of the Planned Maintenance Documentation for the ANZAC

Ship Project.

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mailto:[email protected]


Tenix NP&S ILS documentation staff have been working for well over a year to establish contacts with their opposite numbers in Defence, and have identified a number of people at technical levels in the Defence Publishing Service, Logistics Command, Defence Acquisition Organisation and the RAAF Publications Unit who would probably be prepared to cooperate fully with or join the proposed project. In some cases these links have been consolidated by the hiring of staff retiring from these organisations (i.e., Mike Sykes, ex acting Staff Officer, Logistics Data Management, JLSA; and Peter Bromiley, ex SGML data manager for RAAF PU).

ILS's primary contacts for the proposed project are Mark OBrien, Logistics Manager and DCMS Project Sponsor (9244 4285 - mailto:[email protected]), Garry Thomsen, ILS Training and Documentation Manager and DCMS Project Manager (9244 4160 - mailto:[email protected]), Dennis Todd, ILS Business Development Manager (9244 4260 - mailto:[email protected]), Dr Bill Hall, Documentation Systems Specialist (9925 4169 - mailto:[email protected]), Dr Martin Jones, R&D Manager (mailto:[email protected]) and Mike Sykes (9244 4211 mailto:[email protected]).

Business Development and Contracts Groups: Naval Projects and Support has gained extensive experience with the problems and issues of responding to major defence tenders, managing the resulting contracts and flowing down and managing requirements from these tenders and contracts to dozens of major and thousands of minor suppliers.

Business Development's initial contact for developing the concept is Michael Taylor (9244 4000 mailto: [email protected]). The Contract Group contact is Robert Moloney (9244 4000 mailto: [email protected]).

4.2.2. Hawker de Haviland63

Details to be provided.

4.3. RMIT Multimedia Database Systems (MDS) Group'" within the Department of Computer Science

MDS is the developer of the Structured Information Manager (SIM)65 being implemented by Tenix for its document content management system requirements. Due to SIM's indexing technology and its tightly integrated text manipulation capabilities, it is probably the one system available today able to provide a single integrated core of content management technology capable of satisfying most of the goals outlined in Section 1.2. Most of SIM's competitors use classical relational methodologies which are limited (a) in their ability to retrieve and manage small elements of information located deep within a document hierarchy, and (b) by their loosely integrated third party systems for workflow and information retrieval which makes them difficult to interface and configure for new roles.

All of the analytical and software development expertise and theoretical understanding to extend SIM's capabilities as required to meet the broad range of requirements which may be established for this project are located within the MDS group, or may co-opted from other groups within RMIT or other allied academic institutions.

62 Development of concepts, procedures and systems for authoring, managing and delivering planned maintenance data for the ANZAC Ship Project.

63 http://www.tenix..com/aviationlhawker.html 64 Multimedia Database Systems http://www.mds.rmit.edu.au/ 65 SIM http://www.simdb.com/, and http://www.mds.rmit.edu.au/sim 2.1/welcome.htmI.

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4.4.

4.5.

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

MDS's SIM product has already established an overseas presence, which will help in the overseas marketing of any commercially interesting solutions'".

MDS's primary contacts are Professor Ron Sacks-Davis'", MDS Director (9925 4120 mailto:[email protected]) and Dr Phil Anderson, SIM Project Leader (9925 4155 mailto:[email protected]).

Aspect Computing'"

Project DESINE in 1989, started Aspect's long term relationship as a Defence information technology contractor in Australia. Aspect successfully implemented many Defence systems over the following years and continues to do so. In 1995, Aspect won one of five positions on the Australian Defence Force Prime Systems Integrators panel. Aspect is one of a select group of information technology specialists who are pre-qualified to build modem and innovative systems for the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force. In 1997, Aspect assumed the applications development responsibility for the two largest Internet based Electronic Delivery of Services projects in Australia - the Federal government's Transigo'" application and maxi, the Victorian government's ESD project ", as well as various management information systems for the ADF71

•

Aspect recently became associated with RMIT's MDS as SIM's Australasian distributor and support organisation and is the "total solution" provider to implement Tenix's Document Content Management System. With over 1000 employees in Australia and offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide, it has the capacity to implement and support major corporate and government infrastructure projects such as proposed here.

Aspect's primary contacts for the proposed project are Ian Tait, collaborative computinglSIM product manager (9230 2222 - mailto:[email protected]), Martin Fuggle, Victorian defence market segment manager (9230 2220 - mailto:[email protected]), Brian Swinn, Tenix DCMS project implementation manager (9925 4165 [at RMIT] or 9818 0604 [Aspect] mailto:[email protected] or mailto:[email protected]) and Garry Geake, defence documentation specialist (9255 4163 - mailto:[email protected]).

Potential Defence Participants

Based on previous conversations and meetings with the respective organisations, the following Defence organisations should be invited to participate, and one or more of them may serve as an interested Defence sponsor for the project:

• Systems Engineering'i, Acquisition Management Systems", Industry & Procurement Infrastructure Division'", Defence Acquisition Organisation'". Systems Engineering (SE) in the Defence Acquisition Organisation (DAO) serves to integrate efforts necessary to manage and execute engineering activity in Defence Acquisition Programs. SE in the DAO plays a major role in system definition and defines the product which the project will produce

E.g., http://www.kti.comland http://www.kti.comldocs/sim.htrnl. Note that one of the six key strategies of the Defence Industry Policy is to encourage the development of technology which is exportable (http://203.17.154.1321ipilIPP/lndustry Policy Statement/PDFlPolicy.pdO e.g., see page 8, 48, etc.) Prof. Sacks-Davis Resume: http://www.mds.rrnit.edu.aulPeople/Rsdlrsd.htrnl Aspect Computing http://www.aspect.com.au/Aspect/default.htm, see also, http://www.aspect.com.aulAspect/Products/products sim.html. http://www.transigo.net.aulwcilhome http://www.aspect.com.aulAspect/OurCustomers/customermaxi.htm Workflow based planning and management systems for the RAAF - http://www.aspect.com.aulAspect/OurCustomers/customerraaf.htm; Management applications for Maritime Command - http://www.aspect.com.aulAspect/OurCustomers/customermhg.htm Systems Engineering http://203.I7.154.132/ipi/ams/SElSElindex.htm. Scope/role see http://203.17.154.132/ipilams/SElSElatlJ I04.pdf. See also the CALS information pack controlled by SE - http://203.17.154.132/IPIIAMS/SElCalssitelindex.html Acquisition Management Systems http://203.17.154.132/ipilams/amsmain.htm Industry & Procurement Infrastructure http://203.I7.154.132/ipi/content.htm DAO http://203.17.154.132/main2.htm

ctdconc5.doc 14/10/99 20:42 of26


through its application to specification development. Requirements analysis76 tools used by SE benefits the DAO through: reductions in time to project completion, quality improvements, and cost reduction. During late 1995, a Defence Systems Engineering Working Party (SEWP) was formed to study the applicability of SE in Defence, and to identify the most appropriate means of implementing SE principles, policy and procedures. This has been superceded by a major consultancy report". Tenix's previous contacts with the people listed below and the mission statement above suggest that these may be the most appropriate stakeholders to initiate activities within DAO. Contacts: Mr Alan Arnold: Acting Director AMS Integrated Systems Engineering - Policy (02 6265 6960 mailto:[email protected]); Mr Peter Johnston, Assistant Director Integrated Logistics Support (includes responsibility for CALS Policy - 02 6265 1867 mailto:peter. [email protected])

• The Defence SGML Centre'", part of the Defence Publishing Service'", Canberra, who are responsible for providing assistance and direction in applying SGML concepts in documentation environments, and through establishing and controlling SGML standards for the Defence Department. The centre also provides guidance on the use of DTD's and defined tag sets to departmental and industry clients. Contacts: Greg Brent, manager, Defence Publishing Service (02 6265 6302 - mailto:[email protected]); Manager, Defence SGML Centre (02 6265 6754); Stephen Horobin (mailto:[email protected]m.defence.gov.au)

• Logistics Data Management (LDM) unit of Joint Logistics Systems Agency (JLSA), Support Command Australia, Laverton have the responsibility for determining logistics data and documentation management policy and standards for the Australian Defence Forces. The Defence SGML Centre maintains the SGML standards, and the Defence Acquisition Organisation is responsible for promulgating the standards set by JLSA to Defence projects. Tenix and CMIS worked closely with LDM staff to develop many of the ideas presented in the current DAO CALS policy'", The current contact is WO Les Worthington, Logistics Data Management, 9256 3396 - mailto:[email protected]). For more information on JLSA, contact Mike Sykes, ex acting Logistics Data Manager, JLSA (now at Tenix) on 9244 4211 - mailto:[email protected].

• Defence Logistics Competency Identification Study"; The development of logistics management competency standards signifies recognition of the changing competency requirements of ADF and Department of Defence logistics staff. The Logistics Competency Identification study is about identifying the skills and knowledge required of Defence Force and Public Service people working in Single Service Logistics management appointments and Major and Minor Capital Equipment Project Management Teams within the Defence organisation. The study will embrace the competency requirements of people working in logistics jobs within Support Command Australia, Maritime, Land and Air Commands and the Defence Acquisition Organisation. The Australian Competency Research Centre (ACRC) has been contracted by Defence to undertake the study. The project team have been tasked with identifying and verifying the skills and knowledge required of logistics managers. To achieve this they will be conducting interviews, focus groups and validation

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Maheswaran, N; Allwright, A and Gabb, A. (1997) An Evaluation of Requirements Management Tools for Use in a Customer Environment. http://203.17.154.132/ipi/ams/SElSElReqtooIEVALII.doc;Jones.D.A.et.al. (1997). Interfacing Requirements Management Tools In The Requirements Management Process - A First Look. http://www.incose.org/rwg/97paperinter/interrmt.html. Technology Australia Pty Ltd. (1998). DAO Systems Engineering Study Final Report - Issue 1. http://203.17.154.132/ipilams/selSElDAOSE Study Report W7.zip Defence SGML Centre http://www.dod.gov.auldps/index.html Defence Publishing Service http://www.dod.gov.auldps/welcome.html CALS Information Pack http://203.17.154.132/WIIAMS/SElCals site/index.html Defence Logistics Competency Identification Study http://www.dod.gov.auljetllogistics/default.htm; http://www.dod.gov.auljetllogistics/update.htm

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workshops at selected Defence logistics workplaces. Contacts: Mark Rowe, Consultant Manager, Australian Competency Research Centre (03 9209 5123 mailto:[email protected]; Mr. Alan Arnold, Assoc. Director Acquisition Management Systems, DAO (02 6266 2387 - mailto:[email protected]); Mr. Peter Johnston, Exec. Officer CALS, DAO, maiIto:[email protected])

5. POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO THE PARTICIPATING ORGANISATIONS

Following are some thoughts as to the kinds of benefits the proposed participants could gain from a joint CTD project.

5.1. CSIRO

Funded consultancy work for the Defence Department and defence industry. In addition to income from the work performed directly under grant support, the proposed project would enhance CSIRO's visibility as an independent advisor across the defence industry in general.

5.2. ASPECT

As the implementor of Tenix's SIM-based DCMS system and RMIT's authorised SIM distributor, Aspect will benefit directly from any increased visibility of the SIM product, any additional sales of SIM generated as a result of the demonstration project, and the project may also generate some project-funded work to implement additional system capabilities for Tenix. Generation of export sales for contracts management implementations.

5.3. Multimedia Database Systems, RMIT

MDS will benefit from any additional SIM sales generated as a result of the demonstration project. Also, the project would provide an ideal framework for graduate research projects. Generation of export sales for contracts management implementations.

5.4. Tenix Defence Systems

Some funding for work towards developing better business practices and performing them more efficiently. Successful implementation of the proposed technology should substantially reduce costs and cycle times for business development and contracts management, allowing more competitive prices to be quoted for better planned products. Even if all of the intellectual property developed by the project is made available to the defence industry, Tenix would have established itself as the world-wide state-of-the-art in project development and management capabilities, and would have at least 1-2 years lead-time over any competitors who were not involved in the project.

Finally, as a reseller of the SIM technology, Tenix's corporate know-how developed in the project would be readily marketable as value added consultancy services to major Tenix suppliers, subcontractors and non-competing contracting and contracts management organisations (i.e., construction industry, legal and accountancy firms, aerospace, etc.) both within Australia to overseas associates.

5.5. Defence Sponsors

The project should substantially facilitate Defence acquisitions - enabling more war-fighting capabilities to be procured faster at lower costs than with the existing technologies.

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6. MARKETABILITY OF THE RESULTING SOLUTIONS

Finally, we should not forget that any reasonably cost-effective solution for Australian Defence project and contract management will also be applicable to a wide range of other government and commercial project management organisations around the world. Assuming that the solutions (and especially the DTDs) can be packaged with reasonably generic capabilities to manage projectrelated information, they should be marketable to a wide range of defence, heavy engineering, construction, project management, real estate, accountancy and legal organisations - doing in' aggregate hundreds of billions of dollars worth of contracting business a year. Most would currently have the same order of magnitude of project management and contracting inefficiencies encountered by the Defence Department and Tenix. The potential market represented by these kinds of organisations for solutions able to substantially cut their contract development and administration costs would easily be worth hundreds of millions to more than a billion dollars per year.

Aside from creating a ready market for SIM applications, two aspects of the intellectual property would seem to be particularly marketable.

a. 'Software' components:

1. DTD's. Despite a number of searches and requests for information via SGML user groups, no contracts management DTDs have been found in the public domain. If the project is able to develop a suite of application independent DTDs which adequately express the information management requirements for major contracts, these could be marketed as valuable products in their own right.

11. The associated MS Word macros and templates. MS Word is a proprietary Microsoft product. However, the macros and templates developed in the Word environment are still marketable intellectual property in their own rights. Even though these tools would be MS Word-specific, over 80% of the entire text processing market is held by this one application.

b. Methodology' and training products:

i. A major product of any CTD demonstration project would be an efficient methodology for managing project development documentation. As is being done for the PRINCE-2 project management methodology, the understanding of the contracts management process could also be marketed as a product in its own right'".

A major driver to the CTD program is that support worthy projects should be able to generate export income. That would certainly be the case for the solution proposed above.

htt;p://www.ccta.gov.uk/prince/prince.htm; htt;p://www.apmgroup.co.uk/p2index.htm; http://www.prince2.com/consult.html

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