In this section we present a number of white papers we have recently published by VEGA.
Through Life Capability Management – a truism too far?
The Defence Acquisition Community is not short of truism, invariably tinged with cynicism. Some examples being, “Things come full circle”; “ECC, sounds like D (OR) to me”; “McKinsey reinvented”; “Smart Acquisition second time around”. The cynicism however overlooks the reality behind the truism, namely an intention to understand, never to give up and always an aspiration to improve. The most recent chapter in this aspiration to improve the performance of the Defence Acquisition Community embraces DIS (Defence Industrial Strategy), McKane (Report – Enabling Acquisition Change) and now DACP (Defence Acquisition Change Programme).
This paper examines what it is that makes DACP different to past initiatives and why it is so important to the Defence Acquisition Community.
It outlines the hard work that needs to undertaken but demonstrates that no matter how hard the challenge is, its success is fundamental to the delivery of UK's future defence capability.
If you would like to receive a full copy of 'Through Life Capability Management – a truism too far?', please register here.
Delivering the value of Through Life Capability Management (TLCM) – The only show in town!
The 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review has set the UK MoD a very challenging target to develop its future defence programme within the extremely tight budget set by this years planning round, PR08, and deliver the capability which is needed by the front line. In parallel the UK Defence Acquisition Change Programme continues to move forward to create an organisation that is capable of being both agile and ready to deliver capability at reduced cost. The Defence Industrial Strategy which frames the relationship for MoD’s interface with industry is also being refreshed.
In the context of this fast moving environment, this paper captures the thoughts offered by VEGA at DSEi 07 and describes why putting an effective Through Life Capability Management (TLCM) in place is fundamental to achieving successful acquisition; in plain terms the generation of a coherent and affordable programme that is responsive to the changing needs of the UK’s military forces.
The paper covers the what, why and (most importantly) the how of TLCM, it concludes that TLCM is a significant change programme that can only be successfully implemented by acknowledging and addressing the following three key points:
- TLCM needs a user friendly information system that describes the ground truth for each capability area, the Recognised Acquisition Picture, to assist and improve the quality of decision making
- TLCM is difficult. It is complex, hard to establish and a challenge to sustain
- TLCM requires focussed leadership and governance, both in the MoD and industry, to maintain momentum.
The paper likens achieving effective TLCM to a journey, it identifies why it needs to become an enduring process if MoD is going to balance its books; it examines how far we have come to date and postulates how value will be realised in future. It concludes that although there is much to do, the rewards of completing the journey far outweigh the effort required to negotiate the many challenges encountered along the route.
If you would like to receive a full copy of 'Delivering the value of Through Life Capability Management (TLCM) – The only show in town!', please register here.
The Future of Defence Training
Military operations are increasingly concerned with the timely sharing of intelligence between a wide range of platforms and organisations. This Network Enabled Capability (NEC) environment is demanding effective co-ordination and collaboration between a range of operational staff to achieve the best performance from the collective.
The simulation industry is advancing rapidly to enable large scale rehearsals and exercises involving live, virtual and constructive components that go some way to recreating likely NEC operation scenarios, so that this collaboration can be exercised before the event. The main focus tends to be on increasingly accurate and rich scenario creation.
In this white paper, we argue that we need more effective collecting training within the NEC environment that considers collaborative dynamics. Without it, the investment in technology will fail to deliver its full potential.
We will try to identify what we see as the main issue, look at how it might be addressed, and suggest a possible way of helping to make progress.
If you would like to receive a full copy of 'The Future of Defence Training', please register here.
Business Continuity Planning – Addressing Complexity and other Issues
Organisations should all be aware that the first formal Business Continuity standard in the world (BS25999) was launched in November 2006. While this standard provides a much needed framework and guidance for Business Continuity Management (BCM) and Business Continuity Planning (BCP), this still does not address two major issues that face us all when undertaking Business Continuity Planning, namely:
- Understanding Complexity
- Ensuring the resultant policies and plans are issued to the right people, read and understood by them, practised at appropriate intervals and kept relevant to the organisation.
'Business Continuity Planning – Addressing Complexity and other Issues', by VEGA Managing Consultant, Brian Billsberry MBE, discusses the implications of each of these issues and highlights the potential impact they could have on any organisation’s future viability. Brian describes a holistic approach that not only helps Business Continuity Planners to better understand the complexities of the organisation they are trying to protect, but also provides the tools to create the essential visualisations that ensure the complexities of an organisation and its critical partners are more easily understood. It therefore assures a Board of Management that its organisation is adequately protected and provides demonstrable proof that its business continuity related Corporate Governance and Compliance obligations have been met.
If you would like to receive a full copy of 'Business Continuity Planning – Addressing Complexity and other Issues', please register here.
Space Tourism – A Reality for Europe?
For centuries, man has looked to the sky and tried to imagine a life exploring the wonders of the Universe.
In 2004, Burt Rutan’s ’SpaceShipOne’ met the challenge of the $10 million Ansari X Prize, to produce the world’s first affordable and re-useable spacecraft for sub-orbital flights. Since that time, developments in Space Tourism have been rapid, with a number of companies looking to profit from the new space vehicles, spaceports and associated industry, proposed for sub-orbital space tourism.
Currently, space tourism activity is predominantly in the US, but Europe has a number of options regarding increased involvement in the private spaceflight industry.
In 'Space Tourism – A Reality for Europe', VEGA Space Consultant, Dr Sam Adlen, describes the current space tourism market, explores some key developments and challenges therein, and presents some actions that might be pursued in support of making space tourism a reality for Europe.
If you would like to receive a full copy of 'Space Tourism – A Reality for Europe', please register here.
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