Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center (1997) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
The Ten Key Issues
The Ten Key Issues
Pages 114-141
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 114... ...
ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES Issue I Does the Natick RDEC have adequate funding and personnel (e.g., technical specialties and critical mass)
|
From page 115... ...
(iii) Is the RDEC's system to determine customer satisfaction adequate?
|
From page 116... ...
An increasing amount of RDEC personnel time is being devoted to contract management rather than to the maintenance, development, and exploitation of the expertise internal to the RDEC. Interviewees informed the committee that they had all of the computer equipment they needed to do their work properly.
|
From page 117... ...
the payoffs of RDEC programs. For example, it will probably be necessary either to hire additional personnel or to assign knowledgeable staff to train or assist researchers and scientists in modeling and simulation sin February 1997, the committee learned that the customer liaison function is now performed by the Operational Forces Interface Group and the Battle Laboratories Integration Office.
|
From page 118... ...
Management of the Natick RDEC might wish to consider this remedy. In contrast to MobD and SurD, SusD has kept its organizational structure intact, which seems to work fairly well for day-to-day operations.
|
From page 119... ...
The committee found a strong commitment to the missions of individual directorates and trust in directorate leadership but did not find a strong sense of connection with the broader RDEC soldier-system mission. Support Directorates Science ant!
|
From page 120... ...
The ASCD Operational Forces Interface Group and the Battle Laboratories Integration Office serve as interfaces with customer organizations. The committee believes that RD&E programs that do not have a requirements base to support them should not be pursued until the RDEC (presumably, through ASCD)
|
From page 121... ...
Determining benefits requires identifying the technical performance measures for the technology, modeling the technical parameters to 4This marketing-oriented database may or may not relate directly to databases already in existence at the RDEC. The committee is fully aware that the RDEC has surveyed many soldiers for many years and has accumulated a large database of ratings of customer satisfaction.
|
From page 122... ...
The committee suggests that the RDEC investigate how the benefits of the federated laboratory concept could be realized without an excessive administrative burden. 5The federated laboratory concept is a new paradigm of operation for the Army Research Laboratory (ARL, 1994~.
|
From page 123... ...
Technical excellence may not be the most important criterion for promoting someone to middle management. Individuals who can focus on employee morale and empowerment, enhance communication and teamwork, are concerned with customer satisfaction and quality processes, and who can concentrate on staff career development would be good candidates for middle management positions.
|
From page 124... ...
The committee concluded that the establishment of the Soldier Systems Command has had several negative effects on the Natick RDEC. Most important, the command has drained off many talented people.
|
From page 125... ...
However, the first part requires consideration of all five pillars of worId-cIass performance. The committee measured quality and customer satisfaction in the commodity directorates according to the Quality Focus, Customer Focus, and Value Creation pillars (see Chapter 21.
|
From page 126... ...
The leadership of SusD is attempting to implement metrics that are more appropriate than the ones used in years past, and SusD staff has been given training in quality processes. At the RDEC level, the integrated planning process has the appropriate elements, stakeholder and customer input, team-set objectives, and project monitoring, to be potentially useful in structuring the planning process.
|
From page 127... ...
MobD's ability to anticipate and meet future materiel requirements is limited by the Army's narrow definition of airdrop technology as serving only the individual soldier. In the operational requirements and the Army Science and Technology Master Plan, little attention is paid to other airdrop requirements, even those that would directly support Army activities.
|
From page 128... ...
. How well does the RDEC support the battle laboratories and its higher-level customers (e.g., Soldier Systems Command, Army Materiel Command, and DOD)
|
From page 129... ...
Commodity Directorates The commodity directorates rely largely on processes established within the Army and Natick RDEC for assessing customer satisfaction. The Soldier Systems Command conducts an annual survey of customer satisfaction with the battle laboratories and quartermaster schools.
|
From page 130... ...
Accordingly, the committee suggests that the Natick RDEC consider implementing a regular, rigorous procedure for evaluating customer satisfaction. Elements of such a procedure are described below.
|
From page 131... ...
Advanced Systems Concepts Directorate. ASCD's current system for determining customer satisfaction both internally and externally-could be greatly improved.
|
From page 132... ...
However, the committee suggests that the marketing skills of the associates in the Business Management Office should be improved if market diversification becomes a high priority. SusD, more than any other directorate, has products with significant potential for use by customers outside the Army and even outside the military.
|
From page 133... ...
The parachute inflation modeling and simulation may be the best in the Army, but because of limited funding researchers cannot exploit state-of-the-art capabilities in academia, industry, and other federal agencies. The integrated planning process is an opportunity for MobD to evaluate research programs on a yearly basis, which will ensure that research and technology programs are relevant to the MobD and RDEC missions.
|
From page 134... ...
burners, and high-pressure air beams. The Natick RDEC, through SusD and predecessor organizations, has delivered high quality rations that meet the difficult requirements of a military organization.
|
From page 135... ...
Support Directorates Science and Technology Directorate. The examples provided to the committee suggest that the research and technology programs conducted within STD are well respected externally.
|
From page 136... ...
For example, the experimental studies do not provide data to validate the numerical simulation of canopy inflation. Similarly, the numerical simulation is not sufficiently mature to provide guidance for designing an advanced precision aerial delivery capability, and vice versa; physical insights into parachute flow fields during development of the advanced precision aerial delivery system have not been included in the simulations.
|
From page 137... ...
However, they have the appropriate elements, stakeholder and customer input, team-set objectives, and project monitoring, to be potentially useful. Some fine tuning may be required after several years of experience, but the new overall strategic planning process should answer MobD's questions concerning the adequacy of existing and future research and technology programs.
|
From page 138... ...
The committee notes that these examples might include technologies that are being developed elsewhere in the Army or in the DOD. Clearly, it would be unwise for the Natick RDEC to expend scarce resources to duplicate work being done by others (e.g., in the Army Research Institute, the Army Research Office, the Army Research Laboratory, other RDECs, or other agencies within DOD, such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
|
From page 139... ...
Are the models and simulations and other analytic methodologies used by the RDEC appropriate for the commodity areas and research and technology programs? Commodity Directorates Mobility Directorate.
|
From page 140... ...
. In view of the RDEC's limited resources, collaboration between Natick RDEC directorates and other research organizations involved in modeling human activities could be very advantageous.
|
From page 141... ...
THE TEN KEYISSUES 141 Advanced Systems Concept Directorate. Technical measures of the performance of the products of the commodity directorates have not been made available to ASCD.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.