Developmental Test, Evaluation and Assessment

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Assessments

Independent Technical Risk Assessment (ITRA)

In 2017, Congress began requiring the Department to conduct Independent Technical Risk Assessments (ITRAs) on Major Defense Acquisition Programs in advance of milestone and production decisions. ITRAs provide senior leaders with an independent view of program technical risk, including the maturity of critical technologies and manufacturing processes.

The Engineering team conducts ITRAs on Acquisition Category (ACAT) ID programs for USD(R&E) approval and maintains the policy and guidance for ITRAs. The Services or Agencies will conduct ITRAs on ACAT IB/IC programs with the approval authority determined by USD(R&E). When USD(R&E) determines he should approve an ACAT IB/IC program ITRA, the Engineering team works with the Services to process those assessments for USD(R&E) approval.

Resources

ITRA Related Documents

Developmental Test Assessment

Developmental Test and Evaluation Assessments

A Developmental Test and Evaluation Assessment (DTA) is an independent assessment of test and evaluation (T&E) planning and the current state of a system's capabilities and limitations, to inform key program decisions.

DTA Content

The DTA consists of a report and accompanying signed cover memo highlighting the key conclusions and recommendations.

The DTA report provides an assessment of the system's DT&E planning adequacy and effectiveness; the current state of system capabilities; integration with other systems or platforms; survivability in the kinetic, electronic, and cybersecurity environments as appropriate; and sustainment.

DTA Resources

DoD Instruction 5000.89, Test and Evaluation, OUSD(R&E) and DOT&E, November 19, 2020.

Sufficiency Assessments

The Developmental Test and Evaluation Sufficiency Assessment (DTSA) provides the Milestone B and C decision authorities for Major Defense Acquisition Programs (MDAPs), with an assessment of the sufficiency of DT&E planning and results, for entry into either the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) or the production and deployment phase of the Major Capability Acquisition (MCA) pathway.

Milestone B DTSA

For the Milestone B decision to enter EMD, the Milestone Decision Authority must provide the congressional defense committees with a brief summary report that contains, for test and evaluation (T&E), “(G) An assessment of the sufficiency of developmental test and evaluation plans, including the use of automated data analytics or modeling and simulation tools and methodologies” (PLAW_115-91 Sect 838 (a)(1)(B); PLAW 115-91 is the FY2018 NDAA).

The minimum content for a Milestone B DTSA, is an assessment of:

DT&E planning: The sufficiency of the DT&E plan within the Test and Evaluation Master Plan.
DT&E schedule: The sufficiency of the DT&E Integrated Master Schedule. If applicable, a comparison of this program’s schedule to historic analogous systems must also be provided.
DT&E resources: The planned DT&E resources are sufficient, including facilities, personnel, test assets, automated data analytics tools, and modeling and simulation capabilities.
4DT&E risks and production concurrency: The risks of DT&E and production concurrency.
DT&E criteria for entering the production phase.

Milestone C DTSA

For the Milestone C decision to begin production, the Milestone Decision Authority must provide the congressional defense committees with a brief summary report that contains, for T&E, “(4) An assessment of the sufficiency of the developmental test and evaluation completed, including the use of automated data analytics or modeling and simulation tools and methodologies” (PLAW_115-91 Sect 838 (a)(2)).

The minimum content for a Milestone C DTSA, is an assessment of:

DT&E completed
The sufficiency of planning and resources for the remaining DT&E
Risks identified to production and deployment
Readiness for IOT&E

DTSA Responsibility

The senior official assigned the responsibility of conducting the DTSA is:

Senior DoD Official - The senior DoD official responsible for DT&E for MDAPs where the Milestone Decision Authority is the USD(A&S).

Senior Service Official - The senior Service official responsible for DT&E for MDAPs where the Milestone Decision Authority is the Service or Component Acquisition Executive.