| Project Lesson | Categories of Systemic Lessons |
| The development and introduction into service of a first-of-type military (aircraft) mission and support system is always harder than it first appears. At contract signature the project appeared a reasonably low risk venture. However, over the course of the project, it became apparent to both the DMO and the contractor that the integration of the fuel delivery systems and military systems on a commercial aircraft introduced many challenges including: software integration issues, underestimation of developmental and certification testing schedule. As a result, a higher effort for a greater period of time was required by the DMO to support the program. | First of Type Equipment |
| Technical (design) maturity assessment: a tender definition activity was undertaken following selection of the preferred supplier and prior to contract negotiations. However, due to time constraints and the breadth of review activities, it was not possible to conduct a comprehensive technical review and maturity assessment. As a consequence, an aggressive system design schedule was agreed that subsequently proved difficult to achieve due to lower design maturity - and hence higher development effort - on some systems. The additional development effort was accommodated under the change to a two-phased conversion and test process. In hindsight, once it became apparent that Australia was the lead customer for the A330 MRTT, a more robust design maturity assessment should have been undertaken under a funded design development process prior to contract award. | First of Type Equipment |
| Whilst this project preceded improvements in the capability definition documents (Operational Concept Document, Functional Performance Specification and Test Concept Description), the intent of these documents was included in tender documentation and refined during contract negotiation for inclusion in the Acquisition Contract. The Contractor's internal requirements management process did not adequately support a robust process for customer clarification of the operational intent leading to protracted development and rework. There is a need to ensure that a robust process exists to achieve a common understanding of derived requirements and operational intent, and that it is agreed in the early stages of the project life-cycle. | Requirements Management |