Section 3 reports on a project's design development and test and evaluation status and when a project is forecast to achieve an initial and final operational capability. DMO's major projects entail the acquisition of equipment involving highly complex systems and sub-systems that need to be defined, designed, integrated and tested using sound engineering and test and evaluation techniques. The number of systems engineering and test and evaluation activities conducted across the range of systems and subsystems comprising a weapons system would be too extensive to list and summarisation of this information is necessary for the purpose of this report. Therefore, the design reviews and test and evaluation events reported should not be interpreted as the only events that have been conducted for a project.
Section 3.1 Design Review Progress: DMO employs a system engineering approach based on international standards to its engineering activities in requirements definition and design development. The design reviews reported on are:
● Systems Requirements Review: This is intended to confirm that the contract technical specifications have been translated into system specific technical specifications and that risks are well understood and mitigation plans are in place. A Systems Requirements Review is usually a precursor to a Preliminary Design Review.
● Preliminary Design Reviews: These are a series of design reviews conducted after preliminary design efforts, but before start of detail design and is the first opportunity for the DMO project office to closely observe the contractor's hardware and software design.
● Critical Design Review: This is conducted as a series of detailed design reviews before release of the design for manufacturing or software coding.
Section 3.2 Contractor Test and Evaluation Progress: Complex military equipment and systems acquired by the DMO undergo a comprehensive test and evaluation program (also referred to as the verification and Validation program) as part of their acceptance processes. Test and evaluation is conducted at component, equipment, sub-system and system levels and at development, production, integration and acceptance stages. The number of test events that a complex project generates is too extensive to list and this section only reports on contractor test and evaluation on major systems at certain key events.
● Systems Integration Test and Evaluation: Is conducted at a stage after lower level test and evaluation has been undertaken and when systems are integrated at a higher level to examine how they perform at a systems-of-systems level.
● Acceptance Test and Evaluation: Is conducted at a stage when the DMO and contractor consider that systems are at a stage when performance compliance against contracted requirements can be demonstrated for contract acceptance.
Section 3.3 Progress toward Initial Operational Capability: IOC is a point in time at which the first subset of a capability system (e.g. the first of a fleet of three AWDs) that can be operationally employed is realised. This is an operational state that the Capability Manager declares has been achieved when a set of inputs to capability have been brought together in a manner that will enable an initial capability to be operationally deployed. While DMO delivers a materiel system comprising mission and support systems, achieving IOC vests with the Capability Manager. For example, DMO delivers aircraft but providing the pilots and air crew are the responsibility of Service Chiefs; but operational capability is not achieved unless there are aircrew to fly the aircraft that DMO supplies.
Section 3.4 Progress toward Final Operational Capability: FOC is a point in time at which the final subset of a capability system (e.g. the third of a fleet of three AWDs and all other supplies and services) that can be operationally employed is realised. This is an operational state that the Capability Manager declares has been achieved when all inputs to capability have been brought together in a manner that will enable the full capability to be operationally deployed. While at this stage the DMO has delivered all materiel systems i.e. all mission and support systems, achieving FOC vests with the Capability Manager.