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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center

Standing Committee on Program and Technical Review of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center

Board on Army Science and Technology

Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1997

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chairman and interim vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

This is a report of work supported by Contract DAAK60-95-C-2069 between the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command, Acquisition Directorate, and the National Academy of Sciences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number 0-309-0-5978-X

Limited copies are available from:

Board on Army Science and Technology
National Research Council
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Additional copies are available from:

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Copyright 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Standing Committee on Program and Technical Review of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center

JOSEPH F. SOUKUP (chair),

Science Applications International Corporation, McLean, Virginia

DONALD L. ZINK (vice chair),

Nestle USA, Glendale, California

BISHNU S. ATAL,

AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey

HAROLD R. BOOHER, Senior Executive Service (retired),

Baltimore, Maryland

ARNOLD E. DENTON,

Campbell Soup Company (retired), Moorestown, New Jersey

PHILIP EBERT,

DuPont Company (retired), Wilmington, Delaware

CHRISTINE HAILEY,

Utah State University, Logan

RICHARD M. HODGETTS,

Florida International University, Miami

FRANK K. KO,

Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PARRY M. NORLING,

DuPont Central Research and Development, Wilmington, Delaware

ALAN B. PERKINS,

MITRE Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama

JANICE A. PHILLIPS,

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Board on Army Science and Technology Liaison

ROBERT J. HEASTON,

Guidance and Control Information Analysis Center (retired), Naperville, Illinois

Board on Army Science and Technology Staff

BRUCE A. BRAUN, Director

MICHAEL A. CLARKE, Study Director

NORMAN M. HALLER, Consultant

JACQUELINE A. CAMPBELL-JOHNSON, Senior Project Assistant

DEBORAH RANDALL, Project Assistant (until March 1997)

DELPHINE D. GLAZE, Administrative Assistant (since May 1997)

U.S. Army Liaisons

ROBERT W. LEWIS,

U.S. Army Soldier Systems Command, Natick, Massachusetts

PHILIP BRANDLER,

U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts

PETER F. DECOSTA,

U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Board on Army Science and Technology

CHRISTOPHER C. GREEN (chair),

General Motors Corporation, Warren, Michigan

WILLIAM H. FORSTER, (vice chair)

Northrop Grumman Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland

ROBERT A. BEAUDET,

University of Southern California, Los Angeles

GARY L. BORMAN,

University of Wisconsin, Madison

LAWRENCE J. DELANEY, consultant,

Potomac, Maryland

MARYE ANNE FOX,

University of Texas, Austin

ROBERT J. HEASTON,

Guidance and Control Information Analysis Center (retired), Naperville, Illinois

KATHRYN V. LOGAN,

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta

THOMAS L. McNAUGHER,

The Arroyo Center, RAND Corporation, Washington, D.C.

NORMAN F. PARKER,

Varian Associates (retired), Cardiff by the Sea, California

STEWART D. PERSONICK,

Bell Communications Research, Incorporated, Morristown, New Jersey

M. "FRANK" ROSE,

Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama

HARVEY W. SCHADLER,

General Electric Corporation (retired), Schenectady, New York

CLARENCE G. THORNTON,

Army Research Laboratories (retired), Colts Neck, New Jersey

JOHN D. VENABLES,

Venables & Associates, Towson, Maryland

ALLEN C. WARD,

Ward Synthesis, Incorporated, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Staff

BRUCE A. BRAUN, Director

ALVERA V. GIRCYS, Financial Associate

MARGO L. FRANCESCO, Administrative Associate

PAMELA LEWIS, Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Preface

This report is the second in a two-phase response to a request from the technical director of the U.S. Army Natick1 Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDEC) that the National Research Council (NRC) assess the RDEC relative to its vision of being a world-class organization. The NRC committee I had the pleasure to chair provided the basis for this report in the phase-one NRC report, World-Class Research and Development, which was published in September 1996. That report defined the characteristics of a world-class research, development, and engineering organization and the metrics by which an Army RDEC could be assessed. In this second phase of the study, we used those characteristics and their associated metrics to assist us in assessing the Natick RDEC. The results of that assessment are contained in this report.

During the assessment we addressed a wide range of issues, related not only to the Natick RDEC's goal of performing at a world-class level but also to subjects related to the command structure within which the RDEC operates. We are hopeful that this assessment will contribute to the RDEC's ability to confront and resolve complex issues, maintain progress toward reaching its goal, and continue its valuable contributions to our nation's defense, despite the many external pressures currently affecting all U.S. Department of Defense organizations.

In addition, we hope that other Army RDECs and similar organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense or elsewhere will find the results of our assessment valuable, particularly as they demonstrate the application of the characteristics and metrics of world-class organizations. The Natick RDEC's willingness to subject itself to public evaluation speaks volumes about its commitment to excellence. We want this commitment to be recognized, and we hope that other organizations will also benefit from our evaluation.

The committee members included experts in the assessment of research, development, and engineering organizations, as well as in the products and technologies at the RDEC. However, we could not have completed our work without

1  

The Natick RDEC is located west of Boston near the town of Natick, Massachusetts.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

the splendid cooperation of the many dedicated personnel at Natick who did their best to explain the intricacies of their operations to us and answer our many questions.

Finally, the committee and I want to recognize the contribution of the NRC staff members who worked so hard to assist us in bringing this study to a successful conclusion.

JOSEPH SOUKUP, CHAIR

STANDING COMMITTEE ON PROGRAM AND TECHNICAL REVIEW OF THE U.S. ARMY NATICK RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×
   

Overall Assessment of the Quality Focus Pillar

 

70

   

Customer Focus Pillar

 

71

   

Customer Satisfaction

 

71

   

Customer Involvement

 

73

   

Market Diversification

 

75

   

Overall Assessment of the Customer Focus Pillar

 

76

   

Value Creation Pillar

 

77

   

Proper Portfolio

 

77

   

Product Performance

 

79

   

Cycle Time and Responsiveness

 

80

   

Value of Work in Progress

 

82

   

Overall Assessment of the Value Creation Pillar

 

83

   

Summary

 

84

3

 

Assessment of the Support Directorates

 

86

   

Assessment Process

 

86

   

Science and Technology Directorate

 

87

   

Resources and Capabilities Pillar

 

87

   

Strategic Vision Pillar

 

92

   

Quality Focus Pillar

 

94

   

Customer Focus Pillar

 

96

   

Value Creation Pillar

 

98

   

Summary

 

99

   

Advanced Systems Concepts Directorate

 

100

   

Resources and Capabilities Pillar

 

100

   

Strategic Vision Pillar

 

104

   

Quality Focus Pillar

 

107

   

Customer Focus Pillar

 

109

   

Value Creation Pillar

 

111

   

Summary

 

113

4

 

The Ten Key Issues

 

114

   

Organization and Resources

 

114

   

Quality and Customer Satisfaction

 

125

   

Research and Technology

 

133

5

 

Conclusions and Recommendations

 

142

   

Commodity Directorates and the Pillars

 

142

   

Strategic Vision Pillar

 

142

   

Resources and Capabilities Pillar

 

145

   

Quality Focus Pillar

 

146

   

Support Directorates

 

147

   

Budget Shortfalls

 

152

   

Research and Technology Programs

 

154

   

Opportunities for Reengineering

 

155

 

 

References

 

159

 

 

Appendices

 

 

   

A Precursory Documents for the Statement of Task

 

163

   

B Meetings and Visits

 

167

   

C Excerpts from the Phase-One Report

 

170

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Figures, Tables, and Boxes

Figures

ES-1

 

The major components of world-class research and development organizations

 

2

ES-2

 

The five pillars and 25 characteristics

 

3

ES-3

 

Spider diagram for the commodity directorates

 

5

1-1

 

The major components of world-class research and development organizations

 

17

1-2

 

The five pillars and 25 characteristics

 

19

1-3

 

Relationship of Soldier Systems Command (and the Natick RDEC) to the Army Materiel Command

 

24

1-4

 

Internal organization of the Natick RDEC

 

25

1-5

 

Organization of the Mobility Directorate

 

27

1-6

 

Organization of the Survivability Directorate

 

28

1-7

 

Organization of the Sustainability Directorate

 

29

1-8

 

Organization of the support directorates

 

30

2-1

 

Spider diagram for the commodity directorates

 

85

Tables

1-1

 

Ten Key Issues Addressed by the Committee in Stage 2 of the Assessment

 

20

1-2

 

Major Technical Features of the Directorates of the Natick RDEC

 

32

2-1

 

Resources and Capabilities Pillar

 

50

2-2

 

Strategic Vision Pillar

 

59

2-3

 

Quality Focus Pillar

 

70

2-4

 

Customer Focus Pillar

 

77

2-5

 

Value Creation Pillar

 

84

3-1

 

Summary of STD Assessment

 

100

3-2

 

Summary of ASCD Assessment

 

113

4-1

 

Ten Key Issues Addressed by the Committee in Stage 2 of the Assessment

 

115

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

C-1

 

Metrics of the Customer Focus Pillar

 

178

C-2

 

Metrics of the Resources and Capabilities Pillar

 

179

C-3

 

Metrics of the Strategic Vision Pillar

 

183

C-4

 

Metrics of the Value Creation Pillar

 

185

C-5

 

Metrics of the Quality Focus Pillar

 

187

Boxes

1-1

 

Organization of the Natick RDEC

 

15

1-2

 

An Ideal World-Class RDEC

 

18

1-3

 

Assessment of Customer Satisfaction

 

23

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
×

Acronyms


ASCD

Advanced Systems Concepts Directorate


DOD

U.S. Department of Defense


MobD

Mobility Directorate


NRC

National Research Council


STD

Science and Technology Directorate

SurD

Survivability Directorate

SusD

Sustainability Directorate


R&D

research and development

RD&E

research, development, and engineering

RDEC

research, development, and engineering center

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1997. Assessment of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5993.
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