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.
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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.
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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
PHILIP EBERT,
DuPont Company (retired), Wilmington, Delaware
CHRISTINE HAILEY,
Utah State University, Logan
DENNIS R. HELDMAN,
University of Missouri, Columbia
RICHARD M. HODGETTS,
Florida International University, Miami
FRANK K. KO,
Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
PARRY M. NORLING,
DuPont Central Research & Development, Wilmington, Delaware
ALAN B. PERKINS,
MITRE Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama
JANICE A. PHILLIPS,
Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Board on Army Science and Technology Liaison
JOYCE L. SHIELDS,
Hay Management Consultants, Arlington, Virginia
Staff
BRUCE A. BRAUN, Director,
Division of Military Science and Technology and Study Director
E. VINCENT HOLAHAN, Study Director (to May, 1996)
NORMAN M. HALLER, Consultant
JACQUELINE A. CAMPBELL-JOHNSON, Senior Program Assistant
Army Liaison
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
BOARD ON ARMY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
GENERAL GLENN K. OTIS (chair),
U.S. Army (retired), Newport News, Virginia
CHRISTOPHER C. GREEN (vice chair),
General Motors Corporation, Warren, Michigan
ROBERT A. BEAUDET,
University of Southern California, Los Angeles
GARY L. BORMAN,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
ALBERTO COLL,
U.S. Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island
LAWRENCE J. DELANEY,
BDM Europe, Berlin, Germany
GENERAL WILLIAM H. FORSTER,
U.S. Army (retired), Northrop Grumman Corporation, Westinghouse Electronics Systems, Baltimore, Maryland
ROBERT J. HEASTON,
Guidance and Control Information Analysis Center (retired), Chicago, Illinois
THOMAS McNAUGHER,
Arroyo Center, RAND Corporation, Washington, D.C.
NORMAN F. PARKER,
Varian Associates (retired), Cardiff by the Sea, California
STEWART D. PERSONICK,
Bell Communications Research, Inc., Morristown, New Jersey
KATHLEEN J. ROBERTSON,
Booz, Allen & Hamilton, McLean, Virginia
JAY P. SANFORD,
University of Texas Southwestern Health Sciences Center at Dallas
HARVEY W. SCHADLER,
General Electric Corporation, Schenectady, New York
JOYCE L. SHIELDS,
Hay Management Consultants, Arlington, Virginia
CLARENCE G. THORNTON,
Army Research Laboratories (retired), Colts Neck, New Jersey
JOHN D. VENABLES,
Venables & Associates, Towson, Maryland
ALLEN C. WARD,
Ward Synthesis, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Staff
BRUCE A. BRAUN, Director
ALVERA V. GIRCYS, Administrative Associate
MARGO L. FRANCESCO, Administrative Associate
JACQUELINE A. CAMPBELL-JOHNSON, Senior Project Assistant
Preface
This report is the first of a two-phase response to a request that the National Research Council (NRC) assess the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDEC). This report defines the characteristics of a world-class research, development, and engineering (RD&E) organization and the associated metrics, which will then be used to assess the RDEC. The results of that assessment will appear in a later report, which will complete the second phase of the NRC response.
We are fortunate to have as members of this committee experts in the assessment of RD&E organizations as well as in the products and technologies at the Natick RDEC. The merits of this mix were evident in our exploration of the meaning of world-class performance, especially in a military organization.
Given the captive nature of Army RD&E organizations, we first confronted the question of whether or not the characteristics and metrics for world-class performance were relevant. Unlike athletes who compete in the Olympics, it is difficult to compare military RD&E organizations with one another. Some military RD&E organizations are unique, or nearly so. Also, military secrecy is an obstacle to open competition. Ultimately, the outcome of a battle or a war may furnish a convenient, albeit imperfect, measure of the excellence of military RD&E.
Despite these difficulties, we decided that characteristics and metrics for world-class performance of military RD&E organizations are relevant. We took the view that attributes associated with world-class civilian organizations—especially organizations with strong programs in research and development—can provide a valid guide for defining and characterizing world-class performance in organizations like Army RDECs.
Our thinking about world-class performance was supported and broadened by the contributions of many experts from industry, academia, and government (see the appendix and reference sections). Their input was invaluable. After considering the various characteristics that can be used for assessing excellence, we recognized that a substantial degree of judgment is involved. For example, the number of characteristics and their level of specificity are matters of judgment. We have yet to find a standard that fits all situations. After becoming familiar with the large body of opinion on this subject, the final judgments concerning the characteristics and metrics used in this report were made solely by the committee.
Joseph Soukup, chairman
Standing Committee on Program and Technical Review of the U.S. Army Natick Research, Development and Engineering Center
Tables and Figures
TABLES
3-1 |
Important Features of the Five Pillars, |
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4-1 |
Metrics of the Customer Focus Pillar, |
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4-2 |
Metrics of the Resources and Capabilities Pillar, |
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4-3 |
Metrics of the Strategic Vision Pillar, |
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4-4 |
Metrics of the Value Creation Pillar, |
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4-5 |
Metrics of the Quality Focus Pillar, |
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4-6 |
Organizational Assessment, |