World-Class Research and Development Characteristics for an Army Research, Development, and Engineering Organization (1996) / Chapter Skim
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4. CHARACTERISITCS AND METRICS FOR A WORLD-CLASS ARMY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT,..
4. CHARACTERISITCS AND METRICS FOR A WORLD-CLASS ARMY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT,..
Pages 31-66
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The discussion follows a pillar-by-pillar format, with particular emphasis on determining metrics for evaluating the characteristics of each pillar. Customer Focus Pillar Customer focus is clirected toward internal customers (e.g., product development teams)
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Measuring customer satisfaction and customer involvement in research, development, and engineering, and the nature and appropriateness of market diversification, indicates how well the RDEC is connected with and focused on the Iong-term and short-term needs of the various customers the RDEC serves.: Resources and Capabilities Pillar Resources and capabilities can be evaluated ~ terms of personnel (i.e., human resources) ; facilities and infrastructure (i.e., physical resources)
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A positive organizational climate is most often correlatecl with high productivity (Miller et al., 19961. Strategic Vision Pillar The strategic vision must be sharer!
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Quality Focus Pillar Several important characteristics are associated with quality focus. First is a capacity for scientific, technological, and engineering breakthroughs.
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1 CHARACTERISTICS AND METRICS 35 the most pertinent metrics is important. Critical questions can be asked about using metrics, the answers to which are applicable to Army RDECs.
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, and managing RD&E programs. Metrics can also measure contributions from management, research scientists and engineers, and support staff toward clevelopin`g, producing, and cleliverin~ products.
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Referring to metrics described by the Industrial Research Institute (IRI, 1996) and others (Roussel et al., 1991; Davidson and Prudent, 1996)
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In the case of multiple assessments, a spider diagram for the Natick RDEC could be compared with diagrams for other RDECs. 4Many recent metrics (e.g., the Industrial Research Institute's Technology Value Program)
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C~RAC7~RIS77CS AND METRICS customer focus _ ~ | strategic vision | resources end | // ~ ~~\~N A_/ I' FIGURE 4-2 Spider diagram. 39 \~< — excellent — good — adequate — poor 5/ 7\| less than l I world~lass | | qualitY focus | ~ value creation It should be notec!
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IRI. (Industrial Research Institute)
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Tables 4-1 through 4-6 page 41
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Internal or external customers are at times consulted on various aspects of research programs or are involved primarily in program reviews. Internal or external customers are from time to time involved in setting program objectives and following progress; there are opportunities for customer feedback.
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RD&E programs result in products for the Army and the other uniformed services; the organization provides products to other federal agencies; some of the budget is devoted to developing partnerships with industry and academia. The organization is assigned DoD lead on joint programs; a significant amount of the budget is devoted to partnerships with industry and academia; research partnerships yield products that fulfill military needs and fill a void in the needs of other federal agencies.
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; new skills and capabilities are regularly introduced into the organization; newly hired personnel bring new, state-of-the art methods into the organization; personnel are encouraged to devote a significant amount of their work week to improving and acquiring technical skills; personnel are recognized for their accomplishments by individuals and or ganizations outside the Army; career structures support the development of technologists in a wide range of needed disciplines; personnel are noted for effective use of both external and internal resources.
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Although budgets are at the recommended levels, major research programs are constantly in jeopardy because of uncertainties about year-to-year funding; no new major construction or programs are funded even though budgets finally prove to be adequate for maintaining ongoing programs. Good The organization consistently finds ways to get more done with less; resources are leveraged with other government agencies; the organiza tion periodically takes the lead in DoD-wide or similar programs; collaborative programs with industry and academic groups are cultivated; some funding is provided to support new re search initiatives, acquire new equipment, and construct or renovate laboratory facilities.
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Adequate Plans are developed and funding is provided for maintaining the present core capabilities for the future; personnel are trained to operate and maintain equipment and use equipment as speci fied by the manufacturer; personnel skills are recognized as current and competent for their technical specialties. The organization possesses the skills and talents to fulfill customer requirements for the foresee able future; new and innovative techniques, skills, and processes are incorporated into the RD&E processes; newly acquired skills result in im proved product engineering, manufacturing, or performance; new personnel are recruited to bring state-of-the-art techniques into the organization; personnel are encouraged to participate in formal continuing education programs; members of the research staff are encouraged to participate in professional societies, serve on external commit tees, etc.; program managers recognize new skills that will benefit their programs, and they plan for the acquisition of these skills and talents.
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Partnerships are developed with a wide range of groups to enable work to be done outside the organization; work done by others is contracted primarily based on the other party's willingness to do the work; products and services obtained from external sources fulfill the statement of work; products complement internal research programs. Good The organization is recognized as a "smart buyer" of services and work of other parties; personnel appreciate the quality of the work that is contracted; the extent of leverage (i.e., the ratio of the cost to do the work at the organization to the contracted cost)
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Base technologies being developed or used in the research program are necessary for fulfilling technological needs but offer little differentiation in product performance from other alternatives; important technologies are recognized, developed, and used, but technology development is not advanced. Pacing technologies are being developed or used in the research program; these technologies have the potential to change significantly the nature of the research program, but they are not yet embodied in products; incorporation of pacing technologies results in leapahead developments.
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Adequate The work environment is perceived as profes sional and collegial; personnel enjoy their work and say it is meaningful; responsibilities are clear, and teamwork and collaborative efforts are evident; managers tolerate innovation and occasionally empower their staffs, teams, and groups; personnel are recognized for their con tributions; although anxious about reorganiza tion and downsizing, individuals feel relatively secure about their jobs. Work and organizational climate is considered good; bold and innovative thinking is encour aged and rewarded; research personnel are fully empowered to set goals and pursue origi nal and innovative solutions, but they do not fear failure; the organization is recognized as possessing a 'can do" attitude.
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Information technology is used as a tool by research and support personnel, and it increases productivity and ultimately decreases the organization's overhead; acquisition of new hardware and software is adequately funded; training and technical support are available; personnel are comfortable with the available technology and are electronically connected internally and externally. An information technology strategy guides program direction; research, support, and administrative systems are integrated; information technology enhances the effectiveness of the RD&E allowing work to be done in entirely new ways; information technology is credited with recent advances in research programs; hardware and software are state-of-the-art; technical support is abundant; the staff is educated in the use and application of the technology.
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Research and support facilities are clean, spacious, and comfortable; facilities are environmentally controlled year round; equipment is upgraded or replaced routinely; preventive maintenance and service contracts are well funded; relatively new technical capabilities are acquired, and user training is provided; there is evidence that safety and regulatory compliance are important (e.g., statistics are maintained, periodic inspections are made versus appropriate standards, and training is emphasized)
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The organization's strategic vision is inspiring, and the vision and mission are in harmony with each other; the vision and mission provide a "guide to action" for all programs; management support and resources are aligned with the research strategy. The strategic vision and management's translation of this vision into a research strategy yields superior products and services; the alignment of resources with the research strategy is readily apparent.
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A strategic planning process is in place, and business plans and annual plans are implemented; senior management enlists research and support staff assistance to draft and implement the strategic plan through the business and annual plans; the plans are communicated to the staff. A robust planning process is in place, with broad involvement across the organization; the resulting planning document is used to measure progress throughout the year; contingency or alternative plans are developed to accommodate rapid changes in customer needs, the environment, or resources.
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A strategic vision is spelled out and understood by most stakeholders; the vision makes all major initiatives readily understandable. The strategic vision "speaks" to all stakeholders even if they have not been involved in creating it; customers and disinterested parties understand the research plan and advocate providing adequate resources to implement the plan.
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The strategic vision and research plan are understood by the staff; resources (i.e., time, personnel, and dollars) are aligned to meet these plans; the staff trusts senior leadership and is receptive to new ideas and re-engineering opportunities.
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Portfolio analyses of a program are an integral part of the strategic planning process; there is broad and active customer involvement in the portfolio analysis; programs yield products that have significant customer acceptance, meet or exceed customer requirements, and demonstrate increased value compared to current products or commercial alternatives; minor changes in product design occur after initial fielding. Portfolio analyses result in RD&E processes that yield products and services with excellent value, performance, and customer acceptance.
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Products fully meet or exceed customer requirements; products are perceived as better than the ones they replace. Excellent Products not only exceed customer expecta tions, but product performance includes some pleasant, unexpected surprises (e.g., reduced maintenance requirements, longer shelf life, longer mean time to failure, resource savings)
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Elapsed time from project initiation to project completion is measured and can be reliably forecasted; research programs are described as being on-time and on-budget. RD&E programs are initiated and completed significantly faster than similar government or commercial programs; research staff is responsive to "quick fixes" for troops, and numerous examples are readily available for major products; senior management ensures that adequate resources are reprogrammed to fulfill quick-fix requests.
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and their primary and secondary impacts; the database is used for comparison with current RD&E programs; leadership creates a scale to rate continuously the potential value of current programs compared with previous programs and show improvements; customers rate RD&E programs as very good (i.e., products are expected to fully meet or exceed customer requirements; products are perceived as likely to be better than the ones they replace)
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Although most programs are characterized by incremental improvements in technology, the organization has demonstrated several leapahead improvements; the organization encourages and funds opportunities to seek truly innovative, moderate-risk solutions. Unexpected innovation based on breakthroughs in technology occur fairly regularly among internal and external (cooperative)
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Greater productivity, enhanced research and product quality, improved customer involvement and satisfaction, and continuing education of the work force are areas of primary interest to senior management; the concepts of continuous improvement and excellent product value are embedded in the goals of each RD&E and support function; there is a systematic analysis of research and support processes to eliminate non-value-added activities; research personnel are renowned for finding innovative solutions to technically difficult problems.
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to improve effectiveness and product quality with existing resources. The commitment to total quality is inherent and pervasive throughout the organization; the focus of all measurements is on optimizing the RD&E processes to deliver value; frameworks, such as ISO 9000/2 (international quality standards)
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Work processes and procedures are monitored; project costs and milestones are closely tracked; processes are established to improve quality incrementally, contain or reduce RD&E cost, and reduce product cycle time; disciplined approaches and the scientific method are used most of the time. Program managers are flexible and adaptive; senior leadership and staff are receptive to innovative ideas for improving work processes and procedures; product quality and customer focus mean continuous improvement; disciplined approaches and the scientific method are used consistently.
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Senior leadership recognizes and communicates the importance of organizational learning; management and staff learn from mistakes and from others; personnel are well networked both inside and outside the organization; teams on one project teach teams assigned to other projects; new skills and techniques are acquired through new hires and continuing professional education. Good Organizational learning is characterized as adaptive; the organizational climate is condu cive to learning; personnel are rewarded and encouraged for taking risks and entrepreneurial initiatives despite occasional mistakes; person nel learn from others and by doing; manage ment experiments with new organizational concepts to discover new ways of doing things.
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Research and technology programs are aligned with customer requirements and needs; research methodology and results are peerreviewed and published as both technical reports and journal articles; the research staff is invited to participate in scientific meetings and workshops; research results are easily replicated by other laboratories. The research and technology programs are recognized by peers as being of very high caliber; several programs are among the best in the federal government and are described as innovative and original; some patents are awarded.
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66 TABLE 4-6 Organizational Assessment WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Component Assessment Poor Adequate Good Excellent Customer Focus Pillar Customer Satisfaction Customer Involvement Market Diversification Pillar Assessment: Resources and Capabilities Pillar Personnel Quality Budget RD&E Capabilities, Skills, Talents Use of External Resources Important Technologies Organizational Climate Information Technology Facilities and Infrastructure Pillar Assessment: Strategic Vision Pillar Alignment of Vision and Mission Anticipatory Strategic Planning Stakeholder Buy-In Leadership Pillar Assessment: Value Creation Pillar Proper Portfolio Product Performance Cycle Time and Responsiveness Value of Work in Progress Pillar Assessment: Quality Focus Pillar Capacity for Breakthroughs Continuous Improvement Commitment to Quality Structured Processes Learning Environment Quality of Research Pillar Assessment:
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