Over the last two decades software functionality has become dominant, systems are more interconnected, globally sourced, intelligent and autonomous, and cyber-threats have become advanced, persistent and military. Yet, our Australian military acquisition models' policy descriptions and standard contract suites remain rooted in a waterfall model of overly evolved requirements and a Single Step to Full Capability (SSFC).
Operational testing forever comes last in the dogma of the linear life cycle process, and with that goes any chance of early usability testing, serious simulation, feedback, real validation and flexible requirements until the budget and schedule are exhausted.
The second 'V' in V&V is almost invisible and the US version of VV&A has never crossed the Pacific because there is insufficient front-end simulation. The wherewithal to focus innovatively on Evolutionary Acquisition with Spiral Development (EA/SD) methods has been left to individual staff to explore. Worse still, systems engineers, project controls staff and testers have worn implied blame for the long acquisition times when they are not appropriately retrained and enabled because of an outdated acquisition model and outdated acquisition competencies, processes and test infrastructure.
In the last decade in the US, they have had serious infrastructure, process and competency reform of their acquisition. Connecting all Services and Groups they have large and distributed digital network integration centres with live, virtual and constructive simulation and cyber-ranging to do integration, usability testing, and cybersecurity testing, early and often.
MBSE and agile methods are now exploiting digital engineering for more innovation. Four significant organisations underpin the US successes in reforming their acquisition. Just as we import over 50 per cent of our Defence capabilities from the US DoD we need to import widely from these areas to lift Australia's ability to catch up in digital and agile acquisition.
