Course Aim

The Essential Defence Project Activities course is intended to develop practical understanding of essential Defence project application activities across the capability lifecycle as part of Defence materiel management. It focuses on how Defence capability baselines, systems verification and validation, test and evaluation, logistics engineering, certification, and assurance activities are applied to support acceptance of Defence materiel capability.

Essential Defence Project Activities comprises six practical application modules. Together, they address the integration of Defence capability baselines; capability systems verification and validation; capability systems test and evaluation; logistics engineering and logistic support analysis; capability integrity acceptance and capability certification; and project capability assurance from Fundamental Inputs to Capability assurance through to operational capability acceptance.

In practical terms, the course aims to help participants connect requirements, specifications, evidence, test activity, supportability, certification, and assurance into a defensible pathway from capability definition through to operational capability acceptance. The course is ideally suited to Defence staff, Defence capability project members, and contractors involved in the design and construction of Defence materiel systems.

The course is one of three courses focused on practical application courses (DMM205 Defence Project Transition Course; DMM206 Defence Fundamental Inputs to Capability Course; DMM207 Essential Defence Project Activities Course) that sit within APET’s Defence Materiel Management professional development areas of Capability Acquisition, Capability Development, Capability Integration, and Capability Deployment.

Course Outline

Module 1. Capability systems baseline management from requirements baseline through to the certification basis: Relevant Defence policies and standards | Capability baseline structure and supporting documentation | Identification and quantification of capability system requirements baselines | Application and assurance of functional, allocated, and product baselines | Establishing a certification basis for capability design and performance acceptance | Checklists for meeting baseline and certification requirements.

Module 2. Capability systems verification and validation (V&V) from developing a VCRM through to meeting user needs: Relevant Defence policies and standards | Critical Operational Issues from the Capability Manager Operational Concept Document (OCD) | Critical Technical Parameters from the project capability FPS | Development of a VCRM based on the OCD and FPS | Testing trials against FPS test category requirements | Validation of requirements baselines, system specifications, mission and support systems, and user needs | Checklists for V&V against capability specifications and user requirements.

Module 3. Capability systems test and evaluation (T&E) from applying supporting planning documents through to test categories: Relevant Defence policies and standards | Relationship between capability V&V and T&E | Capability definition documents including OCD, JCNS, FPS, TCD, and TEMP | Development of the Test Concept Document and Capability Test and Evaluation Master Plan | Types of T&E, including DT&E, AT&E, and OT&E | Test categories from CAT 1 DT&E through CAT 5 AT&E and CAT 7 OT&E | Application of FMECA, RAM, and RCM for capability acceptance and operability T&E | Checklists for TCD, TEMP, and defined test category criteria.

Module 4. Logistics engineering from logistic support analysis through to supportability assessment. Relevant Defence policies and standards | Establishing an LSA program based on capability systems engineering | Using FMECA, RAM, RCM, and V&V results in capability logistic support analysis | Developing the LSA process from functional logistics and resource requirements | Defining functional logistics requirements and characteristics from ILS objectives and constraints | Defining critical resources from task analysis and capability post-production support | Assessing supportability requirements and characteristics using the OCD, FPS, and use studies | Checklists for LSA, supportability, and functional logistics requirements.

Module 5. Capability technical certification from the certification basis through to capability integrity acceptance: Relevant Defence policies and standards | Technical elements of the certification basis | Additional elements to review in a Project Certification Plan | Responsibility and accountability for technical certification by an Authorised Engineering Organisation (AEO) | TEMP, Technical Certification Plan, and Systems Safety Management Plan | Capability integrity requirements and objective evidence | Assurances required to support system design integrity for technical certification | Checklists for capability integrity acceptance and capability certification.

Module 6. Capability assurance from FIC assurance through to operational capability acceptance: Confirming Fundamental Inputs to Capability (FIC) requirements and assurance matrices | Achieving Initial Materiel Release (IMR) and Final Materiel Release (FMR) criteria | Providing objective evidence for Initial Operational Release (IOR) | Operational Test and Evaluation plans for capability operational release | Critical Technical Parameters, Critical Operational Issues, Measures of Effectiveness, Measures of Supportability, and Measures of Performance | Recommendation of Initial Operational Capability based on capability assurance | Checklists for FIC assurance and IMR, FMR, IOC, and FOC acceptance.

Course Material

The following resources will be provided to attendees of this course:

1. A PDF copy of the PowerPoint presentations used for the course.

Your Presenter

Dr Fred Stapelberg is a highly experienced systems engineering, asset management, logistics, and project management professional with more than three decades of consulting, Defence, industry, and academic experience. He holds a BScEng in Industrial Systems Engineering, an MScEng in Mechanical Engineering, a PhD in Engineering, an Executive MBA, and a DBA. He is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, a Chartered Professional Engineer, an International Registered Professional Engineer, and a Registered Professional Engineer. Fred’s professional practice has focused on the integrity of complex engineering systems, including reliability, availability, maintainability, safety, risk, configuration management, logistics engineering, integrated logistics support, asset management, and technical assurance.