The Department of Defense (DoD) regularly releases and regularly updates special instructions about acquiring various rules and policies. The goals of these directives are to define a mission, distribute responsibilities, and provide authority (“What are DoD instructions and directives,” 2022). DoD’s 5000 series instructions contain information about the role that different individuals in program acquisition must have. For example, these documents discuss the project manager’s specific roles in market research and evaluation for identifying interoperability, supportability, suitability, safety, and integration.
DoD instructions are designed in such a way as to provide guidance for introducing long-term and continuous projects rather than one-time changes. The program manager’s roles include preparing programs for decision-making, developing acquisition programs, and executing approved plans (Department of Defense [DoD], 2015). The concepts of program integration by project managers are discussed in the DoD instructions, which show that they “should focus on the basics of sound acquisition planning, management, and decision making” (DoD, 2015, p. 6). The new 5000.02 direction differs from its older 5000.01 version by the lack of requirement to organize the safety, interoperability, and supportability of programs using the block approach (Keeter, 2003). Moreover, the instructions suggest utilizing commercial and dual-use technologies in military and industrial applications (Keeter, 2003). Overall, the DoD instructions are updated to ensure that products and programs are implemented in the most efficient and practical way.
In summary, the Department of Defense provides instructions for the realization of various governmental programs by describing roles, identifying goals, and ensuring that projects are managed in the most effective way possible. The role of project managers in the safety, suitability, and proper integration of programs is described in the 5000 series instruction. The main idea is that role and task distribution can be completed in a block manner, but that is not a requirement.
References
Keeter, H. (2003). Revised DoD acquisition policies analyzed for substantive change. Defense Daily; Potomac, 218(34), 1-3.
Department of Defense. (2015). Operation of the defense acquisition system. Web.
What are DoD instructions and directives? (2022). Cask Government Services. Web.