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Thursday, March 28, 2024

GAO: DoD Could Improve Practices for Developing Program Managers

A GAO report has found that the Department of Defense could improve the way it develops its acquisition program managers.

Major defense acquisition programs have been plagued with cost and schedule overruns – initial expectations have been exceeded by $484 million and average overruns are 31 months – so acquisition program managers are essential to keep things on track.

Although the GAO found that military services have taken steps to develop “top-notch talent” for this role, it says that their training, mentoring, retention and selection of program managers falls short compared with other leading organizations.

GAO found that most leading organizations use 10 key practices to develop program managers, which include training classes that allow managers to share their experiences, mentoring and education subsidies. The military is only using four of these practices extensively across all three of its services.

For one of the key practices, financial rewards for good performance, neither the Air Force nor the Navy had implemented it at all and it was only partially used when developing the Army’s acquisition program managers.

GAO recommends that the secretaries of the Air Force, Army and Navy should all ensure that their development of program managers aligns with the top practices used by leading commercial organizations. It also recommends that all three secretaries should make better use of the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund to recognize high performers, and that the secretaries of the Air Force and the Navy should identify lessons learned by the Army related to the Army’s experience to extend coverage of AcqDemo across the civilian program management workforce.

GAO: DoD Could Improve Practices for Developing Program Managers Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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