Purpose:

Evaluate the supplier’s technical solution and manage selected interfaces of that solution.

Objective:

Establishes organizational expectations to manage the technical evaluation of selected supplier products and services, conduct technical reviews with the supplier, and manage selected interfaces throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Description:

The Acquisition Technical Management process focuses on the following:

    • Conducting technical reviews of the supplier’s technical solution
    • Analyzing the development and implementation of the supplier’s technical solution to confirm technical progress criteria or contractual requirements are satisfied
    • Managing selected interfaces

Typically, these activities interactively support one another to gauge technical progress and allow effective management of project technical risks. Depending on the development progress and insight required, different levels of detailed analysis may be needed to conduct technical reviews to the acquirer’s satisfaction. Prototypes, simulations, and technology demonstrations created by the supplier can help gauge technical progress and readiness for technical reviews, assess technical risks, and gain the knowledge needed to manage selected interfaces.

In some acquisitions, the acquirer assumes the role of an overall systems engineer, architect, or integrator for the product. In these acquisitions, the Technical Solution process should also be used. Technical Solution includes additional information about designing, developing, and implementing solutions, including the design approaches, design concepts, and alternative solutions for which an acquirer can have varying degrees of responsibility.

Acquisition Technical Management activities involve measuring technical progress and the effectiveness of plans and requirements. Activities include the ones associated with technical performance measurement and the conduct of technical reviews. A structured review process should demonstrate and confirm the completion of required accomplishments and exit criteria as defined in project planning and technical plans (e.g., the systems engineering management plan). Acquisition Technical Management activities discover deficiencies or anomalies, often resulting in corrective action.

Acquisition Technical Management should be performed with other technical and agreement management processes, such as requirements management, risk management, configuration management, data management, and agreement management. For the acquisition of product lines and standard services, the practices described in this process (as well as Acquisition Requirements Development) can also be applied to identify and acquire core assets used in developing, acquiring, or customizing products or service systems.

When the supplier uses an Agile method, end users or their proxies are typically involved in the supplier’s development processes. In such a situation, the acquirer must also be involved to ensure that needed changes to requirements and supplier agreements are acceptable given the acquisition’s constraints and to incorporate the changes into the supplier agreements.

Entrance Criteria:

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Exit Criteria:

  • Criteria used to select supplier technical solutions for analysis
  • Lists of supplier technical solutions selected for analysis
  • Analysis methods for each selected supplier solution
  • Criteria to be used in selecting acquirer-managed interfaces
  • Record of Analysis
  • Results of Analysis
  • Review Schedule
  • Entry and Exit Criteria
  • Review Results
  • Documented issues (e.g., issues with customer requirements, product, and product component requirements, product architecture, and product design)
  • Table of relationships between the supplier’s product or service and the external environment
  • Updated interface description or agreement

Supplier Deliverables

  • List of supplier deliverables
  • Alternative solutions
  • Product architecture
  • Product component designs
  • Architecture evaluations
  • Unit and integration test results
  • Verification results
  • Progress reports and process, product, and service level measurements
  • Technical performance measurements
  • Review materials and reports
  • Action items tracked to closure
  • Documentation of product and document deliveries
  • Interface Description Documents
  • Categories of Interfaces
  • List of Interfaces per category
  • Mapping of interfaces to product components and the product integration environment
  • Interface Design Specifications
  • Interface Control Documents
  • Interface Specification Criteria
  • Table of relationships among the product components and the external environment (e.g., main power supply, fastening product, computer bus system)
  • Reports from interface control working group meetings
  • Action items for updating interfaces
  • Application program interface (API)

Process and Procedures:

Tailoring Guidelines:

  • None

Process Verification Record(s)

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Measure(s):

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References:

  • CMMI® for Development, Version 1.3, Software Engineering Process Management Program, November 2010
  • CMMI® for Acquisition, Version 1.3, Software Engineering Process Management Program, November 2010
  • CMMI® for Services, Version 1.3, Software Engineering Process Management Program, November 2010