Defense Acquisitions: DOD Can Improve Its Management of Configuration Steering Boards

In July 2007, the USD (AT&L) established CSBs for every current and future major defense acquisition program in development as a measure to limit requirements change and avoid cost increases. The CSBs were to have a broad membership, including senior representatives from the offices of USD (AT&L) and Joint Staff. CSBs were intended to review all requirements and significant technical configuration changes with the potential to adversely affect the program. The USD (AT&L) directed that these changes should generally be rejected or deferred unless funds and schedule adjustments could be identified to mitigate their effects. In addition, program managers were asked to identify options to reduce program cost or moderate requirements, referred to as descoping options, on a roughly annual basis. USD (AT&L) also instructed that, while policy would be to keep within planned costs as much as possible even at the expense of scope and content, all expected increases in program costs must be budgeted at the absolute earliest opportunity. USD (AT&L) incorporated CSBs into DOD's primary acquisition policy- DOD Instruction 5000.02-in December 2008.