Measuring and maintaining program synchronization

Instead of relying on a single acquisition program to design and build their constituent parts, complex systems increasingly rely on multiple development programs operating in parallel. This can create challenges for program managers attempting to ensure that the development and delivery schedules of their programs are properly aligned with other interdependent programs-an issue commonly referred to as program synchronization. A lack of synchronization across programs can delay the delivery of capabilities to the end user, drive up costs, and compromise the overall performance of the system. This paper defines synchronization as it is used in this context, illustrates the need for synchronization between programs, and presents methods for measuring and maintaining synchronization. The first section defines synchronization in the context of acquisition programs and addresses what it means to be synchronized. The second and third sections address why synchronization is important and explain how synchronization becomes a problem for programs. Sections four and five present approaches for measuring synchronization and recommendations on how synchronization can be established and maintained throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) systems are used as examples throughout the paper, but the methods of analysis presented can be applied to other complex systems as well.