Book Description

This report presents the results of a study to determine the merits of an Acquisition Corps Pre-Command Course (ACPCC) for Army military and civilian Project/Product Managers (PM) and Acquisition Commanders. The Course, as visualized and discussed in this report, would be designed to provide spin-up training immediately prior to these assignments in a manner similar to that currently provided to commanders by Army and branch level Pre-Command Courses (PCCs). This report examines the background conditions associated with the current PM assignment process which offers no formal pre-assignment training, yet assumes the arriving PM has full proficiency in the job from the first day. This apparent training void was validated by surveying current and former PMs to gain insights from their reassignment experiences and to ascertain the existence, magnitude, and nature of the problem. Additionally, several key individuals within the Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) acquisition communities were interviewed and briefed on emerging results. Their involvement helped provide focus and common sense to the study. Finally, visits were made to the Department of Defense (DOD) and Army schools currently providing acquisition and/or pre-command training. These visits provided awareness of the scope and enormity of challenges directly associated with establishing and maintaining a course suitable as an ACPCC. near the end of the study period, a follow-up survey was performed as a means of identifying any new issues and obtaining feedback or mid-study guidance. Data from both surveys, the interviews with key individuals, and the visits to the schools were evaluated, analyzed, and collapsed into a recommendation for the Army to implement an ACPCC.